In 1964, General Motors promoted several of its compacts to mid-size status. That included the Buick Special and Skylark. The first redesign in that configuration came in 1968, and the Buicks obtained “quirky” styling compared to the Chevy Chevelle or Pontiac LeMans. This ’68 Skylark Custom is nearly a time capsule piece and wears rare black-on-black colors, said to have only been ordered on three percent of Buicks that year. Located with a collector in St. Joseph, Missouri, he/she is thinning the herd with this gorgeous near-survivor available here on eBay for $29,500.
The Skylark Custom was an upgraded trim model on the intermediate platform. It was fancier than the regular Skylark, and this car has optional rear fender skirts and power windows. It began life in California and has only accumulated 56,000 miles in 58 years. We don’t know how long ago this Buick made the trek to America’s Heartland, but it was well-cared for before and after. It’s equipped with a 350 cubic inch V8 (4-barrel) and a Super Turbine 300 automatic transmission, which is a 2-speed akin to the Powerglide.
No rust has ever come after this car, and most of the paint is original, with a few little nicks that should add character. The mileage has been documented per the seller, and 44,000 of the Skylark Custom Sport Coupes were assembled in 1968 (the seller postulates that less than 1,000 came with this paint and interior combination). Among other things, the car will come with its original California Black Plates. Even three of the headlights are from the factory in ’68!
Everything works as it should, and the factory air conditioning awaits conversion to R12 by the buyer (but does it blow cold now?). The machine is numbers-matching, and the seller considers this vehicle a “museum-quality piece.” Too many cars have resulted in this nifty Buick going up for sale. Might you become its next caretaker?
Its great to see a very clean original condition non GS Skylark. I don’t ever remember seeing one in black here on Barnfinds. My Moms favorite car ever was her 2 door hardtop ’68 Cutlass S. These are great cars. There can’t be too many low mile ones like this out there
We had one growing up… It was tan or something like that..
We had one growing up… It was tan or something like that..
My brother would make believe he was a police officer and speed up and get behind someone and scare the hell out of them!!! 😁
Just look at these 2 cars, the 500 HP drag car and this. Essentially the same car, with two very different drivers. To be clear, I don’t recall many Skylark drag cars, but all these cars did basically the same thing at the drag strip. This was without question, the person Buick had in mind, women in particular. It was pretty clear the different stages. You had the Chevelle, then LeMans, then Cutlass, and finally the Skylark, usually in that order. No drag cars, though. Wonderful cars.
It’s nice, but the price is agressive. Not sure if these have a strong enough following to find a buyer willing to dig this deep into their pocket.
Steve R
This was the start of 15 years of Olds Cutlass dominance and I have to think Buick’s styling, especially on the then favored coupes, had a lot to do with that in the ’68-72 years.