1965 Buick Skylark

- LS Swap 5.7L/325HP V8
- 4L60E Automatic
- Astro Blue Paint
- Power Steering
- Power Brakes with Front Discs
- 539 Miles Since Built

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1965 Buick Skylark on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 145 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“Buick's Skylark is a great alternative to the big car lineup” – Hemmings, December 2008

A recent '65 Buick Skylark article on the DriveTribe site put the model's appeal this way: “Modern cars are good, very good. The average overall quality of the cars you can buy today, any brand, is astounding but having said that, they're all a bit dull. They're all the same. Different shades of grey with more grey. This (Skylark) is different. This is the sort of car that can help you reconcile with what made you fall in love with cars in the first place.”

Offered here is a 1965 Buick Skylark in Astro Blue metallic over blue-and-ivory. With its LS engine swap and just 539 miles on the car since its rebirth, this Skylark really is the best of both worlds: period appeal and up-to-date power.

The exterior, medium-blue metallic paint is in excellent refreshed condition across the car. Gloss is even and application is smooth across all sheet-metal panels, including the fastback-styled roof. There are no signs of damage or significant deterioration. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Cabin glass and lighting lenses—including on the handsome, full-width taillights and quad headlights—are clear and free of cracks or other damage. Chrome trim has been very well-maintained: mirrors, door handles, body-side trim (with stylized portholes), lower-body trim, and window surrounds all retain near-perfect finishes. Both bumpers are pristine. The front-fender stylized Skylark emblem and rear Buick logo emblem are properly in place. Factory chrome-trimmed, styled-steel 14-inch wheels feature Buick-logo center caps. Hankook® 205/70 blackwall tires are mounted.

Inside, the stock look has been similarly maintained. The front and rear bench seats are upholstered in textured ivory fabric with blue vinyl side trim. Very light soiling is noted on some of the fabric, but no excessive wear or damage. Door trim is a handsome combination of pleated blue vinyl and chrome trim, with a circular Buick-logo emblem. The shift lever for the 4L60E automatic transmission is mounted on the steering column. Cabin carpeting is dark blue throughout with black rubber protective mats in all positions. A three-spoke, brushed-metal-trimmed steering wheel with "Buick" center emblem frames a stock-appearing dashboard (in body-color painted steel) with clever upgrades. A perfectly integrated, chrome-trimmed gauge cluster incorporates a 160-mph speedometer, 8,000-rpm tachometer, and four smaller engine-monitoring gauges for fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and electrical output. Heating and ventilation controls are stock vertical slide levers. Mileage read-out is digital, and a period-look push-button digital radio and clock are mounted to the right. A single script “Skylark” badge appears on the glove-box door. Power steering and power front disc brakes are installed.

Under the hood, the 5.7-liter, 325-horsepower Corvette-branded LS engine makes for an impressive performance statement. The engine bay and components are clean and properly organized. A free-flow air induction system is in place. Viewed from below, the Skylark's chassis is free of damage. Light surface rust is present on some untreated metal. The newer, full-length dual exhaust system, new gas tank, and performance shock absorbers are all highlights.

While the more than 145 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '65 Skylark in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

“A wolf in sheep's clothing” is a tried-and-true customizing theme. In this case, the perfectly maintained, blue Skylark is the unassuming part, and the 325-horsepower Corvette V8 with 4L60E automatic supplies all the “wolf” anyone could hope for.