Rare Rides: A Nearly-new 1997 Buick Skylark Coupe

When was the last time you saw a Nineties Skylark? More relevant to today’s subject, when did you last see one in showroom condition? The answer to the latter question is probably during the Clinton administration.

But here we are in the just wonderful year of 2020, and somehow a stunning late model Skylark has survived. Let’s take a look.

The Skylark name had a varied history at Buick. Initially, it was applied to the luxurious Roadmaster in 1953, and represented the pinnacle of the Buick brand. At its debut, Skylark was a costly and limited production convertible and joined the ranks of the Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado. The expensive model didn’t sell well, so Buick dropped Skylark after 1954 and waited until 1960 to use the name again. This time Skylark became a luxury trim on the Special compact lineup.

By the mid-Sixties Skylark graduated into a midsize car and was its own model from 1964 onward. The fun lasted until 1975 when the compact, rear-drive X-body Apollo introduced in 1973 was remodeled and split into two lines: two-doors were Skylarks, and four-doors were the Apollo. Skylark switched to the front-drive X-body in 1980 and experienced further downsizing.

Sticking with front-drive, Skylark was modernized for the 1985 model year when it transitioned to the N-body. For the first few years there were again two model names, with two-doors as Somerset Regal, and four-doors as Skylark. This was revised in 1988, when Somerset was dropped.

For 1992 a new sixth-generation Skylark arrived, though it still utilized the N-body platform. Available as coupe or sedan, The Skylark’s debut design was marked by a very sloped front end that came to a point. It was meant to hearken back to Sixties Buicks but didn’t work. It was also punctuated by an extremely early Nineties marketing campaign with an abstract painter, here:

Initial engines were not as abstract in nature, and all Skylarks were powered by either a 2.3-liter I4 or 3.3-liter V6. This was adjusted in 1994 with the arrival of a 3.1 in place of the 3.3 (both engines were 160 horsepower). Further engine revisions for 1995 saw the 2.3-liter Quad 4 change from SOHC to DOHC, which increased power from 120 to 150 horses. Until 1995 only a three-speed automatic was available, but a four-speed arrived that year as an optional extra on the four-cylinder and standard on the V6.

Toward the end of its life, the Skylark was refreshed away from its artistic and pointy look. The entirety of the front clip was softened and took on a more Century-like appearance. Likely this meant 96-onward Skylarks were less subjected to parking lot bumps at the front – no more pointy protrusion. The hood was also reshaped and smoothed to ditch its power bulge. Other changes that year included the replacement of the 2.3-liter engine with a 2.4 of the same 150 horsepower. The three-speed was finally discontinued for ’96.

The final year Skylark was sold to consumers was 1997, as minimal changes marked the model’s permanent exit from the Buick lineup. The coupe was canceled for Skylark’s final year in 1998, as the sedan was relegated solely to fleet order status. Buick didn’t think that its image was in line with the compact car segment anymore, and steered clear until the Verano’s introduction in 2012.

Today’s very late Custom (base) trim Skylark was purchased in Pennsylvania in March of 1997 and passed to its second owner in December 2019 with 4,970 miles on the odometer. The second owner drove about 10,000 miles in eight months and then traded it off to a Nissan dealer in Cincinnati. This V6-equipped beauty is yours for $5,995.

[Images: seller, Buick]