Russ Dixon sent us this lead for a 1972 Buick Skylark GS 350. The car is located in Lansing, Michigan but was last owned by someone in Alabama so there is no title and Alabama plates on the car. The seller states that the car will be sold on a Bill of Sale. The auction can be seen here on eBay and there are three days remaining. The current bid price is $2,331.
The Buick is said to be equipped with the numbers matching 350 cubic inch V8 engine. The engine was rated at 180 horsepower (net) from the factory in 1972 with a four barrel carburetor. With lower compression, a change in the way horsepower was rated and pollution controls, the 1972 GS was not as powerful as prior years on paper or in person. However, the Buick 350 cubic inch engine was different from the Chevy version. It had a longer stroke and smaller bore which allowed for more low end torque.
At 48 years old, this project is not for the faint of heart. The car has some rust issues which includes needing a new floor pan and trunk pan. The frame looks good but there may be some rust under the deteriorating vinyl top. The car is not running and will need to be trailered back to your shop.
The seller states that the car is being sold for a friend. The motor is mated to an automatic transmission that is operated by a console shifter between the two bucket seats. The car is listed as a brown exterior but it appears to be more of a copper color which would be optioned as (Code 2448) Burnished Copper Poly. The interior is a mix of black console and dash and saddle door panels and seats. This car may see of small increase in price but it is probably priced fairly based on its pecking order of muscle cars and condition.
Surprised to see unboxed rear trailing arms with no rear anti-sway. I would have thought performance suspension would be part of the GS package.
Car located in Michigan being sold with no Alabama title.It says it ships to Canada and the last bid is Canadian. Say what?
State of Alabama does not issue titles on cars of this age.
The only thing I can figure why the seller is marketing the car to Canada is that Canadians would be less intimidated by all the rust? They kinda have to deal with it all the time and are used to it.
Marketing it in Canada from Lansing is like marketing it in New York from New Jersey…….
“Pecking order of muscle cars…”?
This is not a muscle car!
This misconception has grown over the last 3 decades.
All Skylarks came with a 350 V8. The GS was a trim package.
If you wanted a muscle car you need to go for the GS455 or at least the 400.
The same was true for other GM offerings.
This is basically a standard GM intermediate. A “grocery getter”.
Any value would be as a resto mod or to clone a GS455.
It’s hard to believe now but muscle car sales actually tanked for 1970. Insurance premiums were skyrocketing on them and many buyers weren’t buying them for all-out performance anyway. And by then, having a huge engined muscle car was increasingly seen as anti-social.
So for 1971, GM introduced the GS 350, Chevelle SS 350, Tempest GT-37, and a 350 powered 442 to counter this and try to increase declining sales. Even the famous GSX package came with the 350 for 1971. You got the look of a muscle car with much lower insurance premiums.
And indeed, the “junior muscle cars” outsold their larger engine counterparts. For 1972, there were 6,541 GS 350s sold, compared to only 2,034 GS 455s sold (including Stage 1s). That’s a 3 to 1 ratio.
I had a 71 GT-37 great car, came with a 350 and 3 speed manual, did a few upgrades, holly 4 bbl, 4 speed m22 stone crusher
A friend had a car just like this back in high school, except it was blue and 4 speed equipped. Was a quick car, gave the Camaro guys all kinds of grief. Of course we had added headers, a Holley and cammed it but it was a bit of a sleeper.