What's more remarkable about this 1963 Buick Skylark, the four-speed or the unrestored condition?
10/29/2020
Without doing a data-intensive study, it's pretty hard to guess whether the attrition rate is higher for manual transmission cars versus automatic transmission cars. Of course, that all depends on the individual makes and models: Not all automatic transmissions are built equal, with some being fairly easy to work on and others absolute headaches. Meanwhile, plenty of other mechanical and sociological factors, aside from the transmission, can skew the numbers. Were automatics preferable for urban drivers who had to contend with traffic on a daily basis and who thus subjected their cars to greater wear and tear? Did manual transmissions - particularly four-speeds - lead to riskier behavior behind the wheel and thus a greater likelihood of crashes that sidelined the cars? Were owners more likely to preserve cars with automatic transmissions because they paid more for those models?
Maybe, in the end, it's all a wash. Or maybe this four-speed-equipped 1963 Buick Skylark for sale on Hemmings.com might just be one of the few - if not only - remaining unrestored examples of the type due to some confluence of circumstances above. From the seller's description:
2nd owner car! All original, unmolested survivor in excellent condition. Only 32,221 original miles! The Skylark is truly a time capsule! The weather stripping is still soft with no cracks! Even the part numbers are still present on the hoses! The numbers matching, all aluminum 215 cu V8 is mated with the original Borg Warner T-10 four speed transmission! This car operates and runs flawlessly! The door panels, interior, carpet, headliner, dash are all original and in excellent shape! The original fuel and brake lines have been flushed! The original carb has been rebuilt! The only thing that has been replaced was the gas tank! Chrome is nice and Original! The Willow Mist paint is all original except for a slight re-mist of some color on the hood where there was some fade! GM seat belts were added for safety! This is truly one of the nicest, all original 4-speed 2 door hardtop Skylarks around!
1963 Buick Skylark
See more Buicks for sale on Hemmings.com.
Recent
Boosted Powertrain
At the heart of this SVT Lightning is its iron-block 5.4-liter SOHC, 16-valve V8 with a supercharger and an intercooler. The blower helped it deliver 380 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque in 2001, up some 20 horsepower and 10 lb-ft from the ’99 and 2000 models. The Eaton supercharged engine delivered peak boost of 8.0 psi and the engine featured an 8.4:1 static compression ratio, down from the standard 5.4 V8’s 9.0:1, which was rated at 260 horsepower and 350 lb-ft.
Power reached the rear 18-inch cast aluminum-alloy wheels via a four-speed automatic, an aluminum driveshaft and a beefy 9.75-inch, limited-slip rear axle with an acceleration-friendly 3.73:1 final-drive ratio, another upgrade for 2001. Car and Driver magazine reported a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds and a quarter-mile in an E.T. of 13.8 seconds at 104 mph—impressive numbers for a 4,600-pound truck. Top speed was a drag-limited 142 mph.
A Truly Sporting Truck
Trucks generally require a suspension that can handle a full load in its bed while also providing competent driving while empty. But if you fancy one designed to a sports-car standard, then something has to give. In the case of the second-gen Lightning, Ford dropped its payload capacity to a mere 800 pounds. A standard 2001 F-150 Styleside carried a 3,180-pound payload rating, while an F-150 Flareside was rated at 2,005 pounds, some two-and-a-half times the Lightning, which featured the short-bed Flareside body. Towing capacity, likewise, was reduced from 8,800 pounds to 5,000 in the Lightning. But the Lightning’s strengths were never its payload or towing capacities, but it’s ability to perform like a sports car.
As a 21st century performance vehicle, however, the second-gen Lightning was also equipped to handle. A half-inch drop at the front was accompanied by SVT-specific coil springs and Bilstein shocks along with an exclusive 31-mm solid anti-roll bar. SVT’s influence continued at the rear with Lightning-specific five-leaf springs and a 23-mm solid anti-roll bar. The Bilstein setup at the rear included the right-rear shock staggered toward the front of the truck to reduce axle hop under heavy acceleration. The four-wheel antilock disc brakes were cribbed from the three-quarter-ton F-250, with 12.1-inch front rotors at the front and 13.1-inch discs at the rear.
As the years go on, fewer and fewer clean, unmolested low-mileage examples are out there, which is why this 2001 Ford SVT F150 Lightning now on Hemmings Auctions caught our attention. Showing just 5,525.5 miles on its odometer at the time of submission, it is said to be in “mint” condition and have an “immaculate” finish in the seller’s words. No modifications are noted to any part of the vehicle. The 18-inch factory alloys don’t appear to have any curb rash, though the Goodyear performance tires may be original. About the only deviations from stock are the tinted windows.
The latest electric-only F-150 Lightning is certainly a quick vehicle in its own right, but this 2001 edition from the engineers at SVT was built for excitement, not range. It was made with an old-school muscle-car vibe along with modern handling and braking. Which Lightning would you look good behind the wheel of?
Take a look at this second-gen Lightning on Hemmings Auctions before the bidding ends.
Interested in a new or late model used car?
Trending
╳