While some of the most stylish cars built in the U.S. were in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Buick was no slouch in 1969. That was the second year of the second generation of the Buick Skylark as a mid-size automobile, and I’ve always thought these were fabulous vehicles – appearance-wise. The “vee” in the rear was toned down a little from 1968 (though the Riviera would go the boat tail route in 1971). This ’69 Skylark Custom Sport Coupe looks as nice as they come and has only covered 60,000 miles in 57 years. Located in Milford, Massachusetts, this Champagne Gold survivor is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $20,500.
Buyers had several intermediate Buicks to choose from in 1969. The Special Deluxe, Skylark, Skylark Custom, and Gran Sport were all on the table. The seller’s car is almost a dead ringer for a ’69 GS 400 that a friend of mine owns, an auto that’s been in the same family since new. More than 35,000 Skylark Custom Coupes left the assembly line that year, only bested by the slightly more spartan Skylark in the same body style.
If I had ordered one of these cars when new, I probably would have gone the same route as the original owner did here. Except that I would go with a black interior to match the vinyl roof covering. And the paint would be the same. It has a 350 cubic inch V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor, zippy enough yet it would run on regular gasoline. This car has a 3-speed automatic transmission, which is probably a TH-350. Factory A/C – check. Chrome road wheels – also check. Power steering and brakes — done. We have a winner!
We’re told the Skylark runs and drives “100 percent”. So, this edition should be a turnkey purchase that you can enjoy right away. You might not have to pay more than the asking price except for DMV fees. I wonder how much a one-way plane ticket to Boston runs these days? Thanks for the cool tip, T.J.!
While I’m a diehard Chevy lover and the 68-72 Chevelle’s and El Camino’s are among my favorite Chevrolet’s, I’ve always thought the 68-72 Buick Special/Skylark were the prettiest of all the GM A-Bodies. Those Buick’s just had great lines.
I’m not in love with the color, but this is still a real nice example of the 68-72 Buick A-Bodies. About the only thing it lacks is a console and floor shifter for the auto. It wasn’t all that uncommon to see cars with buckets and no console back then. I knew a lot of cars like that, including a 74 Trans Am I bought new with no console and a Hurst shifter on the carpeted tunnel, but today it looks sort of naked without a console.
Nicest one left, with a vinyl top, 2 barrel 350, bucket seats with auto on the column. ??? I don’t think so.