1972 Buick Skylark

Sun Coupe Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

4D37J2Z108399

Gasoline

NO OVERSEAS BIDDERS!!! U.S. and Canada only!!! NO ZERO FEEDBACK BIDDERS without contacting me first!!! NO RESERVE!!! 1972 Buick Skylark 350 "Sun Coupe" Sloan Documentation Rare car with only 3,943 built in 1972 out of 225,000+ Skylarks (1.8% of production) California car (originally a Buick Zone Car in the San Francisco area) Professionally restored and highly detailed (see pics) Rare factory Flame Orange metallic color Original chrome Buick wheels, including spare Optional factory 350 4-barrel (not the base 2-barrel engine that most had) Original Turbo-Hydramatic 350 transmission (rebuilt with warranty) Factory air conditioning (works - still R12 and blows cold!) Power steering and brakes Tilt steering wheel Buick sport steering wheel Sport mirrors (driver remote) Odometer shows 17,360 miles - true mileage unknown (no documentation) Driven approximately 1,000 miles since restored I have included over 90 pictures of this great car in the auction. Please allow the pictures to load - it's well worth it. Optional in 1972 on the Buick Skylark 2-door hardtop was the Sun Coupe package, which consisted of a sliding vinyl sunroof, unique half-vinyl top, and custom striping installed by the American Sunroof Company (ASC). One of the largest sunroofs ever installed on a production car, it gave the owner the solidity of a hardtop with most of the open-air feel of a convertible. The Sun Coupe was featured prominently in Buick's advertising in 1972. This was the only year this package was offered on this body style, and it was only available on the Buick intermediates (although some Chevy Novas did have a similar ASC Suntop installed). I don’t have a complete history of this car, but from what I’ve been able to piece together it was originally a Buick Zone Car. After three months of Zone Car duty it was sold new in Burlingame, California in March 1972, and was last registered in California in 1995. Skip forward to a few years ago, when it made its way to Kansas City, where it was restored by a new car dealer for his personal collection. It then made its way to Ohio last year, where more restoration work and detailing was done, and I bought it earlier this year from a dealer. The restoration is very good quality – it's by no means a high-dollar rotisserie job, but it was frame-on restored by professionals and detailed as needed to compete well in local shows (and remember, it was a solid California car to begin with). The paint is show-worthy, very glossy and smooth like a mirror - no bubbles whatsoever. The Sun Coupe striping is correct. All body panels are straight and appear to be original to the car. The floors and trunk are rust free. The doors fit well, close easily, and do not sag. The rear bumper was rechromed and the front bumper is an excellent original. All of the stainless trim was polished (at a cost of $1,400 just for this alone). The vinyl top and sliding sunroof vinyl material are new and match perfectly. The sunroof clamps down tightly when closed and does not leak. All of the weatherstripping on the car is new. The glass is all original except for the windshield, which is new, but it does have a correct windshield antenna. The undercarriage has been painted and detailed, including factory paint markings. Check out the pictures! While highly restored GS455s are everywhere, you don't see too many Skylarks restored to this level of detail. The car has been driven about 1,000 miles since it was restored, so the undercarriage is a little dusty now, but it could easily be cleaned up. Again, it’s no frame-off Nationals concours winner as it stands now, but it’s nice enough that you probably won’t want to drive it in the rain. It could be brought up to Nationals standards very easily. The interior is ALL ORIGINAL except for the carpeting, front door armrests, sill plates and steering wheel, which are all correct reproductions. Yes, that is the ORIGINAL white seat upholstery and original door panels you are looking at. This should give you some indication of how well this car was treated over its lifetime. The dash pad is absolutely crack-free and perfect. The unique Sun Coupe headliner material is all original and in great condition as well. The Buick basically runs like new – very smooth. I have no documentation of the engine ever being rebuilt, but the engine’s compression readings are within 10% across all cylinders, and it does not smoke or leak anything. Let me say that again, this car DOES NOT LEAK ANYTHING. Your garage floor is safe! The Quadrajet carb has been professionally restored - in addition to being a work of art (see pictures), it functions like new. The car starts instantly and all the choke functions and idle solenoid work properly. The idle is as smooth as glass and throttle response is instant. When the car was restored, a mellow dual exhaust was added for a little extra rumble. It gives the car a nice muscle car sound without being too obnoxious. Here are the flaws of the car that I am aware of: The clock does not work. The original AM radio powers on and makes noise, but does not really play. The sunroof handle is incorrect - originals occasionally come up for sale, but are rare and expensive. Although incorrect, the handle on it now works just fine. The speedometer cable is sometimes a bit noisy when cold (the speedometer and odometer work just fine - see picture). This was originally a California emissions car, but the smog pump and EGR are long gone. The wheels are original to the car; a couple of them have some minor pitting in the chrome that you can see up close. The worst wheel is shown in a close-up below. As I mentioned, the car was pretty well restored when I got it, but I have done the following during my ownership to further finish the car. I have receipts for everything: Original transmission fully rebuilt with warranty (works perfectly - no leaks) New BF Goodrich tires with less than 200 miles on them Front end work inlcuding new control arm bushings and alignment New alternator and voltage regulator Battery topper Complete tune-up including new plugs, wires, distributor car, and rotor. The points are in good shape and the dwell and timing are set correctly. All AC-Delco parts were used. New shocks New radiator New fan clutch New thermostat New heater core (you Buick guys know what a pain this is - aren't you glad I did this for you?) New master cylinder New oil pump gears and oil pressure limiter New high-beam headlights. I kept the original correct 1972 T-3 units and they come with the car, although one is burned out. The original working T-3 low beams are still on the car. The 1972 T-3s have a unique logo and to my knowledge are not being reproduced. New windshield washer pump - correct reproduction I'm sure I forgot something! I've only owned this car a few months, but I've had my fun with it; more importantly, I've gotten to the point where I have too many cars and not enough storage, so I'm selling a couple of cars out of my GM car collection - I also have my 1992 1LE Camaro up for sale. This is a great cruiser and is quite capable of winning trophies at the local level. Most people have never seen a Sun Coupe, so it's a real conversation starter. The color combination also has great eye appeal and gets lots of comments. You'll spend a lot of time getting thumbs-up on the road and talking to admirers at shows. NO RESERVE - The eBay community will determine the value of this car!!! Good Luck Bidding! AUCTION NOTES: NO OVERSEAS BIDDERS!!! U.S. and Canada only! NO ZERO FEEDBACK BIDDERS without contacting me first!!! I require a $500 PayPal deposit within three days of the auction close. The balance is due by CASH or CASHIER'S CHECK DRAWN ON A U.S. BANK ONLY - NO EXCEPTIONS. The transaction must be completed and the car picked up within 14 days. I need to have the money or check in hand to release the car. If you do not have the financing to buy this car, then don't place a bid. This is a real auction and you are bidding to own, not to mull it over and decide whether or not you want it, so make sure you check with your wife, husband, significant other, kids, parents, priest, and/or parole officer before placing your bids. Arranging and paying for shipping, licensing, taxes, etc. are the buyer's responsibility. I cannot transport the car myself, but will cooperate with your designated shipper to the best of my ability. If you would like to fly in and drive the Skylark home, I can pick you up at the nearby Akron/Canton (CAK) or Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) airport - we can discuss if necessary. You are welcome to come and inspect the car before bidding or have your representative do so at your expense. I have described this car to the best of my ability. Remember that this is a 1972 model year vehicle, and while it's in great shape, it is 38 years old, is sold as-is, and does not come with a warranty of any kind. On Sep-22-10 at 19:16:56 PDT, seller added the following information:Current NADA value: $14,740 -- "This vehicle would be in excellent condition overall. It could be a completely restored or an extremely well maintained original vehicle showing very minimal wear. The exterior paint, trim, and mechanics are not in need of reconditioning. The interior would be in excellent condition. Note: This value does not represent a "100 Point" or "# 1" vehicle."