A 1967 Buick GS 400 Funny Car? Really?

Original Parts Group serves all restorers—even 1967 Buick Skylark Funny Car restorers. That’s right. John Lipori owns this crazy Buick-powered 1967 Skylark that his dad built in 1967. It’s the only 1967 GS 400 and only Buick-powered Funny Car ever built.John’s father Jerry was co-owner with Steve Malise of Brooklyn Speed and Marine in New York. Steve’s family business was the local Buick dealer, Mid-County Buick. Steve and Jerry wanted to go drag racing, and do it with a Buick. Steve somehow got 19 Buick dealerships in and around New York to pony up $1000 each, and just like that they were making plans for running a New York Buick Dealers Group-sponsored, Buick-powered, Buick body Funny Car.Co-partners Lipori and Malise built the blown/fuel-injected 430 iron-block Buick engine and ladder chassis, while Ron Pelligrini splashed a fiberglass mold off of a (borrowed) new Skylark. This was back in the days when most all Funny Cars ran iron-block 392ci- and 426ci-Hemi Chrysler engines. So is the Lipori/Malise Buick unique—or a freak? Take your pick.Ralph “Coney Island” Landolphi, “Rapid Red” Lang, and Bruce Bohen all drove the Buick, dubbed “Ingenue”. Says current owner John Lipori, “I was almost 10 years old when this car first ran at Englishtown Raceway, New Jersey, in May 1967. Its first round debut was against Doug Nash’s “Bronco Buster II”, one of my favorite Funny Cars growing up.” He says during summer recess he’d hang around Mid-County Buick and play with the hideaway headlights on new Opel GTs.The Buick’s best time was 7.79-seconds at 191mph. When it came to the few original-type parts John wanted for his unique Buick, we had everything he needed to complete the GS 400, just like we do for you.