“A road car with a very distinct personality.”
Buick offered five separate T TYPE models (their spelling) in 1983. One of the new ones was the Skylark coupe, Buick’s version of the X-car.
The Skylark T TYPE‘s standard powertrain was the LH7 “high output” 135 bhp 2.8 liter/173 ci V6 with a Rochester E2SE two-barrel carburetor paired with a four-speed manual. The 0-60 time was a little over 9 seconds—respectable but not great in 1983. Mileage was 21 city/34 highway by the day’s standards (17/23 by today’s measures). With a 15.1-gallon gas tank, a T TYPE owner could expect a range of 270 to 335 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
Standard mechanical equipment on the $9,337 T TYPE coupe (approximately $30,700 in today’s dollars or about what a 2026 Buick Encore GX Avenir SUV costs) included a Sport suspension (stiffer rate springs, stiffer shock absorbers, a more rigid front stabilizer bar, and added rear stabilizer bar), a “special tuned” exhaust, a 3.65:1 final drive ratio, and P215/60R14 steel belted radial tires (a size still available from BFGoodrich and Riken) on 14-inch styled aluminum wheels. Exterior equipment specific to the T TYPE included a blacked out grille, smoked tail lamp lenses, and charcoal lower body accent paint. Inside, vinyl or cloth bucket seats with backrest recliner, a full-length operating console, a special Sport steering wheel, and color-coordinated seat belt buckles were included.
Standard equipment on all Skylarks included front-wheel drive, power rack and pinion steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, tungsten-halogen high/low beam headlamps, a Delco Freedom II Plus battery, and an AM radio with two front speakers and a fixed-mast radio antenna.
Options & Production Numbers
Options included dual electric remote mirrors ($78), the Vista-Vent flip-open removable glass sunroof ($295), air conditioning ($725), Cruise Master speed control with resume ($170), power windows ($180), tilt steering ($105), and an ETR AM/FM stereo radio with a cassette player and a graphic equalizer ($505).
Despite Buick’s commitment to extending the T TYPE line (they even went to the trouble of creating a T TYPE brochure), sales were not impressive—about 3.5% of the sales of the Skyhawk, Skylark, Century, Regal, and Riviera. Of the T TYPEs, the Skylark was comparatively successful, with 2,489 sold—about 6.1% of overall Skylark sales.
The View From 2025
I haven’t seen a Skylark T TYPE since they were new, and I saw one parked outside of the long-gone Crown Buick on the Lincoln Highway in Ardmore, PA. Skylarks of this era are rarely seen in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, or on Bring a Trailer—when one does come up for sale, Hemmings considers it worthy of a portion of a blog entry.
There were only four exterior colors available for the Skylark T TYPE: White, Silver Metallic, Dark Red Metallic, and Light Sand Gray. Make mine Silver Metallic, please.
Other X-cars I have written about in this blog include the 1980 Chevrolet Citation hatchback sedan, the 1981 Chevrolet Citation X-11 hatchback coupe, the 1985 Chevrolet Citation II hatchback sedan, the 1984 Oldsmobile Omega sedan, and the 1982 Pontiac Phoenix SJ coupe.
Last updated August 2025.
Eighties Cars 