The buzzy odd-fire V-6 is gone, but we like the remnants of the manual steering and brakes
From Bentley to Buick, convertibles are always the most expensive models on the lot. It may seem counterintuitive at first. After all, a convertible doesn't have a steel roof or headliner, so it must be cheaper to build (and sell), right? Not so fast. Let's remember that when you lose the roof, a major player in the game of structural integrity is lost. Think about this: Open the doors of any convertible and then imagine giant hands twisting the front and rear bumpers in opposite directions. The only structures present to resist the force (the floorpan and rocker sills) are way down low. There's nothing else. This is why most convertibles have special doors that-through specific hinges, latches, and striker plates-become a greater part of the body structure when closed compared with similar hardtop models. It just goes to show there's plenty more involved in producing a ragtop than eliminating the roof. As a result, all factory convertibles have numerous chassis, frame, and body reinforcements to restore integrity. This all costs plenty of engineering and production resources, thus the higher base price. This neat, low-option '65 Skylark convertible was spotted at Phoenix's Desert Valley Auto Parts (DVAP.com) in 2008. And yes, at $2,773, it had the highest base price of any '65 Buick Special or Skylark offering. At about 50 bucks less, the second-highest base price was held by the Special Deluxe four-door station wagon at $2,727. Naturally, the actual selling price only went up from these base prices. But the lack of extra cost options on this particular ragtop make it one of the cheapest/most expensive Skylarks available . . . if that makes any sense. Let's dig in.
Groovy Factoids
Though the Skylark nameplate is mostly associated with mass-produced Buicks of the '60s and '70s, it first appeared on the limited-production Skylark convertible in 1953-Buick's 50th anniversary year. Inspired by GM Motorama dream cars, Skylarks were mostly handbuilt, and only 1,690 were assembled, plus another 836 in 1954. Today, well-preserved examples sell for more than $100,000.
British glam rock act Spacehog's 1998 release The Chinese Album includes a song called "Skylark." The song has nothing to do with cars, but we dig the fact that lead singer Royston Langdon married (but eventually divorced) Aerosmith offspring Liv Tyler. Dummy!
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The faded Arizona license plates read VVF264 and expired in 1973-proof that this Flint fly
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Covered in red oxide primer, the J code on the cowl tag tells us the original color was Ve
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GM shared the Skylark's A-body platform among Chevy, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile, so a fresh f