1953 Buick Skylark Convertible

1953 Buick Skylark Convertible

Three special convertible models graced General Motors' 1953 catalogs. Cadillac's Eldorado featured standard chrome wire wheels and a top hidden, when lowered, by a body-color metal cover. The Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta came with every conceivable factory option except air conditioning. Both cars presaged the wraparound windshields that GM would usher in on the upscale marques for 1954. A model apart from the two was Buick's 1953 Skylark.

The Skylark was first displayed as a General Motors Motorama car in 1952, and it was essentially a factory-built "sport custom" that was based upon the Roadmaster convertible. The windshield was chopped four inches, the beltline was cut down and notched at the rear fender line, and the rear-wheel cutouts were rounded and raised to match those in the front fenders. The model was noteworthy for lacking Buick's trademark "ventiports" on the front fenders, and it rode on standard Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels. While the Eldorado and Fiesta were based on standard convertible bodies, the Skylark was something completely different. Although on the Roadmaster chassis, it had its own distinctive fender lines, and unlike the sibling specials retained a simple curved windshield. Called the "Anniversary Convertible," it commemorated Buick's 50th birthday and came standard with virtually all options. With 1,690 built, the Skylark outsold the Eldorado and Fiesta by nearly three to one. While the Skylark name would continue as a limited-production model for 1954, and it would reappear in Buick's hierarchy for decades, the 1953 is considered the most special and sought after by collectors.

Descriptions and pictures by bonhams