Two years earlier, Chevrolet rolled out its first compact car, the Corvair, in what would become the Year of the Compact as Ford, Mercury, Dodge and Plymouth followed suit, along with Studebaker.
GM waited a year before launching compacts from three of its other divisions – Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Buick. These so-called “senior compacts” underwent some changes for the 1962 model year.
Dressed in Arctic White (code C), the car's paint and trim are in overall very good order with .....
minor blemishes. Made during the second week of July 1962 in General Motors' Southgate, California factory with reverse lights (code H1). The engine bay is very tidy, the chrome, wraparound bumpers fit tightly to the body and the cargo area is clean and includes a full-sized spare tire and a jack. The three Ventiports on each front fender signify this as one of Buick's junior models. There's also a set of four floormats.
Prior to 1960, most American cars came in one-size-fits-all and GM was that way, too, save for its pickup trucks and the Corvette.
This baby Buick rolls on BFGoodrich Silvertown white stripe radial tires, size 175/70R13 at every corner. Each tire is mounted on a steel wheel topped with a factory deluxe wheel cover. The tires and wheel covers are in very good order. Out back is a 16-gallon fuel tank.
Under the hood is Buick's 215 CID 16-valve V-8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor that generates 190 horsepower and makes 11.0:1 compression. Backing this motor is a Buick's Dual Path Turbine Drive two-speed automatic transmission and a 3.36:1 rear end. Driver convenience features include power steering and aftermarket Wilwood power brakes. Buick's two-speed automatic shared no common parts with Chevrolet's more well-known two-speed, Powerglide.
Inside, one finds a black Cordaveen vinyl interior (code 188) that perfectly complements the exterior color. The folding front buckets and rear bench seats are all in very good order. Left seat has minor wear. The contrasting white headliner looks fine, as does the black carpeting. The carpeted and vinyl inner door panels, two-spoke steering wheel and trim are in good order. A trio of Auto Gage ancillary gauges for oil pressure, coolant temperature and voltage are mounted below the dashboard and a factory clock is mounted to the right of the strip-style speedometer. A column-mounted gearshift and a factory AM radio complete the interior.
For the 1962 model year, the Skylark became a model in its own right. It used the previous year's basic sheet metal but was available in two new body styles: a two-door convertible coupe (shared with the Special and Special Deluxe models) and a two-door (pillarless) hardtop unique to it. Tuning of the 215 CID V-8 increased power to 190 horsepower.
Documentation includes original owner's manual and original owner's protection plan booklets.
Competition to this hardtop in 1962 included Dodge's Lancer, Mercury's Comet, Oldsmobile's F-85 Cutlass, Pontiac's Tempest LeMans and Studebaker's Lark.
Buick's first foray into the compact car arena was successful during the Special's/Skylark's first three model years. This hardtop model is somewhat rare among Special Skylark models and there aren't many left in existence. If you're interested in this one, we suggest you move fast before it finds a home elsewhere. Visit MotoeXotica Classic Cars today to see it for yourself!
VIN: 3I2516672
This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 43,806 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!
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