It may not be English or even European but it certainly does classify as special
interest, especially considering Buick is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world and the oldest in America. Buick was founded in 1899 by David Dunbar Buick in Jackson, Michigan.  It was founded as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company and was an internal combustion engine manufacturer.  Buick continued to steadily make vehicles from the year 1899 and continues to this day. The first two “Buick” vehicles that were produced were made in 1899 and 1900 by Buick chief engineer Walter Marr. However, David Buick was reluctant to start making vehicles having been satisfied with stationary and marine engine production.  In March of 1904, the company was purchased by Benjamin Briscoe, who in return sold it to James H. Whiting who was the owner of Flint Wagon Works, in Flint, Michigan. Whiting moved Buick to Flint that summer with the idea of adding Buick’s engines to his wagons. David Buick stayed on as a manager and re-hired Walter Marr as chief engineer, and the rest is automotive history.

The Buick Skylark first hit the scene in 1953 and was revered alongside the Oldsmobile 98 and Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado as a top of the line limited-production specialty convertible. As the years progressed it gained more and more momentum and quickly became four-door as well as one of the best and finest cars you could buy.   By the time 1967 came around the Skylark was offered as a four-door with the option of a soft or hard top and the option of a 300 or 340 V8 engine.  The 400-401 V8 engine was only stock with the ’66-’69 Gran Sport 400.

Mike purchased his 1967 Skylark in North Carolina in the mid 90’s while he was in the 82nd Airborne Infantry. The car came with a 455 Buick Big Block, as opposed to the 340 V8 that more than likely came stock with this model, and was a sea foam green with rally wheels.  He looks back fondly reminiscing about how they would race cars behind the base during their lunch break, and can you blame him? Who wouldn’t love to be able to race around in a Skylark fitted with 455 Big Block?

After the Army, Mike made his way back home to New Hampshire and decided it may be best to get a better vehicle for winter time, so he sold it to his father. They then further decided that it need a new paint job among a few other things. Luckily Mike was employed at a good auto shop and was able to get the paint mixed to his specifications, he settled on the super rare Ford blue that you see on it now, the paint actually changes tones based on the light and time of the day.  They painted every inch of the car, under the hood, trunk, door jambs, everything! They then installed a carpet kit, re-upholstered the back seat, installed a new custom dual exhaust and last but not least put all new rims and wheels on it. The end result is breathtaking and truly shows that American cars can certainly have the potential if you have the vision and put the time into it.

Last week was a very busy week, in the garage as well as the office.  Cars are coming and going as the season is starting up.  We got another Jaguar E-type in, a new MG and Gary just went and picked up a beautifully conditioned beige Morris Minor.

The E-Type that just came in is a 1965 Series 1.5. It’s a beautiful gunmetal gray with a gorgeous crimson leather interior.  This car belongs to a very frequent customer and we happened to be the original people who first got this car restored in its final condition and on the road.  The gentleman usually sends this immaculate Series I E-Type to us every year in order to go through it to prepare for the season. We will diagnose any problems that need to be acknowledged and we will then fix them accordingly.

We also have a very nice MGB that is currently in for miscellaneous repairs.   It’s a beautiful fire engine red 1965 MGB. It’s here for the same reasons as the majority of our fleet, basic check up after being stored all winter. This car’s owner likes to drive this car a lot so it needs to really be on the up and up for the season.

Now to check back on the fire engine red ’63 Series I E-Type we talked about a couple weeks ago, she’s doing well and has all new brakes as well as new cooling hoses all around. Next week we’re going to break down the whole process that Mike will be doing in order to reset the triple carb system. As already stated in past articles resetting carb systems, especially triple carb systems, is not easy and it is, in fact, a lost art that not many auto bodies will do.

Let’s take a look real quick at this gem we found with the MGA that we had in our shop. An extremely interesting concept in an electrical system protection.  Can you tell what’s wrong with this picture? I wonder why my wiring is burned up, is the Prince of Darkness being framed again?

The Morris Minor that Gary went to purchase this weekend is in great shape. It is a beautiful off color white with a gorgeous interior.  The Morris Minor first hit the scene at the Earls Court Motor Show in London, on September 20, 1948. It was designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis and well over a million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972. The Minor was released in three separate series: the MM released from 1948 to 1953, the Series II released from 1952 to 1956 and finally the 1000 series which was released from 1956 to 1971.

Some more excellent and exciting news that we have is this follow up from the California Mille! The Jaguar XK120 we prepared for our client in order to participate in the California Mille, has not only successfully completed but has overall done a great job all around performing flawlessly for the whole rally. Rain and shine.