The early fifties were a time of wonder and excitement in America. The war was won; the GIs had returned home, were starting families and building businesses. Seemingly insatiable demand for all products – but especially automobiles created one of the country’s greatest periods of economic expansion. At the heart of it all was GM’s traveling Motorama, a no-holds-barred display of dazzling technology and stunning styling. A series of stunning styling exercises captivated the public – but most were not for sale.

Three very special cars were made available for purchase by a lucky few who could afford the startling price tags – and who had the influence needed to secure one. They were the Oldsmobile Fiesta, the Buick Skylark and the Cadillac Eldorado, and they are coveted so highly by collectors today that to own a full set has been called the “triple crown” of car collecting.

In 1953, Buick launched the beautiful new Skylark. The car was striking, with styling cues taken from XP-300 LeSabre concept, and a beautiful swooping beltline never before seen on a Buick. Mounted on a Roadmaster chassis, the Skylark offered exceptional performance, yet with the convertible top in place, the car was less than five feet tall. The sporty, yet luxurious Skylark is powered by a 322-cid, 188-hp V-8 engine with an automatic transmission. The distinctive chrome wire wheels and wide whitewall tires look incredible with its brightly-toned blue finish and complementary two-tone red and white interior. The low-profile hydraulically-operated canvas soft-top is white, as is the wheelwell paint detail.

It is reported that this car was restored in a high-end fashion in recent times and continues to demonstrate the type of presentation one expects of this type of fine automobile. Additional features include a radio, hydraulically-operated window lifts, power steering, damascene-type dash and door detail, exceptional bright trim details and model-specific badging for this special car.

All told, just 1,690 Skylarks were produced in 1953, making them among the rarest and most desirable of fifties GM convertibles.

Auto Services in Illinois

Wickstrom Chrysler Jeep Dodge ★★★★★

New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers

Address: 660 W Northwest Hwy, Bartlett

Phone: (224) 512-4946

White Eagle Auto Body Shop ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Wheels-Aligning & Balancing

Address: 575 Weston Ridge Dr, Big-Rock

Phone: (630) 883-0206

Walter`s Foreign Car Serv ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair, Automobile Electric Service

Address: 2828 S Brentwood Blvd, East-Carondelet

Phone: (314) 962-2353

Tyson Motor Corp ★★★★★

New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers, Auto Oil & Lube

Address: 1 SW Frontage Rd, Morris

Phone: (815) 741-5530

Triple X Transport Refrigeration & Trailer Repair ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Trailers-Repair & Service

Address: 321 NE Industrial Dr, Eola

Phone: (847) 854-6700

Total Car Total Care Inc ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Alarms & Security Systems, Stereo, Audio & Video Equipment-Dealers

Address: 5333 Northwest Hwy, Fox-River-Valley-Gardens

Phone: (815) 455-2003

Auto blog

Mysterious white powder discovered at GM Orion Assembly

Fri, Sep 2 2016

Workers at General Motors Orion Assembly Plant in Orion Township, MI uncovered a mysterious white powder in two different parts of the factory earlier this week, raising concerns about worker safety. "We can confirm that an unknown substance (white powder) was found on the floor outside of Gate 6 at Orion Assembly on Monday, August 29. On Tuesday, August 30, we had a second report of a bottle containing a similar substance found inside the plant," GM spokesperson Dayna Hart told The Oakland Press via email. GM stressed that incident didn't disrupt operations at the plant, and that the company was taking steps to ensure the safety of the sprawling factory's workers. That did include, an anonymous worker told The Oakland Press, closing off parts of the factory for two full days, as drug-sniffing dogs and crews in haz-mat suits descended on the area. "A sample of the substance has been sent to a laboratory for identification and results are expected later this week," Hart said. "All findings and actions have been shared with our employees." Orion Assembly currently builds the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano, and will eventually be responsible for production of the new, all-electric Chevy Bolt early next year. Related Video:

NHTSA may greatly expand GM airbag recall

Wed, 05 Jun 2013

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pondering whether to dramatically upscale a pair of airbag recalls on General Motors vehicles. The two existing campaigns, one launched in the fall of 2012 and the other in January of this year covered just 6,845 vehicles, but the government agency is considering whether to boost the recall to around 400,000 units.
The existing recalls involve the the closely related 2012 Buick Verano (shown) and Chevrolet Cruze sedans, along with Sonic and Camaro models. The root of the problem is a shorting bar in the inflator module of the steering-wheel-mounted airbag that may contact the primary state airbag terminal, a condition that could prevent deployment in an accident. Dealer technicians have been replacing the steering wheel airbag coils to fix the issue.
According to a post on NHTSA's website, the root cause, said to be a production issue, may not have been completely isolated - particularly for the second recall, which was for the Camaro. According to Automotive News, GM says it is cooperating with the government investigation, but won't say whether or not it knows the true origin of the problem.

Repo man pays off elderly couple's car just in time for Thanksgiving

Mon, Nov 28 2016

Repo men get bad raps for a good reason; no one likes having their car taken away. At least one guy in the repossession game proved folks in his profession aren't all bad when he helped an elderly couple hold on to their wheels right before Thanksgiving. According to the Belleville News-Democrat, unexpected bills and the rising cost of prescription medications pushed Stanford and Patty Kipping's fixed income to the breaking point. Unable to keep up with the $95 dollar a month payment on their 1998 Buick, they fell into arrears and the bank sent a repo man out to their home in Red Bud, Illinois to reclaim the car. Jim Ford, co-owner of Illini Recovery Inc., hooked up the old Buick and dragged it away, but later that night his conscience caught up with him. "When I got home that night, I said to myself, 'They are a real nice elderly couple. I gotta do something. I can't just take their car,'" Ford told the News-Democrat. Ford did do something, something surprisingly humane. He set up a GoFundMe and, within just a few short hours, he raised more than $3,500 dollars. This was enough money to pay off the Kipping's loan with a little left over for some maintenance. Ford and a friend then hooked the car back up and towed it back to the Kipping's home. Ford presented the couple with their trusty Buick, and threw in a thousand dollars in an envelope and a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving. "It was a miracle come true," Patty told the paper. "We didn't know what we were going to do." "I got up this morning and I looked up at the sun and I said, 'I hope we get our car back,'" added Stanford. "It's just unbelievable."Related Video: News Source: Belleville News-Democrat Auto News Weird Car News Buick repossession repo man

1953 Buick Skylark Convertible on 2040-cars

Buick Skylark for Sale