Back when I was 22, I was just wrapping up a two-year degree at Dixie State University in southern Utah. My friend Colt entrusted me with the key to his pride and joy: a 1962 Buick Skylark convertible. The car was a hand-me-down from his mother, so it had extra-special meaning.
That’s me at the far right in the above photo. I drove the Skylark in a parade, with a boat in tow that contained a handful of members of the university’s rowing team. It was an exhilarating experience and one that I haven’t had the chance to re-live in the 22 years since then. How about all of you? Have you driven a car in a parade?
What made me think of Colt’s car — and the parade experience — was when I recently came across a 1962 Skylark in inventory at Desert Valley Auto Parts (DVAP). It was a rough two-door coupe, but it had some of the same unmistakable lines.
Colt’s Buick (which was in much better shape than its DVAP sibling) was named Rose Red. Colt’s mom, with the foresight of the car eventually going to her son, had outfitted the car with a license plate reading “COLT-S.” The design, featuring embossed black text over a white background, was offered only between about 1982-85 in Utah, so she probably got the license plate right around the time Colt was born.
The Skylark name first showed up in 1953 as a high-end convertible on the Roadmaster’s chassis. By 1962, the Skylark was its own model, a compact car on General Motors’ Y-body platform. It could be optioned with either a 198ci V-6 (135 horsepower) or a 215ci V-8 (190 horsepower). Pricing for the 1962 Skylark when new was about $3,012.
Rose Red had some adventures. I distinctly remember one specific joyride in about 1999 when Colt (pictured at right above) made a hard left-hand turn and we lost a hubcap. We went back to retrieve it. As time went on, life got busy, and Colt started his family. The Skylark attended his wedding in June 2007.
Between career changes, moves, and all the other life events to navigate, the Skylark was put into extended storage. It remained more or less static for about 20 years. Unfortunately, Colt’s mom passed away in 2011.
In the weeks and months leading up to the 25-year anniversary of our high school graduation, Colt took renewed interest in Rose Red. He sent me a couple of photos on May 23, 2025, showing the car being unloaded from a trailer. Just six days later, he sent me a video of the car running. In addition to the sound of the engine, I could hear him clapping excitedly.
Hopefully Colt will have Rose Red fully recommissioned soon. And I wouldn’t complain if he offered to let me drive it in another parade someday.
