FRIDAY FEATURE: 72 Skylark Custom- Two Owners in Four Decades

Another fun Friday Feature- This time we're looking at an all original 1972 Buick Skylark Custom recently acquired by one of our customers. Prior to its arrival in Southern California last month, the Skylark had passed through two owners in forty years.

The original owner, a bachelor named Myron, purchased the car brand new April of 1972. He chose a well equipped example, with a 350 V8, Turho Hydramatic, Air Conditioning, Sonomatic radio, speed minder, left and right mirrors, body side molding and even door edge guards. Myron must have been very pleased with the car and kept it sparkling like new until he traded the car in eleven years later in May of 1983.

 A young man working on the wash rack of the Buick dealership took a liking to the trade in and convinced the sales manager to let him buy the car. And there it stayed for the next twenty nine years. During that time Jace grew into adulthood, married Carla, and raised their own family with the Buick happily in the corner of the garage. With their own daughter preparing for college, Jace decided the time was right to find a new owner for the Skylark after forty years in exactly two sets of hands.

As it enters it's forty- first year, the little Skylark is 100% original cosmetically- paint, interior, chrome, rubber- all factory finishes. The car runs like a scared rabbit and handles well. The odometer shows just 59,000 miles. We wish our customer, Brad, well with his new acquisition and thank him for sharing the sweet story with the Reynolds family.  

So Cal Drive: 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist

2012 LaCrosse with eAssist at Covina Bowl

Recently I was in Los Angeles to photograph some historic architecture, and the folks at Reynolds suggested that I utilize the opportunity to get to drive the new 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist technology. I hadn't been behind the wheel of an eAssist Buick yet, so I jumped at the chance.

The car I drove was the 2012 LaCrosse in base level trim with no additional options. It featured the same basic 182 hp 2.4 litre 4 cylinder engine as last year, with a few changes to integrate the eAssist system. An electric motor capable of adding 15hp is added in place of the alternator, and is connected to a 115V battery pack in the trunk. This battery pack feeds the motor and is charged during regenerative braking- similar to a mild Hybrid car. It also uses slightly numerically lower gearing- 2.64:1 instead of last year's 3.23:1, a slightly smaller gas tank, special tires with lower rolling resistance, thermostatic shutters on the air dam (as seen on the Chevy Cruze ECO) and a new six speed automatic transmission.

In many ways the system acts like the mild hybrid it is derived from. Upon deceleration, the brakes charge the battery and the fuel cuts out- the car goes into "Auto Stop" mode and the engine shuts down. The electric motor pushes the car from a stop and the engine restarts- all of this is very similar to a mild Hybrid system.

Where eAssist differs mainly is philisophical - Mild Hybrids aren't intended to drive without the gasoline engine, but with eAssist, the electric motor offers assistance while driving (even at highway speeds) and cuts down on the amount of gasoline the that is used. How much less? EPA Fuel economy ratings for the 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist are 25 city/ 37 highway, compared to 19 city/ 30 highway for last year's four cylinder. In my combined driving of city landmarks such as Covina Bowl and the Northwoods Inn, combined with a rather congested freeway drive to Bob's Big Boy in Downey, the eAssist LaCrosse averaged just over 29 mpg- for a full sized roomy sedan with Buick comfort and safety.

How much attention from the driver is needed? As little as you care to give it. There's a fascinating display on the cluster that shows the power mode- engine, electric, or hybrid- and the state of the battery- but the car does everything seamlessly with no conscious effort from the driver. Those who exercise light brake pedal pressure will recharge the battery more quickly, but that is about it. If I covered the display, you'd just think you were driving a responsive family car that does really well on fuel economy.

And isn't that what you've always gotten from Buick?

2012 LaCrosse with eAssist at the historic Covina Bowl

2012 LaCrosse with eAssist at the historic Covina Bowl 

Power display in Auto Stop Mode

Fantastic original Covina Bowl signage

LaCrosse with eAssist at the classic Northwoods Inn

The Northwood Inn features western details

LaCrosse with eAssist at the classic Northwoods Inn 

Modern car, historic setting

Tasteful cloth trim in the 2012 LaCrosse

The instrument panels flows into the doors

Rear seat is comfortable with excellent leg room

Classic Buick Ventiports on the hood

Futuristic Projector Beam headlamps

Timeless Bob's Broiler in Downey- beautifully restored

Beautifully restored signage

LaCrosse with eAssist under the Drive-In 

LaCrosse with eAssist under the neon lights

Perfect destination for a road test- Bob's broiler

LaCrosse with eAssist under the lights at Bob's Broiler

Neon  reflections on LaCrosse's hood

(Test car provided by Reynolds Buick- cross posted on the Palm Springs Automobilist)

Muscle Car Memories: The Mid-Year 1970 GSX

It made it debut in the cold of a Chicago winter, but people realized instantly that it was hot enough to melt the snow, and while it wasn't identical to the production version that would follow, it was clear that Buick was about to take the lid off of what had been the best kept secret of the muscle car era- the power of the Buick 455 V8 lurking under the hood. We knew all about that here at Reynolds, but the rest of the world was about to be awakened.

We're speaking of the first GSX- The dazzling white show car that wowed them on the floor of the Chicago Auto Show way back in February of 1970. And it was a dazzler all right- in a special Mother of Pearl White paint finish, with a huge front air dam, twin hood scoops, big dual exhaust ports exiting the back bumpers, an inverted u-shaped rear spoiler, black painted Buick 15" road wheels with sticky G60-15 Goodyear Polyglas tires, and a black and red striping scheme that pulled it all together and announced to the world that one very special Buick was coming, and please step aside.

The attention grabbing color scheme continued on the interior as well, with asymmetrical black and white geometric designed leather bucket seats and door panels, set off with yellow and red accent striping. The GSX logo was stitched into the door panels. The full operating console and dash featured engine turned aluminum trim panels. Loaded with optional equipment including power windows, it was all in all an exhilarating environment for the driver.

The drive train was a basically stock 455 Stage 1 engine, which in stock tril developed 360 HP @4600 RPM,  and a stump-pulling 510 lb/ft of torque @ 2800. It featured a stock 10.5 to 1 compression ratio and was mated to a Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission. The only special touch to the engine was a set of Kenne-Bell headers.

Amazingly, after the 1970 show season was completed, the car was sold intact to Len Immke Buick of Columbus, Ohio, who sold it to a retail customer. Amazingly, it survived and has been restored to its original as-shown condition and is a fixture at GS Club of America National Events.

(See more photos here courtesy of Buick Parts Directory)

Buicks with the Barris Touch

It's no secret that King of the Kustomizers George Barris' first car was a Buick, a 1925 Buick roadster passed down from family when he was just a teenager. But it would be a few years later when his touch would create some very special ones. This 1941 Buick convertible featured flow through fenders and a Cadillac grille. It helped young Barris get noticed, in fact he featured it on his business card. Many chopped and channeled "Kustoms" followed.

After the era of the chopped and channeled "lead sleds", Barris made quite a few customs for movies. This caught the attention of Buick Motor Division itself, who provided him with a new 1963 Riviera to customize. The result was the "Villa Riviera", a frost white custom which was used in the movie "For Those Who Think Young", featuring a young Nancy Sinatra.

After the movie was completed, Barris changed the color to Translucent Cherry. It seems much sportier in the red hue. But Barris wasn't completely satisfied and kept experimenting. Note the open roof section and the extended fenders. The headlamps are concealed behind the fender ends.

Here's the Villa Riviera again, this time wearing a Cherry and White scalloped paint treatment. The wheels have also been changed. It may have been more successful in solid Cherry.

Speaking of successful, AMT was so impressed with the Villa Riviera that they featured it as a build option for their 1963 Riviera 1/25 Scale Model. Note the groovy 1960's graphics.

The Buick Wildcat Mystique began as a 1965 Wildcat hardtop. The roof is chopped, the hood and front fenders are stretched, the rear deck is lengthened, and the bumpers are replaced by rolled pans. The hand made bar grilles front and rear complete the custom effect.

Note the rear grille effect, the W shape, and the lowered roofline. The styling accentuates the original Buick lines to their dramatic pinnacle. The interior is basically stock with some wood trim and upgraded audio added.

The color is pretty attention-getting too. It's finished in 40 coats of Apricot Pearl, and these Tangerine scallops were added shortly after completion. It was reportedly made for a movie actor, although that had not been confirmed and Barris' book makes no mention of the client.

And this is a great shot- George Barris, wife Shirley and children Joji and Brett pose in the driveway of their Lake Encino home with a very special 1966 Riviera. Built again for Buick, the car is painted in Gold Tangerine Murano Pearl and features an ASC Sun Roof, special wheels, and red line tires. It was used promotionally and helped Buick dealers such as Reynolds popularize the Sun Roof.

Of course, George Barris built many interesting custom and movie cars over the years, including the Batmobile, the Monkeemobile and other truly legendary cars, but we think its interesting that he got his reputation going with Buicks, and he certainly did some great custom Buicks in the sixties.