The Hawk Accent and Free Spirit decal packages remained for 1977 but the Free Spirit decals were now either black or white in color. It was kind of amusing, as his big brother had an actual TransAm — the ratio of the car size was similar to the ratio of their physical sizes, as the brother rather taller, larger, and rougher. Whereas the Monza gets the Vega four-banger or a 262 cid V-8, the Skyhawk has only one available engine, the 231 cid V-6. Orders placed after December 4th, when Standard Ground Shipping is selected will not be guaranteed for Christmas delivery. The 262 Chevrolet V8 was conceived to deal with the loss of the rotary.
The seats were good, the 4-speed was passable, and it just looked so cool. It was a very, very cold night I recall and the Schyukill Expressway that night was horribly choked with traffic, so the 15-20 minute ride time turned into nearly an hour. You can see the exhaust tips in this pic. Whatever the story is, the Astroroof feature adds a layer of intrigue to this survivor as a potentially smart investment, given how few are likely to exist today. H-body Skyhawk and Starfire production ceased on December 21, 1979, to allow for an increased production of Chevrolet Monzas and Pontiac Sunbirds. Licensing and other legalize ultimately caused a last minute switch to Monza.
As early a 1982, there were no replacement parts available when it started to act up. The Skyhawk has a 97-inch wheelbase and a 65. I remember riding my bike to the Olds dealer to see the Starfire Firenza when it came came out, it was similar to the Spyder. It had under 3k miles on it. My brother had a Starfire of the same year. The Free Spirit Skyhawk for 1976 had the same vari color decals, red wheels and pewter gray exterior color as the Buick pace car for the Indianapolis 500.
If you wanted to make your Buick Skyhawk just a bit more special, there was a factory option known as the Astroroof, a custom glass panel that spanned the top of the body. I never though anyone besides myself would have anything to contribute about them. My only specific memory of it was on the very evening in February he took delivery of it, my Dad took me to the Palestra in Philadelphia I grew up in Bryn Mawr to watch our Princeton Tigers take on the Penn Quakers in basketball. Of course, as we have seen, modified and beefed up H cars as well as Vegas were quite popular for a time both on the straight-line drag strip as well as on road courses. Also there were Hawk decals on the fenders and one on the hatch. Though the crank windows immediately clue you in that this is an economy car, kudos to Buick for making the insides an attractive place to be.
The 262 Chevrolet V8 was conceived to deal with the loss of the rotary. I always wondered why he did it, i guess this clear roof was his inspiration. Does anyone remember that smell? For 1977 a new decal package was available and this Skyhawk was called the NightHawk. The next step would have been to work up the marketing. Only the four-speed manual and three-speed automatic transmissions were offered for 1980.
Pricing had already been worked up somewhat. But me learning to drive stick, and city traffic, wore the clutch out 2 years later. We are reasonable people and we believe in true customer satisfaction. The grandson of the founder was ousted, the company went into receivership and was more or less taken over by a bank consortium. Only problem I have ever really seen with the Mona body cars was most of the door hinges were welded on. The Buick did help introduce the 231 V6 which of course went on to a long career. The front suspension is short and long control arms with coil springs, and anti-roll bar; the rear suspension is a Torque-arm design with coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
It was this sort of nobody-home product planning which sent buyers to the Japanese side of the street. Someone got a good deal here. They drank fuel like a Nova. It was a Buick only option as far as I can tell and fairly low production from 75-80. These H body cars were ok, had great heaters and I agree, a 5 speed would make this car fun to drive. Now, where they blew it was the notchback coupe. Looked nothing like the Monza hatch, either.
It sat for 24 years, and with a new battery started right up, if you want a good reliable car, get a first gen skyhawk. Though hideous, obviously they went over well in the Era of the Brougham. The engine sludged even with normal oil changes. The doors on ours were that way in 1982, labor cost were to much for repair so junked. My brother had a Starfire of the same year. Anybody know exactly from this picture? They were really cool looking cars in their day.
The other divisions were to get exclusive motors such as the Pontiac Iron Duke, the Buick V6, etc. New options included the Astroroof, which was a large heavily tinted overhead glass roof combined with a wide aluminum targa band that extended from one B-pillar across the roof to the opposite B-pillar. When the block had cracked, we sent it to the crusher. The Buick did help introduce the 231 V6 which of course went on to a long career. Black, White or Gold, this package included stripes around the side windows, wheel openings and hood. The level of finish and overall quality was about equal in both, so inevitably, the final decision—which is best? Needless to say, the difference in the Skyhawk from the Monza were subtle, given how quickly it was rushed into production. But me learning to drive stick, and city traffic, wore the clutch out 2 years later.