Sometimes a car will appear on our desks here at Barn Finds, and it is almost impossible to determine its strongest attribute. That is the case with this 1965 Buick Skylark GS. It presents beautifully for its age, and it is entirely original and unmolested. Adding to its desirability, this is a numbers-matching classic that has been a part of the same family since new. If all of that isn’t enough for you, the buyer has the option of flying in and driving this beauty home because it is in excellent mechanical health. Located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, you will find the Skylark listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has sailed beyond the reserve and currently sits at $17,500.
The first thing to note about this Flame Red Skylark is that while it presents nicely, it isn’t perfect. The paint wears an impressive shine, but it does have a few nicks and marks. The worst of these is the one that is visible in the driver’s door. The seller admits there are a couple of bubbles in the front fenders, but it appears that beyond these, this Buick is rust-free. The owner inherited the vehicle from his father, who had owned it since new. It has always been stored in a climate-controlled garage, and when combined with the fact that it has never seen bad weather, it has allowed it to remain remarkably well preserved. The chrome Buick Rally wheels look to be flawless, as does the remaining trim and the glass. I can’t see any reason why this classic couldn’t be enjoyed through what remains of this Summer, with its few flaws being addressed once the weather takes a turn for the worse.
The seller highlights the overall condition of the Buick’s interior, and while it isn’t perfect, it still looks mighty impressive. I’ve spotted one small mark on the back of the driver’s seat, and one of the buttons on the same seat looks like it is coming loose. Beyond those two flaws and a crack in the wheel, it is hard to find much of which to be critical. The remaining upholstered surfaces show no evidence of wear or problems, while the original carpet is impressive for a vehicle of this age. The dash and pad are spotless, and the gauge lenses show no signs of clouding or other problems. Highlights include a console with a storage bin, a factory AM/FM radio, and a column-mounted Buick tachometer.
Buick wanted to inject some excitement into its Skylark range in 1965, introducing the GS complete with the 401ci V8. Equipped with a Carter 4-barrel carburetor and a dual exhaust from the factory, this V8 should be producing 325hp and an incredible 445 ft/lbs of torque. All of that power needs to find its way to the road, and in this case, it does so via a Super Turbine automatic transmission. While the interior offers comfortable seating and an excellent equipment level, this Skylark doesn’t miss out on the question of performance. If the owner were to point it at a ¼ mile, the journey would be over in 15.5 seconds. For potential buyers, the good vibes continue when we consider the question of this classic’s mechanical health. Its original owner was a perfectionist on this point, and the seller says that his father meticulously maintained the Skylark. It has 87,000 original miles on the clock and is said to run and drive as well today as it did when it rolled off the showroom floor. The owner is so confident about its mechanical health that he suggests that the winning bidder could fly in and drive away in this classic.
While it might not be perfect, this 1965 Buick Skylark GS is a stunning car that would seem to need little to lift it to the next level. It offers potential buyers a known history and a classic that can be driven and enjoyed immediately. The bidding has been solid but probably not as intense as I might have expected on a vehicle like this. Of course, that could change as the auction winds to a conclusion. Could you be one of the people to spice things up by throwing your hat into the ring? If you do, we’d all love to know the result.
Very nice. I have been critical of the pricing of many old cars but this is the real deal. Whoever wins the auction will have done themselves good.
Sadly, it won’t be me.
Wow not one comment. Poor ole Buick. I actually like it the only thing I can see wrong is it’s not an Olds but close enough
Very nice car, I would enjoy it as is, nothing like those 60s Buick lines!
Maybe not the quickest but Buick sure nailed it in the looks department! Sweet lookin’ machine with plenty of power.
WoW!! Another beauty by Buick. Nit only a looker but a keeper and with plenty of grunt of the line with 445 lbs ft of torque. 401 Nailhead sounds great to me. Grand dad had a Wildcat with a Nailhead in it. I was an infant when he sold that Buick for a newer Buick. He was strictly a Buick man until 1984/5 thereabouts.
Even back in the 80’s these were pretty uncommon to see. As an avid GS guy, I knew of a couple of these 65-66 Skylark GS. Loved the 66 most. Beautiful lines and just a overall great looking mid 60’s musclecar.
Fair car at a fair price. Like it a lot.
Maybe not the fastest in the quarter mile, but with all that torque in a small-ish car, it would still be fun to drive. Most regular Skylarks of these years had the 340 and it wasn’t a slouch either.
These were great cars in their day – 445 lb-ft of torque was a good bit of pull at the time. Plus, nothing sounds like a Buick 401.
Note that on the Skylark, they were referred to as Gran Sports. The GS moniker didn’t come into widespread use til later. Nothing on the car says GS, nor did anything on the window sticker.
A beautiful example of an under-rated classic.
The GS with the 401 nailhead with a four speed and a 3:42 rear with good tires would break into the 14’s at the 90 plus mark in the 1/4 mile. Most of the turbine 2 speed automatics came with 2:92 open rears. This killed the car for any 1/4 mile performance. It would just sit there and burn the right rear tire off. Even with the GS package, the posi rear was an option. Many would install the 3 speed super turbine 400 auto in the GS Skylark with the 3:42 posi rear ; this would really wake it up. You could also special order the super Wildcat package with the dual Carter AFB’s from the dealer in 1965-66.
I neglected to ask. What the hell is that “Black Hole” looking thing on the drivers floorboard? Is that some form of vortex that is best to stay very very far away from?
Jcs:
RE: “Black Hole” in floorboard.
That’s an indirect effect of glare in the camera lens. Nowhere to be found in that car! Similar to the “orbs” seen in night photos with off-angle source of light nearby.
Those front buckets look like a mighty comfy place to spend some road time in.
Even with all that red… I love it!
View from the rear is superb!!
Wish it were mine. My all time favorite car.
There is an old saying about this year A body Buick, quote… “it is just like a Chevelle but with nicer taillights”.
I own a ’65 but mine is a ragtop, and one thing about the write up that I question is I have never seen or heard of an Am/Fm factory radio for this year Skylark. I would venture to say it is an after market unit. These make for a very nice driver and especially with the 401 under the hood, now it just needs the 3 pedal setup!
The radio is original (you can read BUICK on the buttons), but there’s no slide bar to switch bands. I agree, I don’t think the A body Buick had an AM-FM in 65, altho’ the big cars did.
The sales brochure for 65 Skykark lists AM/FM radio as an option. It was not offered in the Skykark in 1964.
Actually Buick had that body style in 1964 before Chevy made the jump. So actually the 66 Chevelle looks like a Buick with uglier taillights.
Here’s something that Bunkie Knudsen said many years after he retired from GM he said, the Buick’s got the best of the best while any part with any kind of flaw went in Chevelle. I would compare it to military parts from their Jet’s had top priority over commercial airlines.
My favorite year and make of A body GM cars. The 66 Chevelle was my second favorite
Nice car. Wish it were mine. Got a 65 Skylark and a 70 Stage1 GS. Always wanted a 65 GS. My favorite body style. Buick was 2 years ahead of Chevy with this style with the 64-65 Skylark,GS, and Special.
Sold today for just under $20,000. I would consider this a bargain and wish I would of had the cash to buy. Not a real popular muscle car but a friend had one and it road great and will make some lucky buyer a great addition to any collection.
This one got away very cheap! Its disappointing to me to see that these cars are not getting collector respect. I hope we don’t see this one at the next ‘Collector Car Auction’ being ‘flipped’ by some pseudo- entremanure’!
Nice one,sold for a little over 19k!
I had a ‘65 Gran Sport with the 445 engine, four speed. It was a bright yellow with light yellow fogged on the fender and roof edges. Blk leather interior. I had Chevelle hood scoops and sequential turn signals in the rear. How I miss that car.
Seems like a nice car for just under $20k that you can drive now instead of investing a ton of time, money and effort into a rusty junky non driver. And also nice to know there won’t be many similar cars at your local auto show.