1961 Pontiac Catalina "delete" Sd 389 Tri Power,solid Lifter 368hp,4 Speed,posi on 2040-cars
Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States
Can't be many of these ever made with these options------that is , no options, known as a "Delete" car. I'm told by the previous owner this car is original with it's Super Duty parts. It has correct numbers on the castings, beyond that I'm not sure how to document originality for a 61. FWIW the previous owner seemed to know a great deal about Super Duty cars, as well as having photos of himself with a variety of other notorious Pontiac SD lovers. To the best I can tell this is pretty much an original car. It is way cool. Super Duty 389 w'solid lifters, tri power with it's unique air cleaner (no snorkels w'solid lifters). Correct sump, cast iron exhaust headers, intake manifold, carbs, harmonic balancer, heads, block, upper water neck, dist, etc. Only mod I can think of is an electric fuel pump was fitted. Also have separate air filters for show. 4 speed. Engine fires up easily and runs great with nice oil pressure. Very docile just running on the center carb. Press the other two into action and things get busy. With the full exhaust hooked up it is actually very quiet. Pull the plugs and it ain't! Clutch feels good. Brakes stop well (within reason) and car drives very nice. No issues except passenger side exhaust rubs the shock once in awhile. I'll try to get that tweaked. Beautiful body, solid original floors, just what you dream of finding. It was a California car and has never been rusted. At present it has one small blister on the driver's door, it is still a good rock solid car. See photos. Original interior in very nice shape. Some patina, yes, but pretty remarkable, in my opinion, for being original. It has an added oil pressure and water temp gauge. Glass is all good. Trim is all good. Again, some patina, but it looks great. Paint is over 30 years old but still looks pretty darn nice with a bit of wax. I'd guess it's "Good Driver" level. I love the overall even patina of this car. Just so nice. I see no signs of previous rust repair. Car comes with a second set of rear wheels with Goodyear Blue Streak Dragway Stock tires. Also a set of narrow front tires. Yes, it was a drag car in it's early life. Previous owner showed me a photo of it lettered up, wish I'd gotten a copy. I'm somewhat new to Pontiac Super Duties, and info is kinda scarce, but I do have some good reference material. I'm trying to get up to speed here. I'll answer questions best I can. comments welcome. Thanks for looking! |
Pontiac Catalina for Sale
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Why Pontiac should come back and how it can be relevant again
Mon, Apr 17 2017When I was a kid growing up in Metro Detroit, our family was always entwined in the General Motors empire. My dad and some of our relatives worked for GM in various capacities, and we had our fair share of Chevrolet, GMC, and even Buick products in our humble driveway. However, it was my Uncle Ed that always had a vehicle from the one GM brand that always appealed to me the most: Pontiac. Seeing him pull up in his Pontiac 6000 and later the '90s era Grand Prix sedan that replaced it was always an exciting occasion, and both of these models also reflected the playful spirit that once defined the Pontiac brand. Back when Pontiac first got its performance groove on in the '60s, names such as GTO, Firebird, as well as Bonneville became iconic nameplates in the broader muscle car era. The '80s saw Pontiac lose some of its styling heritage, but also try new things at the same time including turbocharging as well as the mid-engine sports car with the flawed but still sleek Pontiac Fiero. When the Pontiac brand was shuttered in 2009, it was a mere few years after I earned my drivers license, and also when Pontiac was just beginning to regain some of its lost luster. Granted cookie cutter efforts like the Pontiac G3, (Chevrolet Aveo) G5, (Chevrolet Cobalt) and G6 (Chevrolet Malibu) certainly did not help matters during Pontiac's final years on the market, but two models in particular offered a compelling glimpse into what could've been for the storied brand. The first was the Pontiac Solstice roadster/coupe. Originally introduced as a concept back in 2004, and championed by everyone's fighter jet flying auto executive Bob Lutz, the Solstice was designed to be a serious competitor to the Mazda Miata, and while its interior ergonomics were flawed and the top solution not ideal. It proved to be a fun little car to drive, and also a sales success for Pontiac with initial demand exceeding expectations.This was especially due to its lineup of engines with the 2.0 liter LHU turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 260 horsepower in GXP variants. The second and (inarguably my favorite Pontiac model) was the Pontiac G8 sedan. Originating in Australia as the Holden Commodore VE, the G8 was designed to rectify the multitude of sins created by the last generation Bonneville. Front wheel drive was pitched in favor of rear wheel drive, and for the first time in a long time interior ergonomics and cladding free exterior styling were key building blocks for success.
GM repairing 40,500 Pontiac Vibes as part of Toyota airbag recall
Wed, 09 Apr 2014General Motors has confirmed to Autoblog that the Pontiac Vibe is included in Toyota's just-announced recall action. The Vibe and the Toyota Matrix share a large number of parts, including the affected cable to the airbag.
"About 40,500 Pontiac Vibes from the 2009-2010 model years are included in the Toyota recall. Toyota designed and engineered the Vibe for Pontiac. GM will service customers with these vehicles when Toyota makes the parts available," said GM recall spokesperson Alan Adler to Autoblog in an email.
The recall covers 1.3 million Toyota units in the US, including 2009-2010 Corolla, Matrix and Tacoma, the 2008-2010 Highlander, the 2006-2008 Rav4 and 2006-2010 Yaris, plus the addition of the 2009-2010 Vibe. The models all have their airbag module attached via a spiral electrical cable. The connections on this cable can be damaged when turning the steering wheel. Once broken, the airbag deactivates and the airbag warning light comes on. Toyota has an improved part, but it's still making preparations to begin repairs. It will begin notifying owners soon.
GM Design shows what could have been and what might be
Thu, May 27 2021We periodically like to check in with GM Design's Instagram account to see what they're cooking up. Even better is when we catch a glimpse of an alternate history of what legendary designers from The General's past were thinking, though those ideas may not have made it into production. This week, for example, the account posted some illustrations from George Camp, whose career at GM spanned nearly four decades, from 1963 to 2001. One of the renderings is of what appears to be a 1971-72 Pontiac GTO Judge, but with two headlights instead of the production unit's quad beams. The rear departs from the canonical version most dramatically, with a massive integrated wing. Other bits that didn't make the production cut include large side vents, a gill-like side marker and rectangular intakes below the headlights that wouldn't be out of place on a modern design today. Amazingly, from what we can make out of the date, it appears that the drawing was done sometime in 1965, which makes it quite prescient. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GM Design (@generalmotorsdesign) There's also a very aerodynamic interpretation of a Corvette ZR-1. To our eyes it splits the difference between the 1986 Corvette Indy concept and a fourth-generation F-body Pontiac Firebird, so perhaps parts of Camp's work on this sketch did make it into physical form. There's also a radical sports car concept from May 1970 that resembles the Mazda RX-500 concept from the same year, a Syd Mead-looking Cadillac coupe, and an Oldsmobile with a cool take on the company's trademark waterfall grille and elements of the Colonnade Cutlass at the rear. Other recent posts include a FJ Cruiser-like off-road EV, a sleek coupe with the Chevy corporate grille, and a rendering of a Silverado-esque pickup that looks far better than the current production version. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GM Design (@generalmotorsdesign) It's pretty easy to lose hours in the account, but it's always fascinating to see GM's visions of what could have been and what might be. Related Video: