1953 Buick Roadmaster Skylark Convertible
Engine: V-8
Displacement: 322 Cubic Inches
Horsepower: 188 BHP
Cost New: $5,000
         1953 marked a very important year for Buick since it was the company's 50th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Buick introduced two major developments and a new car model. First was the release of Buick's first overhead valve V-8. One of the last major brands to make the switch from inline-8 to V-8, the engine Buick developed was worth the wait. A powerful and reliable engine, it would drive the company for many years. In addition to the new V-8s, Buick also made the change to a twelve-volt electrical system.
         The new model, initially a Roadmaster, was the Skylark. Based on the 1951 GM XP-300 concept car show at the GM Motorama shows, the new Skylark featured a lowered top and "sweep-spear" styling, which made the vehicles the lowest and longest-looking cars on the road. The top-of-the-line Skylark had every option offered by Buick in 1953, with the exception of air conditioning, which was not available in any convertibles at that time.
         With only 1,690 Skylarks styled by Harley Earl were rare and beautiful cars that were a big hit with the movers and shakers of the early 1950s.