1954 Buick Skylark Convertible

The "Cars of the Stars" Museum acquired the Skylark later and when they closed down their business, Brian Jackson, son of Russ Jackson, (Barrett Jackson Auctions) bought it and for the next 22 years it was stored at their Washington Street yard. I bought it from his mother, the administrator of Bryan's estate. At that time, it still had the California pink slip and the black license plates #HZG 395.

The California tag #6158716 indicates it was last registered in 1966. The odometer indicated 31,000 original miles when I bought the Skylark.

In addition, I will be donating a spare rebuilt 1954 Buick Dynaflow transmission, work completed by Ira Gentry Transmissions. A complete but disassembled 1954 Buick engine and a used Skylark windshield, and all accumulated 1954 Buick Skylark materials.

The Buick Skylark is a passenger car formerly produced by Buick. The model was made in six production runs, during 46 years, over which the car's design varied dramatically due to changing technology, tastes, and new standards implemented over the years. It was named for the species of bird called skylark.

The Skylark name first appeared on a limited production luxury convertible using the Buick Roadmaster's chassis for two years, then was reintroduced in 1961 as a higher luxury content alternative to the entry-level Buick Special on which the Skylark was based upon. It was then positioned as Buick's luxury performance model when the Buick GSX was offered. As GM began downsizing during the late 1970s, the Skylark became the entry-level model when the Special nameplate was used as a trim package designation, then in the 1980s was offered as a front-wheel-drive vehicle where it was both a coupe and sedan for three different generations.

The 1954 Skylark had radically restyled styling unique to the Buick line,[5] which included wheel cutouts that could be painted in a contrasting color to the body's. The trunk was sloped into a semi-barrel, and tail lights moved to large chromed fins projecting atop the rear fenders.

Re-designated model 100, the car was based on the all-new shorter Century/Special series 40 chassis and not the larger series 60 Roadmaster/Super chassis, also all-new for 1954. Once again, all Skylarks were built as 2-door convertibles and carried the same luxury equipment as before, but front leg room dropped 2.4 inches (6.1 cm). While smaller and lighter, the Skylark received a performance boost by retaining the big Buicks' powertrain, an evolutionary improvement of 1953's with the highest output in the division's lineup.

The 1954 Skylark once again had unique sheet metal stampings for its elongated wheel cutouts and new semi-barrel trunk, though fabrication was done without hand labor. The hood ornament was unique, adopted the following year across the Buick product line.

Sales proved to be poor, reflecting the Skylark's continued high price of US$4,843 ($54,947 in 2023 dollars) coupled with a perceived step-down from the Roadmaster/Super series using the Century's chassis, slumping far enough to cause the model's cancellation at the end of the 1954 model year, with only 836 being manufactured.

Engine: 322ci Fireball V8

Dimensions:

Wheelbase - 121.5 in

Length - 207.6 in

Width - 79.9 in

Height - 58.9 in

Curb weight - 4395 lbs