1971 Buick Skylark 455 4 speed GS Ram-Air hood - 76,000 miles - Same owner 26yrs

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This is a wonderful and unique car with documented history. Purchased by a good friend of mine exactly 26 years ago. He and I are both Buick fanatics and shared the same Buick expert when it came to repairs and upgrades of our classic cars. That amazing Buick technician has since retired but still works occasionally for his favorite clients and friends. I'm one of the lucky few that still has access to his knowledge and talents. In fact, as you read this, my Skylark is in his garage receiving a service and fine-tuning in preparation of this sale. It helps that he likes the car and has been it's doctor for 20+ years. My Skylark began life in South Carolina as a factory black (code 19-19) with green interior base model series 43300 Coupe with a 350-V8 and a turbo-350 automatic. The date correct 1971 GS-455 with Stage-1 heads upgrade was done in the early 1980's when NOS components could still be sourced. Many rare parts and pieces exist on this car including the original GS Ram-Air hood. Even the GM "Guru's" have a difficult time dissecting this car. Was this a special order? An executive program car maybe? Appears as if the factory built it this way. The one and only original color repaint was also done in the 80's. The next owner acquired the car out of South Carolina and added her to his collection in California in the mid 80's. In 1990 the car found it's way to Loveland Colorado. At 71,000 miles the engine was comprehensively rebuilt with even more impossible to find original and NOS performance goodies. Full gear-head mechanical details are provided further down the display. The transmission is a Muncie M-21 wide ratio 4 speed. Power steering and power DISC brakes with factory AM-FM radio. Rock solid car with gorgeous original undersides, trunk and window channels both front and rear. The car has never had rust issues of any kind. Factory interior is nothing short of impressive. The 76,000 mile odometer reading is accurate. There is nothing like a true low mileage 48 year old car. She has been driven less than 6,000 miles in the last 30 years. This car starts, drives, stops, performs and handles beautifully. Not even a squeak or rattle to mention. Just a pleasure to sit behind the wheel of. More written details within the photo gallery.

Exterior: Original black with one correct color respray approximately 35 years ago. All factory body panels, chrome, glass and trim. Although the finish has aged, it has done so gracefully. The car presents extremely well. Imperfections in the form of tiny rock chips and superficial scratches can be found on close inspection. Some paint checking in small areas has occurred over time but the gloss and shine are still impressive. Patina is a word that gets thrown around a little too freely. However, it is perfectly applied here. As a life-long collector and lover of GM cars from 1955 to 1973 I appreciate this car exactly how she is and that opinion is echoed by everyone that sees her. I would never repaint her. The honest story this car tells is just too genuine. I have explored almost every inch of the car over the years. I've discovered no evidence of previous collision damage or abuses of bondo or other body fillers. Body panel fitment and gaps are excellent. Doors, hood and truck all open and close easily. Extremely straight as you look down the sides. No waviness or washboard effect. The finish is smooth and clear reflections are visible throughout. Like picking your teeth in a mirror. About 20 years ago the right front fender was dinged in a bank parking lot. That original panel was expertly repaired. The paint on that fender has aged differently than the rest (close-up photo provided in this display). That is also the ONLY area with corrosion of any kind. A very small rust spot is located at the bottom of that fender near the rocker molding. Both bumpers, stainless moldings, grille and trim are all original. Some slight fading but all very nice, factory pieces. All of these pictures you are scrolling through depict the car accurately. She is beautiful and deserves every compliment she receives when I open the garage.

Interior: The insides are in excellent shape and mostly original. Seats, door panels, headliner, carpet and dashboard are all very nice. There is a small flaw on the upper corner of the front seat on the passenger side (shown further down display) but the interior's condition is outstanding for being 48 years old and is yet another area that supports the gentle life the car has experienced. Every switch, lever and knob operates correctly. Upcoming photos will finish this part of the description. Mechanical:This is the best part. 1971 GS application 455 with lots of era correct performance components. The Buick expert I mentioned above performed numerous upgrades including, but not limited to- Bored .030 over and balanced. Crane cam (not too lumpy at idle but sounds amazing) Stage-1 heads with large valves and hardened seats, Edelbrock B4B intake with Rochester carburetor and vintage Mickey Thompson Super Scavenger headers running through mandrel bent dual exhaust. The 455 is pure poetry. Starts easily warm or cold. Crisp throttle response and power to spare on acceleration. Hold on if you put your foot into it. Heavy duty cooling system that never surpasses 190 degrees. At the same time of the engine rebuild, approximately 20 years ago, the Muncie M21 wide ratio 4 speed was installed and looks as if the assembly line at General Motors put it there. Attention to authentic details is obvious everywhere on the car. The transmission functions like new. Shifts like butter up and down through each gear with NO bearing or synchro noise and perfect clutch engagement with no chatter. The rear differential with 3:08 gearing is church quiet. One finger power steering and power DISC brakes that stop on a dime. Brakes, suspension and steering are all tight and sound. A joy to drive at any speed. Quick from stop light to stop light and comfortable at freeway speeds. All drivetrain components operate in perfect harmony. Simply turn the key and go. One of the finest performing members of my collection and in the top 5 of the most enjoyable Muscle cars I've ever owned and driven. 0 to 75 merging onto the highway is a blast going through the gears. Very user-friendly and predictable. I love driving this car.

I am not a professional Videographer! For fun I recorded the following short videos several months ago prior to putting her away in the garage for the winter and decided to add them to this display. The photos and written descriptions provide most of the details. The videos are simply a little extra. The walk-around vid is crystal clear and shows the car in real life. Turn up the volume on your speakers. The sound of my Skylark shifting through the gears is music to any car enthusiast's ears.

Road Drive Buick - YouTube

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Drive By Buick - YouTube

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Walk Around Buick - YouTube

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NEVER exposed to a slated road or harsh chemical de-icers. Undercarriage photos below will support that claim.

Reflections in the black finish made some photos difficult. There are no dents or dings. Anything that looks odd is a reflection. I took this photo to show how beautiful the lower quarters are.

Again, not scratches or body flaws. Just reflections of the surroundings in the mirror-like finish.

The 15 inch American Racing Torque Thrust wheels and BF Goodrich Silvertown redline tires have less than 1000 miles on them. Opinions vary but 9 out of 10 comments have been positive. In person they really show well against the black paint.

This is the area of corrosion I mentioned at the top of this layout. It is isolated to this area of the lower passenger front fender. I magnified this photo to better document the flaw. It is the ONLY such blemish on the entire car. Other than this one small area, the car is 100% rust-free. The car is rock-solid and original.

I have since carefully touched-up this scratch but wanted to document this imperfection before doing so. Not visible unless pointed out.

I love bench seat 4 speeds. What a sleeper. The factory interior is exceptionally nice as the photos will show.

Dashboard is mint!! No sun cracks or fading.

Rear seat appears to have never been used.

Both original door panels are also Mint.

NOT a reproduction steering wheel. Factory Sport wheel.

Headliner is excellent.

All factory options and equipment function properly. Lights, gauges, heater, wipers, turn signals, etc, all operate as intended. Even the horn.

Yes, the original AM-FM radio tunes stations perfectly. The 3-pod under dash gauges show exact readings at all times. Factory idiot indicators function as well. Once the temperature briefly hits 195 degrees it immediately drops to no more than 180-190 even on a Summer day. Full running temp oil pressure holds at 50psi.

Correct and unaltered odometer reading. 76,000 original miles since 1971. They are higher now. In preparation for saying goodbye I have been driving her often lately. Mileage will remain within 76,000 miles, I promise. I just really like driving her.

Trunk area is Mint.

These inner jambs and weather seals are always prone to rust. Not on this car! Simply gorgeous.

Attention to authenticity and correctness was kept in mind.

Extremely clean in the entire engine bay.

Please notice the small missing piece of the fan shroud. My mechanic just reminded me that it's been that way for 20 years. A little detail I forgot to rectify. They are available and inexpensive. I may even have one in my secret stash. If so, it will be included.

For years I've held myself back from detailing the undersides. They are only original once. The undercarriage is actually outstanding, not shiny but gorgeous nonetheless. NO rust issues or ugly surface scale. Just mostly bare, original metal. As a purest I've left the undersides alone so they could speak for themselves. However, it would be an easy and rewarding task to detail the undersides. Also, she currently leaks no fluids. She has an assigned spot in the garage and no drips are found. Some typical residue but no leaks requiring attention.

The videos will clearly depict the sound through the exhaust. It cannot be improved. The tone is superb in all rpm ranges. Nice mellow idle but aggressive on acceleration. I hate making this comparison, but she sounds like a big block Mopar while shifting through the gears. Listen to the video and you'll understand what I mean. Music to the ears.

Maybe meaningless to some of you but I love documentation and I have lots of it. This is the March 1993 edition of Deals On Wheels where the car was advertised.

The $9995 price was negotiated to $9475 in 1993. Ryan, the previous owner, was an extremely nice and detailed guy. Lots has been invested since then of course. I liked the plain-Jane look with the painted color matched wheels and original dog dish hubcaps but the current look with the Torque Thrusts seems to please more admirers.

A full detailed magazine write-up was done in the early 1990's. I still read it all the time. Copies will accompany the car along with the other doc's I have.

Not sure why these photos appear stretched. Many color glossy pictures will come with the car. I have photographs dating back 30+ years.