The Skylark began as an upscale version of Buick’s revised Special compact car in 1961. When the Special moved up to an intermediate in 1964, the Skylark followed and became a series of its own. This beautiful ’64 Skylark ragtop belonged to the seller’s elderly neighbor, who has recently passed away. So, the seller is now trying to sell the machine, which hasn’t left the garage since 2020. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, this sweet “project” is available here on craigslist for $12,000. What a great tip, Tony Primo!
Specials and Skylarks joined three other “new” mid-size cars at GM in 1964. The rest were the Pontiac Tempest/LeMans, Oldsmobile F-85/Cutlass, and the Chevrolet Chevelle/Malibu. Buick dropped the 215 CI aluminum block V8 as standard in their mid-range cars, replacing it with an iron block 225 V6 that cooked up 155 hp. That’s what’s in the seller’s car rather than the optional 300 V8. While the Special was also offered with a convertible, Buick built more than 10,000 Skylark drop-tops, too.
We’re told this Skylark is like new at 107,000 miles because its previous long-term owner treated it with kid gloves. Said owner was a car nut and had possessed this Buick since the 1960s. Besides the “Fireball” V8, the convertible also has a 2-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle has been an Arizona resident since Day 1 and apparently only saw daylight in perfect weather.
There is no rust, and we suspect the white paint and blue interior are original. Unfortunately, the vehicle isn’t currently running as it may not have been started in six years. Besides a new battery, the buyer will likely have to clean out the fuel delivery system. We hope it’s not any more complicated than that. So, bring a tow truck and keep your fingers crossed.
This looks like it might be a nice car but, when saying to the public “Please give me $12k of your hard earned money” it seems the seller could provide more and better pictures.
What seller should have done is get the car running properly, and take the photos outdoors in a nice setting. As it is, these images don’t tell the full story of the car’s condition. As solid as it appears, I wouldn’t want to tow it home if I didn’t have to.
Actually the “Skylark” nameplate appeared in 1953 on a limited production convertible. Harley Earl, GM’s styling chief at the time, supposedly gave one to his wife.
It appears this has been taken good care of over the years. If it will start and go into gear, this should be a relatively simple project with a thorough cleanup job. As with any car that sits for long periods, you will also be addressing the fuel system, brakes, gaskets…etc…etc.