In the early 1960's, a full size car really was full size! Gas prices were not really a concern and bigger was better, so the automakers stocked their showrooms big road-going machines. Pontiac offered several versions of their large platform to accomodate the bank accounts of a variety of budgets. This one is a Catalina, which was marketed as an entry-level full size Pontiac.
Above the Catalina was the Grand Prix, and then the luxury Bonneville. This example is owned by Rich Fields, and he performed the entire restoration himself.
Powering the big Catalina is a Pontiac 389, complete with the 3 two-barrel intake setup. These cars needed all the torque they could muster to get moving, and the high-flowing carb setup allowed the 389 to make power up top to keep it moving! While not original to this car, this induction setup is representative of what you could order in '64.
Boasting a factory rating of 348 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, the 389 three 2-barrel engine was the hot version of the base Pontiac V8. One could have stepped up the program by ordering a 421, which produced 370 HP and 460 Lb. Ft. with a similar induction system.
Inside this Catalina you'll find a sporty cabin complete with bucket seats, console, floor shifter, and high-performance gauges. The tachometer lives to the left of the steering wheel, which bucks the trend of the time that put tachs on the console. Low mounted tachs were harder to read when banging gears.
Instead, Pontiac's design crew mounted a fuel-economy vacuum gauge on the console down low. Like anyone drove these cars for economy!
Other performance features include the 8-lug wheels. Rumor has it that Pontiac felt the larger bolt pattern and open design of the 8-lug wheels brought better cooling ability to the brakes. If this were true, we'd all be running wide-pattern 8 lug systems today. Today, the 8-lug setup is another unique option that sets these cars apart.
The most striking elemet of this car is the color. Although it appears to be custom mixed, the Sunfire Red is actually a stock color for these cars. We dig colors like this that aren't seen everyday.
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