1953 Buick Skylark Roadmaster ConvertibleThis 1953 Skylark - #531 of 1,690 - was purchased by Oliver Elum of Ashland, Kentucky in 1953 for $1 “plus personal consideration.” Sometime around 1955, Elum added a Paxton supercharger. Ike Kielgass of Maple Valley, Washington found the car when he went to pick up "Mercury," a vintage race boat from Elum for which he used the Skylark solely to tow "Mercury." Ike purchased the 1953 Skylark in 1990 and it had 9,500 miles on it at that time. The Skylark underwent extensive restoration and was refinished in the original Osage Cream in 2013-2014. Kielgass’ Skylark - now with 15,000 miles and change - features its original 322 CI V-8 engine, 12-volt electrical system and the full gamut of power accessories, and the Paxton supercharger. Winner of the 2015 Participant's Choice Award at the Pacific Northwest Concourse d'Elegance at America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.
Created to mark Buick’s 50th anniversary, the Skylark was the archetypal American luxury liner that also bore the fruit of Buick’s renowned engineering team. At $5,000 the Skylark was as expensive as the average house and almost 50% more than the well-equipped Roadmaster convertible it was based on. Based on the model 76R two-door Roadmaster convertible, the 1953 Skylark (designated model 76X) had identical dimensions (except height), almost identical appearance, shared its drive train, and had all its standard equipment - plus its few remaining options, including power windows, power brakes, full carpeting, and a “Selectronic” AM radio. Importantly, the new Skylark featured Buick’s new 322 CI (5.3L) A run of only 1,690, the 1953 Skylark was handmade in many respects. Only stampings for the hood, trunk lid and a portion of the convertible tub were shared with the Roadmaster. All Skylark tubs were finished with various amounts of lead filler. The inner doors were made by cutting the 2-door Roadmaster's in two then welding the pieces back together at an angle to produce the rakish door dip. An overall more streamlined look was reinforced by cutting the windshield almost 3 inches (7.6 cm) shorter and lowering the side windows and convertible top frame proportionately. Seat frames and steering column were then dropped to provide proper headroom and driving position. Front leg room was 44.7 inches (114 cm). Authentic wire wheels were produced by Kelsey-Hayes, chromed everywhere except the plated and painted "Skylark" center emblem. |