Photo: route66_garage/eBay
When talking about Pontiac muscle cars, we usually think about the GTO. It's regarded as the vehicle that kickstarted the muscle car market. However, Pontiac built an even more exciting rig years before the GTO debuted for the 1964 model year. I'm talking about the Catalina Super Duty.
Introduced as a stand-alone model in 1959, the Catalina was a full-size car available in a variety of body styles. It wasn't designed to go fast, but the drag racing wars of the early 1960s turned it into a quarter-mile performer.
The story begins in 1957, following the AMA gentleman's agreement that prompted General Motors to ban factory-backed racing. Unhappy with this decision, Pontiac quietly developed a race-spec upgrade for its 389-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 in 1959. Sold as an over-the-counter item, the engine helped Pontiac win seven NASCAR races and enabled Jim Wangers to clinch the NHRA National Championship in 1960.
Two years later, Pontiac created the 421-cubic-inch (6.9-liter) Super Duty engine. Rated at 405 horsepower, the V8 was offered in regular-production cars for homologation. Costing nearly as much as a base Catalina, the Super Duty was ordered by only 177 customers. Pontiac also fitted 14 of these engines in lightweight versions of the car.
These Catalinas are known as the "Swiss Cheese" vehicles due to having 130 holes in their frames. Built right before GM ordered Pontiac to end its racing efforts in early 1963, these cars were given to select racing teams.
Capable of covering the quarter-mile in the low 12-second bracket, the Catalina "Swiss Cheese" was among the quickest factory-built vehicles of the era. And it's now a super rare and highly sought-after classic. The regular Catalina Super Duty is nothing to sneeze at, either. Some of these cars are valued at almost $500,000.
And because the Catalina Super Duty is expensive and hard to find, many enthusiasts have built their own replicas. The gray 1963 example you see here is one of them, and it's among the nicest I've seen in a long time.
Sure, it's far from perfect, and it won't fool a Super Duty buff on closer inspection, but it's a cool rig that has what it takes to provide a few smiles at the drag strip.
But while it may look like a Super Duty that already spent a few years at the drag strip, this Catalina doesn't pack a true-blue 421 SD engine under the hood. This two-door coupe draws juice from a 455-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) V8 sourced from a 1972 Pontiac.
It has a high lift cam, Holley 750-cfm carburetor, and vintage finned aluminum valve covers. It mates to a TH-400 gearbox, but there's no word on how much oomph it provides. It does have traces of "405 HP" decals on the front fenders, though. Speaking of which, the seller says this Catalina is actually a vintage race car and not just a clone that sits pretty.
The Poncho reportedly "starts right up, drives great, and has plenty of power." And it's obviously much more affordable than a fully-fledged Super Duty. As of this writing, the seller is asking $21,500 of best offer to let this car go.
The story begins in 1957, following the AMA gentleman's agreement that prompted General Motors to ban factory-backed racing. Unhappy with this decision, Pontiac quietly developed a race-spec upgrade for its 389-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 in 1959. Sold as an over-the-counter item, the engine helped Pontiac win seven NASCAR races and enabled Jim Wangers to clinch the NHRA National Championship in 1960.
Two years later, Pontiac created the 421-cubic-inch (6.9-liter) Super Duty engine. Rated at 405 horsepower, the V8 was offered in regular-production cars for homologation. Costing nearly as much as a base Catalina, the Super Duty was ordered by only 177 customers. Pontiac also fitted 14 of these engines in lightweight versions of the car.
These Catalinas are known as the "Swiss Cheese" vehicles due to having 130 holes in their frames. Built right before GM ordered Pontiac to end its racing efforts in early 1963, these cars were given to select racing teams.
Capable of covering the quarter-mile in the low 12-second bracket, the Catalina "Swiss Cheese" was among the quickest factory-built vehicles of the era. And it's now a super rare and highly sought-after classic. The regular Catalina Super Duty is nothing to sneeze at, either. Some of these cars are valued at almost $500,000.
And because the Catalina Super Duty is expensive and hard to find, many enthusiasts have built their own replicas. The gray 1963 example you see here is one of them, and it's among the nicest I've seen in a long time.
Sure, it's far from perfect, and it won't fool a Super Duty buff on closer inspection, but it's a cool rig that has what it takes to provide a few smiles at the drag strip.
But while it may look like a Super Duty that already spent a few years at the drag strip, this Catalina doesn't pack a true-blue 421 SD engine under the hood. This two-door coupe draws juice from a 455-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) V8 sourced from a 1972 Pontiac.
It has a high lift cam, Holley 750-cfm carburetor, and vintage finned aluminum valve covers. It mates to a TH-400 gearbox, but there's no word on how much oomph it provides. It does have traces of "405 HP" decals on the front fenders, though. Speaking of which, the seller says this Catalina is actually a vintage race car and not just a clone that sits pretty.
The Poncho reportedly "starts right up, drives great, and has plenty of power." And it's obviously much more affordable than a fully-fledged Super Duty. As of this writing, the seller is asking $21,500 of best offer to let this car go.
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