1953 Buick Series 70 Roadmaster Skylark Convertible

For 1953 General Motors offered a trio of special, low-production convertibles in their top three auto lines, Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile. This car is one of the 1,690 Buick Skylark Convertibles built as part of that trio and powered by Buick's new 331 cubic-inch, 188 horsepower V8 engine. The Skylarks began life as standard Roadmaster convertibles but were pulled off the production line to be hand finished. The windshield was cut four inches lower, the belt line was dipped just behind the doors, and stainless steel was used for the classic Buick sweep spear that arched over the wheel cutouts. Dayton chrome spoke wheels filled the wheel wells, which were painted in a contrasting color. Even the classic Buick portholes on the hood were deleted to signify this Buick was a custom job. The car's price was $5,000, 1,500 above the standard Buick Roadmaster Convertible. Interestingly, the Riviera was the only one of the GM trio that did not use the all-new GM wraparound windshield.