Why do they call some skylarks "stepchilds"?

As the title states. I take it its the body style but not sure. Enlighten me. Thanks

 

The ‘68 & ‘69 Skylarks are called stepchildren because of their controversial body styling. Seems to be a love it or hate it feeling about how they look. I love them.

 

It is the 68-69 skylark. There style was not as liked as the other years. They were kind of Skylarks step child that some people ignore.

 

Okay. Thats what i figured. My car is a 69. Some stranger called it a stepchild. I didnt ask him why. Then i saw the name again. Figured it was the body.

 

Most of us love the steps!

 

The fact that many in the public don't like them makes me like them even more. I have not seen a step locally for a few years. Ask me how many Camaro's, Mustang's, or Chevelle's I have seen...

 

‘68s are even more ‘steppy’ than ‘69s; a lot of parts for them are one year only and hard to find. Searching for parts (especially twenty-thirty years ago) for both years involved a lot of junkyarding and contact making. Repro stuff didn’t exist. Also, when the other years were more affordable, a lot of the stepchildren were used as beaters or race cars, so nice ones weren’t common and owners got a lot of ‘what is that?’ My first ‘step’ was a ‘68 GS400 coupe, which had the highest production of all years of big block coupes (over 10,000) and even at the GS Nats in the ‘90s there would be fewer than a five nice examples. Sometimes zero (mine wasn’t ‘nice’ then).
Patrick

 

Yep i like oddball, not so common seen things more myself. Now it does become a pain when having to find replacement parts, but its worth it.

 

As someone once said....

What is a Buick StepChild ?
... "They have awkward proportions from certain angles, and they look dumpy compared to their GM brethren"

 

68 & 69 I did not like ...but have grown on me. I now would like to have one just need more $ from somewhere to get it done

 

I loved my 1968 GS400.

 

They are different and that is why I like them, while I do appreciate the later years the commonality of them at shows makes me lose interest when you see multiple versions of the same car year after year. I will go as far as saying I like the 68's better than the '69's just because I like a little more bling, the grill and the vent windows. I seem to like the odd balls of the other makes also verses the more popular models.

 

Seems like i do not see many b.o.p. classics in general in my area. Have a ton of chevy, ford, and mopars. Last i was here on this forum was sometime in 2009. i had a 66 gs which i sold to another family member. There were some guys local to me. I dont remember them well, or ever met them in person. But yeah, dont see many around.

 

They jealous!

And they just look badass wearing their "drag shoes". Those big meats stuff in the back with that big o'l butt!!!

The proportions are perfect looking when they pull up to stage...

 

I love my 69 however when I get it repainted I’ll remove the side trim, which I think make it look more “stepchild “. I’ve only seen two around where I live one 68 convertible and the other a 4-door.

 

Some describe the rear design as awkward. The sweeping line down the side is a bold style statement...I find the GS looks great without the emphasis on the body line
-the Skylark's trim and fender skirts emphasize that line and it is not as clever as the GS, especially the 68 with a rocker stripe that balances the design IMHO.

 

The Stepchild thing comes from the 68/9 in relation to the 70-72 cars, with their more conventional styling, vs the wilder 68-9 vehicles.. if the 70 car was the favorite son, then the 8-9's were red headed step children.

I own both.. the "light your fire" 1970 cars, (3) and then I have my first car, a 68GS 400 convert.

I like 'em both.

JW

 

A good mix of GS's from the 09 BPG nats.
I always toyed with putting the rocker stripe on my 68 (the Cameo Cream car) but I am not sure it would work. The factory would have put on a black stripe. The yellow with white top might not look as clean with a black stripe. I will admit, from some angles the back does look weird but at other angles its just beautiful. This photo is case in point.

 

Yeah! It's like a car with a Mullet!!!