Aldan American Looks Back: Buick Skylark Gran Sport
The Rise of Skylark
Peep the Aldan American blog and you’ll find some really good stuff. Among it, a recent piece on the Buick Skylark Gran Sport. Here’s an excerpt to get you started.
Over the years, the Buick Skylark changed its look and style more than an aging Hollywood star, but things started to roll when the Gran Sport made its debut in 1965.
There were a few starts and stops along the way though…the Skylark name had its debut in 1953 and was introduced as the Roadmaster Skylark. It was one of several very special GM convertibles introduced that year, and the Skylark was built for Buick’s 50th Anniversary. That model had the original V8 nailhead engine, and it sold nearly 1,700 units, which was surprising because it was high priced.
The Roadmaster Skylark cost just over $5,000—in 2020 dollars, that would equate to about $48,000. Buick scaled down the Roadmaster Skylark for 1954, yet the price was still relatively high compared to other Buicks, and sales had slowed, so Buick dropped the Skylark.
But as fate and GM product strategy would have it, the Skylark was poised to return in the early ’60s. It started with the introduction of a trio of GM compact cars for the 1961 model year—the Buick Special, the Pontiac Tempest and the Oldsmobile F-85. The Special’s looks were influenced by the LeSabre, Invicta and Electa. Born out of that event, a Buick Special Skylark rolled out in mid-1961.
Skylark fans should remember that the car Billy Gambini and Stan Rothenstein (“steen” not “stine”) drove in the movie My Cousin Vinny was a 1964 Buick Skylark. That year officially marks what’s considered the first generation of Skylarks—the first model year the Skylark was its own series and not an offshoot of another model, as it had been before with the Roadster and the Special. It came out in style with a nice trim level to generate nice sales. It featured a 115-in. wheelbase, with a midsize chassis also used by the Pontiac Tempest and Chevy’s new Chevelle.
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ABOUT Aldan American®
Established in 1981, Aldan American is the professional’s choice for high-quality performance shock absorbers, coilovers, and suspension products designed for racing, street-performance, and vehicle-specific applications. Aldan products are designed, tested, and made in the U.S.A. Aldan American is a team of automotive enthusiasts who specialize in suspension performance. From the first-time builder to the professional racer, Aldan American is ready to help you achieve your suspension goals.
