Skylark GS Rescue Project
Last month we told you about a rather sad and forlorn 1966 Buick Skylark GS that we’d been contacted about and which is looking for a saviour…
When we first saw this Buick, we thought it looked strangely familiar – and it turned out to be feature car from July 1996/CA63 (if you have the full library of Classic Americans stretching that far back you can read the feature in its entirety). At the time, the car was part of Lawrence Millett’s private collection (he of Bauer Millett fame, the UK’s only authorized GM dealership based in Manchester and now sadly defunct) and the magazine ‘borrowed’ it for a couple of days for the feature.
It was in remarkably immaculate and original condition, kept in a heated four-car garage and with only 29,000 miles on the clock. According to the article: “Lawrence puts his Skylark’s amazing originality down to the fact that the car has always been stored inside and kept out of the daylight, so there’s no bleaching or warping.” Apparently, the Buick’s original owner was a lady from Surrey and it was purchased new during a stop off in New York as part of a cruise on the QE2. It was ordered with a host of optional extras, including air conditioning, power-windows, centre console and shifter and a hood tach.
How this cream puff of a car ended up, almost three decades later, outside in bits is probably a story someone out there knows for sure; however, the sad tale we heard was that the previous owner dismantled the car with the intention of restoring it and then died. The car then sat outside under a tarpaulin for 20 years. Then the owner of the property on which the car was abandoned decided to sell the land, contacting a local scrap merchant to ‘dispose’ of the vehicle. Quite the sad end to what had been a spectacular vehicle at one stage.
But, of course, that’s not the end, is it? The car’s current custodians would like to see it go to an enthusiast and be restored to its full former glory. And that doesn’t seem like a totally unreasonable prospect. The car, as they say, has ‘good bones’ and an early life of being pampered and looked after would hopefully mean that it wouldn’t be as difficult to restore as a complete basket case. Most importantly the original engine is still present, meaning that it could still be ‘numbers matching’ post-restoration. In the interim the current owners have found the original spare tyre and radiator. Parts missing (although, the search for them is still ongoing!) include the front wings, grille and front bumper. A quick look on eBay shows these to be available in the US for about $2k each, plus shipping, tax and VAT. Sadly the rear window has been smashed, allowing water to get in over the years.
Liv Hall (who can be contacted by e-mail on: oliviahall1996@hotmail.com) who’s handling the
sale for the family, is hoping to put the car on eBay around the time this magazine is sent out to subscribers/ goes on sale and it’ll be on there for a few weeks. So, if you’re interested in this unique and desirable project, head over there and put in your bid! We’d love to follow the car’s restoration so if you’re the successful bidder, get in touch!