Refurbished Barn Find: 1967 Buick Skylark Convertible

For 1967, Buick’s marketing team went all-out and produced one of the greatest sales catalogs in American history. Picturing famous fashion models, sports heroes, and Hollywood leading men, along with a mix of illustrations and evocative photography, it’s one for the Hall of Fame, and the Skylark Convertible was just one of the great Buicks featured. This example, brought to us by Barn Finder Barney, is for sale on craigslist in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for $17,999.

Bought by the seller’s father in North Carolina, the Skylark had been sitting for 40 years, but after his father’s passing, the seller finished the car in his memory. Part of that refurbishment included rebuilding the engine and transmission and installing a dual exhaust system. The engine most people have forgotten is the 300-cubic-inch Buick small-block, which was produced only from 1964 to 1967. In 1967, it was available in one state of tune only, a 210-horsepower two-barrel with 310 lb.-ft. of torque. The transmission was Buick’s two-speed Super Turbine 300 with a “Switch-Pitch” torque converter; a microswitch connected to the carburetor linkage tells the torque converter when the throttle is nearly floored, changing the stator’s pitch. It isn’t quite as crisp-feeling as a three-speed automatic, but it helps.

This car has power steering and power brakes, as you might expect from a Buick.

Unfortunately, the Craigslist ad doesn’t include any pictures of the interior aside from both door panels. Based on the advertising text, however, the car has like-new upholstery (it’s a black bench-seat interior), new carpeting, a new convertible top, a new top boot, and the “lights, turn signals, heater, radio, and horn all work.” The dash pad does have a crack, and the “chrome trim at the top of the windshield is rusted” (although the seller will include new pieces with the car).

Perhaps the most appealing part of the Skylark is its color combination: I’d say the paint is Verde Green, and with the luminous white top and black interior, it’s subdued yet alluring. The paint is “showing its age but still looks good,” and the tires are new (including the spare).

My favorite part? It may sound insignificant, but this Skylark’s wheel center caps feature the emblematic “bird” on a red background, adding a complementary highlight to the beautiful Buick road wheels. I’ve long felt that if someone could only own one collector car, a 1964-67 General Motors A-Body is not a bad choice. Each one is handsome, parts availability is good, and they’re still practical and powerful on the road. With this one, you can drop the top, too.