The wood and yard recycling facility is busy these days, after all the downed trees from the recent ice storm, ours included. When this fine little 1962 Skylark pulled in with a trailer full, I whipped out my camera. A bit too fast, because if I’d stopped to really take in what I was shooting, I might actually know what it is, or started out life as.
I realized it was a mild custom, and the beneficiary of some bigger wheels and disc brakes. Something else slightly nagged at me, towards its rear, but I didn’t put my finger on it at the time, more intent on making sure it was centered in my view finder.
When I opened the pictures at home, I realized what it was: that’s no Skylark; except for the front clip. The lttle Buick Y-Body had a distinctive rear-quarter treatment, with a larger and squared-off wheel opening.
![Oldsmobile 1961 Cutlass 1st generation 1961-1963 (1962 F-85 cabriolet 2d) (01) [BA1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Oldsmobile-1961-Cutlass-1st-generation-1961-1963-1962-F-85-cabriolet-2d-01-BA1.jpg)
That down-ward sloping Character line and wheel opening belonged to the Olds Cutlass (and F-85), but it’s obvious that both of them used the same exact door. So the obvious conclusion is that the car I saw is a Cutlass with a skylark front end. So Skylass it is, since the Skylark is on the front. But wait:
The Pontiac Tempest/LeMans used the Cutlass’ body, with a different front end. So it could theoretically be the little Pontiac with the Buick front end, a Skypest or SkyMans.
And since I didn’t take the variables in and walk over to check out its rear end, I’ll never know for sure.
It looks like 100% Skylark with putty bodywork in the quarters to mimic the Cutlass rear bumper ‘spear’.
Ugly, ugly UGLY rimz.
I like it save those rims, although as the owner of a Mustang with 14 in period correct Magnum 500s I fear that soon the only place to get tires that small will be specialty online shops.
Good use of nicely colorful paint but I think it would be even more attractive with tan seats and top. I can’t imagine towing with a custom car though.
Small, independent neighborhood tire & wheel shops are usually pretty good at finding new tires in oddball and rare sizes.
I don’t care for those rims either. If the owner’s going to do a plus-size wheel and tire package, he could have at least selected a style of rim more suitable for that car’s vintage.
+1….. hell, + 100.
Personally I don’t like big rims anyway, but they look especially bad on older cars.
I believe these came with 15’s, which were large for a car this size, back then.
The Special/Skylark could be ordered with 15s, but came standard with 13s. The 15-inch wheels were only standard on the Tempest/Le Mans.
Really? Never knew that, and can’t ever remember seeing one with 15s.
I often wondered about the Tempest having 15s, which was an odd choice, given that all the big Pontiacs rode on 14s. I’ve wondered if the 15s might have mitigated the negative effects of the swing axles in the rear. I’m not sure how or why that would be exactly, but something tells me that there had to be a reason the put those oddly-tall tires under the Tempest.
I know DeLorean had a thing about under-sized tires, but then why not put 15s on the big cars? Even the GTO and 2+2 rode only on 14s. But 15s on the little Tempest? odd.
I suspect the rim designer has a fondness for cloths line wheels.
They do cheapen the overall look. As does the color of this Skylark, unfortunately.
I’m going with the Skylass because of the rear bumper extension, of course that could be a tack-on as well
That is quite the paint job on the trackhoe.
One thing that struck me is how well done the mix-n-match came out. Makes me wonder if GM had a put a little more thought into their 80’s offerings, would they have come out better. But then, they were still in “You will buy what we build” mentality, and thought that folks were getting Toyotas and Hondas because they were cheaper.
Agreed. It isn’t until you look at a mashup like this that you realize how good GM used to be at making common parts look different in different cars. Put the Skylark/F-85/Cutlass/Tempest/LeMans together and then compare to the 80’s A- or J-bodies.
Amazing what you can do when you’re willing to spend a little money.
When I was taking auto shop classes at El Camino College many years ago, I used to see a mint-condition ’73-’74 Nova with a Buick Apollo front clip parked in the lot. It was bright yellow with black Cragars.
If I recall correctly, I think I saw some tiny Asian gal driving it once.
My first job, in 1987-88, was as a bagger in a grocery store. I vividly remember seeing a car in the parking lot one day, while I was out collecting shopping carriages, that was either a 1968-74 Chevy Nova with a 1971-74 Pontiac Ventura front clip, or vice versa. I approached one end of the car, made note of what it was, walked around the car to get more carriages, caught a glimpse of the other end of the car, and did a double take….
Is this CC, Twilight Zone edition? Between Doris Day hawking steamrollers and a ’60s era convertible doing yard wasted hauling duty….I feel like I stepped into another dimension.
+1
The Skylark had the best looking nose in my opinion (and tail too).
Usually when I walk over to check a rear end, she ends up slapping me in the face.
The key is not to drool when doing so.
Getting slapped in the face is from a bygone era. Today, it’s more likely to be getting slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Back in the mid-70s, a guy in my home town had a ’68 or ’69 Cutlass with a ’68 or ’69 Skylark front clip on it. That was creepy weird. Especially since he did some bondo work on the doors to blend in the beginning of the Buick sweep on the fender into the flat door of the Olds. It was all painted one color, red, and he had the Cutlass script on the fenders.
I don’t like the rims but do like the car, I did as green waste run recently and was parked next to an older guy whose RVR Mitsu was pulling a trailer with 35 Ford V8 wire wheels on, it cool as, he was looking at my 59 Minx and came out with the usual here nice car, had one of those, havent seen one in eons, I’m used to that but my camera lives in the Citroen so no pics unfortunately.
Now I ask you, how many guys can toss off a line like “my camera lives in the Citroen”???!
The custom car shown here reminds me of a car I once saw, basically a 51 or 52 Dodge coupe. Those cars had bolt-on rear fenders, and this particular customized shiny black coupe had Chrysler rear fenders and tailliights, a DeSoto front clip, a Chrysler 331 Hemi and Torqueflite.
There’s also this car, come to think of it….
…and a rear view. I saw it at the Cruz in Port Orchard last summer.
This Skylass is a real beauty, better than any of the stock ones.
The Derelict is a ’52 Chrysler Town & Country with a ’52 DeSoto front clip. It’s got a modern SRT Hemi drive train and a fine updated interior. Hot Rod covered it nicely.
That is nice.
Not the first mixup we’ve had with a Buick front clip: CC here.
Does anyone remember the Plodge?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1949-dodge-special-de-luxe-what-the-plodge/
Nice looking car, excepting the rims….The Giraffe Backhoe rocks though!
Probably not a SkyPest. You’d likely see some camber in back.
Agreed.
I do like the SkyPest name though – even if it isn’t one.
Maybe a trend is starting. My wife and I saw a Falcon with Studebaker pickup bed trailer in TX this morning and snagged a shot for the Flickr pool. Funny that it’s the same class, era, and color as this Olds.
I’m going to say it’s a Skylass too, as opposed to a Skypest, because I doubt someone would go through the trouble of faking the side spears on the rear fenders.
This could have been created fairly recently, or maybe it was a case of accident damage when the car was just an older used car, say in the early 70’s, and the local salvage yard happened to have a Buick with a good front clip.
I’m going to say Speclass, as the grill lacks the Buick crest in the center that only Skylarks had in ’62
It also lacks the Buick portholes. I don’t know if -some- Special trims or bodystyles came with them, but I can tell you that all Skylarks did and if it’s missing the portholes it’s definitely a Special. Or in this case a Cutlass with a Special mask. Great combination, though I would’ve used a Tempest for the base because of that transaxle and fully independent suspension. The Olds and Buick didn’t have those things, they were a DeLorean brainchild when he was Pontiac’s chief engineer.
Has anybody gone with “Larkass?” ‘Cause, of course, Halfass was already taken…