Text and photos by StuartH.
To further to my recent contribution of a 1967 Buick Skylark 2-door hardtop, today upon arrival at my workplace I was surprised to see parked alongside the Buick one of its corporate cousins; of the same vintage, same 2-door hardtop body style, and to top it off, virtually the same paint color! And nearby was parked yet another GM cousin, same vintage and also a 2-door hardtop! So I seized the opportunity to take a bunch of pictures for comparison.
The Oldsmobile 4-4-2 was parked next to the Skylark. Looking the same above the belt line, quite different below. Its barbell-like theme up front mirrors that of the senior Oldsmobile’s of ’67. The Olds’ strongly flared full-wheel openings both front and rear are not the kind that wear skirts. No daintiness found here.
In contrast, the Skylark’s smooth body sides below the full-length mid-level crease offer a welcome invitation for skirts. Buick stylists did a nice job integrating the rocker panel chrome strip into the skirt where it immediately bumps up an inch or two before continuing back to the base of the rear bumper. There’s an elegance, a classiness in its appearance.
The beltling kickup at the rear side window is rather prominent on the 4-4-2; and gentler on the Skylark.
A couple of spaces over was the ’67 Malibu, sharing the same roof.
All I’d like to add about the Malibu is that its hood vents look pretty cool.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Sedan – Draggin’ The High School Line
Vintage Car & Driver: 1967 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 — “It’s The Best Handling Car We’ve Ever Tested”
Cool trifecta of ‘67s! I’m a Chevy guy at heart, but that Skylark looks pretty tempting (in spite of the fender skirts.) Blue paint usually wins me over. If the Chevelle was blue it’d be a really tough choice between those two cars. The ‘67 Cutlass / 442s just looked a little too overdone. Had the choice been, say 1969, I’d go Chevy, Olds with the Buick a distant third. (Depending on the color.)
Even as a little kid I could always tell the difference between the GM divisions despite some of the shared body panels. The GM intermediates of the Sixties were always “just right” in my eyes.
If ever there were two diametrically opposed styles on the same basic body, it would be the Olds and the Buick versions of the A body in 1967. I find in interesting that in the 50’s it was Buick that bucked the industry with full, round wheel openings and in the 60’s it was Oldsmobile that ran with that feature, starting with the 1965 big cars.
I generally hate fender skirts, and this Buick is no exception. The only ones I can remember I liked were mid-sixties Cadillac and Continental.
Nice to see some vintage tin out and about .
-Nate
Correct me if I am wrong (I know someone will) but that hood on the Malibu was/has been appropriated from a Super Sport.. All Chevelles had flat hoods except the SS models.