Real Wheels: Cruisin’ in a 1969 Skylark convertible

LIMA – When you own a convertible, you may give up something, but then you gain a lot.

That’s how Micke Whited, of Lima, sees it.

He’ll admit the rear seat of a convertible is smaller, and there is limited trunk space. However, he says what makes it worthwhile is the wind-in-the-hair experience while driving down the highway or the thrill of cruising topless on your favorite country road.

And let’s not forget the curb appeal – convertibles simply look cool.

Whited has owned his 1969 Buick Skylark convertible for around a year.

“I enjoy driving it on the weekends and taking it to car cruise-ins. I look forward to that,” he said.

The Skylark was part of the Buick line for 46 years. There were six generations of the vehicle as it bounced around as a luxury car, muscle car and family sedan.

It debuted as a two-door luxury convertible in 1953 but struggled with being too pricey for the time. It had a Fireball V8 engine that saw the car listed at $4,843, or roughly $46,600 in today’s money. That engine was shelved for a V6 in its second year.

Whited’s car is part of the second generation of the Skylark that began in 1968 and is perhaps remembered most fondly. It marked a return to a plethora of V8 engines as it set out to compete with the Chevrolet Camaro, the Ford Mustang and Pontiac Firebird.

The final generation of the Skylark was from 1992 to 1998.

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Mail: Real Wheels, Newsroom, The Lima News, 3515 Elida Road, Lima, OH 45807.

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Include: Photograph of your car; year of car, make and model; how many years you have owned the vehicle; car’s history; best memory of car; your name, address and telephone number (the phone number will not be published).

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