1954 Buick Series 100 Skylark Sport Convertible

The Buick Skylark was built to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Buick marque. Its chassis was based on the Roadmaster and was offered only as a convertible.

For 1954, the appearance was changed using the Buick Century as a design inspiration. Subtle cues were added throughout, including a tapered rear deck with eye-catching chrome fins. The front fenders did not have the traditional Buick ventiports and its long bonnet concealed a high compression V8 engine that displaced 322 cubic-inches and produced 220 horsepower. 40-spoke Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels decorated the whitewall tires and accented the sweepspear side chrome trim. The interior was luxurious with a painted dash, an abundance of chrome, and full leather upholstery. It was well equipped with a host of power options including power brakes, power top, power windows, four-way power seats, a power antenna, Selectronic radio, and power steering. Shifting was easy with the Dynaflow automatic gearbox which was courtesy of the Roadmaster.

This example has been treated to a restoration. Its speedometer reads just over 78,000 miles. It is painted in white with red wheel wells and has a new white vinyl convertible top.

There were only 1690 Buick Skylarks built in 1953 and only 836 delivered a year later. At a price of nearly $5,000 when new, these were very exclusive vehicles.

This Skylark was brought to the 2008 Automobiles of Amelia presented by RM Auctions where it was estimated to sell for $175,000 - $225,000. It was offered without reserve which worked well for the buyer who purchased this newly restored vehicle for the sum of $115,500 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2008