That has got to be one of the most beautiful cars in the entire world. My heart was always with the early Pontiacs. My first Pontiac was a '62 Catalina Hardtop 389CID. I had a license to fly with it. These BIG BEASTS could fly. I cannot express my joy in seeing and HEARING this marvel. Thank you for making my month !
When I was 13 years old, I'm almost 71, in 4 more days, my father bought a 1962 Pontiac station wagon, my Mother wouldn't let him buy a 2 door. He found this on the dealership lot while "Browsing" with the salesman, he said the man who ordered it passed away for some unknown reason and the sale wasn't completed. To make a long story short, the wagon had a 421 engine with 2 4 barrel carbs and a 4 speed transmission. The salesman told my Father it would one day be a collector's item, if only my Father would have listened to him. Dad bought the car and sold it after we had it three years. That one came from Freeman Pontiac here in Michigan somewhere. I'm curious if it still even exists.
That Pontiac…one of one…is so cool…I remember reading the magazine article about it…putting the bubble top 1962 BelAir top on a 1962 Pontiac…wish Pontiac would have built some..
I recall reading up on these aluminum beasts & hearing about the exhaust manifolds getting hot enough to leave drops of molten aluminum on the track. Wonderful to see this car has those beautiful free-flowing 'folds bolted up.
The 421SD Catalina's are my favorite Pontiac's ever made. Even more bad ass than a 69 Ram Air IV GTO or a 73 455SD Trans Am, probably my two favorite Pontiac's of the true muscle car era (1964-74) The 421SD Catalina's are a race car with a license plate. I think they came with a disclaimer in the glove box that said this car is not intended for regular street use. The 405 factory horsepower rating is a joke. I saw a bone stock 421SD engine crank out 488 horsepower at 6,000 rpm on an engine dyno...83 more horsepower than the 405hp factory rating
WOW WOW reminds me of the red one I saw at the McCormick place in downtown Chicago. Inside the gentleman started the beast up and the big Payne windows just shook and the hair on my arms just stood up that’s one experience I will never forget. Total BEAST!
Now that's the sound a muscle car motor should make. My dad had a 1962 Pontiac, but it was a base model with a 2 speed Powerglide. I used to sneak it out on the roads before I turned 16. Loved those moon shaped tail lights.
I had this car refurbished and modified by John Novelli in St. Charles, Missouri. It was my car for seven years untill I sold it at the Mecum Auction..The springs were all new. We did not try to adjust the stance of the car. It sits different because it has a very light Pontiac Department X aluminum block, one of fourteen given to Mickey Thompson in the early 60's. I had that engine installed in this car along with aluminum SD heads, aluminum factory headers, factory aluminum intake, even a factory aluminum water pump and the aluminum differential from a Swiss Cheese Pontiac. I ended up with a car lighter than a Swiss Cheese car. The SD hood scoop was already on the car when I bought it, basically stock except for the install of the bubble top by David Green in Tennessee. This car was originally a stock 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix and is still titled as such. BTW, for anyone's interest, I still have the only two remaining factory aluminum blocks and would sell them if anyone is interested. I have lots of photos of the development and build of this car. The engine was featured in an issue of High Performance Pontiac.
Beautiful car I had a 62 Grand Prix 421 tri-power four speed in high school loved that car but couldn't keep clutch in that thing to save myself; got very good at changing them!
I didn't realize you could get a bubbletop Pontiac in 1962. The only hardtops I have ever seen had the steel simulated convertible top design. These bubbletops must be very rare.
A few years ago at the James Dean car show I saw, I think a 62 catalina completely restored so I went over to it to take a closer look. My jaw dropped I couldn’t believe it, a 421SD motor like the one in the video was in the car hooked to a 4 speed. I grew up on pontiacs and my first car was a 72 bonneville. I knew what I was looking at. The woman who owned the car was in her 70s I suppose and was there with her daughter. The mother told me that her husband who was working on the car had died year earlier so as a tribute to him she had it finished. I told her some history on that motor that I had read as a teenager many years ago. She said that her husband had a long time friend that retired from GM and had that engine for years in his garage or something and it only had a FEW hundred miles on it and would never sell it, until one day he sold it to him for I think $300. True story. Anyway, at that car show the lady some guy came up to her and told her she should take it out and put a 389 in it because the car wasn’t “original”, don’t you just love those guy. I told you keep that engine in that car. You husband knew what he was doing.
I'd take this over any HEMI or FORD or any car for that matter without blinking an eye. Hands down one of the top 5 most beautiful cars ever made or produced. And your only gonna get that sound from a pontiac SD...Nothing else compares!!!
I don't give a damn about computer-based, modern technology cars. Detroit iron from 1960-66, was in a class by themselves. This '62 421 Chief had a tremendous sound, kickass performance and classic style.
The hoodscoop is correct for a SD Poncho of this era. The springs are brand new and have not settled yet. In fact that hoodscoop is sourced from Ford of all places from their heavy duty big trucks.
Drag cars were set up high, especially in the front, back in those days to get some 'weight transfer' to the rear wheels out of them... as drag speeds increased later, the front ends had to come down to keep them from going airborne...
Wow ,1962 Bubble Top with a supper rare Aluminum Engine , was that top added ? I was restoring a '62 . bought from the Original Lady,did not believe her when she told me she bought it off the Car Show Floor in Chicago ,serial Number matched the car 10003 , pulled the engine , had a 4 Bolt Main ,automatic went to a Bonneville , this was about '85 , interior need help but not much ,a Catalina with Leather Interior ? It was made in Arlington, Plant TX ..Kept every receipt.60K miles documented
My god is it refreshing to see something that looks like that sound that kickass. Makes a true joke of all the later "sticker package" performance cars.
Absolutely perfect. Pure performance, right down to the heater delete. I'm guessing it doesn't have the aluminium exhaust manifolds. Looks a little domesticated tho, with the white walls and skinny rear tires.
Based on the spectacular attention to detail someone truly loved this Indian! Especially, has underneath this Indians Head Dress Skirt is the Big Bad 421”!!! Pretty impressive is an under statement but, to realize Pontiac 421” was leading the manufacturers muscle car business model of being bigger is better of race on Sunday sell on Monday! Thankfully, these the Ol’ boys involved creating these cars all of love dearly had the foresight, and the understanding that there is no replacement for displacement That ultimately, in my opinion the individual responsible for the resurrection life line that Pontiac desperately needed at the time doesn’t get the credit he deserves nor, does does that BADASS 421” PONTIAC POWER PLANT!!
It looks to sit way to high in the photos. Did Pontiac put chrome valve covers, dual quads and a wild cam in it, or has it been built? I know GM did use chrome and dual quads on factory performance cars, but the cam sounds to wild for factory GM.
I too was a Pontiac Lover... I had lots of them, none past 1963 & no SDs, but plenty of the others... GREAT CARS. If I had been GM, Buick would have gone bye-bye, not Pontiac.....
That's a beautiful Ponch, but I never ever saw a 62 Catalina with a 61 'bubble top'. Was that an option? I know that in 62 you could buy a Chevy Bel Air with that top, and an Impala had the roof I remember on Catalinas.
Perhaps my fav old school vehicle of all time. I would have gone with the low and wide look minus the hood scoop, but hey, either way...its still not mine :(
Yeah, it's a '62. Two were actually built about 6 years ago. There was an article in High Performance Pontiac that tells the story of how and why it was done. Interesting reading.
This is my absolute favorite muscle car ever produced by GM. 405 hp factory rating hahaha yeah right. Maybe on the way to making 500. Those 421 Super Dutys were the BADDEST engine ever produced by ANY GM division from that era. It's on the level of the Chrysler 426 Hemi and the Ford R-Code 427. The Chrysler 413 and 426 Max Wedge from those early 60s factory lightweight cars were insanely fast too
I'm guessing that the car was restored correctly but I wonder if it was supposed to ride that high. I mean you can see the top of the back tires through the quarter panel opening.
I had a thought on this.I bet it was built on a 62 Paresienne.hence Bubble Roof Canadian Pontiac.toss in 8 lugs and a SD 421 carb set up and long branch manifolds.so it's basically a kool kit car.
That's what I was thinking, given Canadian Pontiacs were basically Chevys made to look like Pontiacs. I wonder if they did make a '62 Laurentian or Parisienne with a bubble top? If so, they would have had Chevy engines, so there may have been some with 409s.
over the last 35 yrs ive had a 62 63 64 and parisiennes all had that impala roofline. all glass is interchangable. cant remember about 64 but 62 and 63 had chevy x frames, i have factory servise manual that has detail of 409 dual quads. not saying they didnt make em, but i havent seen canadian bubbletops, and ive been into them a long time. amazing looking. also never seen 8 lug on a canadian car
Beautiful car but it's got the flood water stance. U make a car look so much Nicer with a more aggressive stance & still keep it looking like it came from the factory.
Id say from 57 to 71. Seeing how the first grand daddy to the muscle cars was the Chrysler 300 392 Hemi. And the first true muscle car (medium sized 2 door bigblock car for drag racing for the street) would be the 62 dart/Fury/belvedere/polara 413 wedge motors.
I bought a 62 Catalina in 1984 for $150. It had a 389 ci and a 2 speed automatic trans. Someone called that trans a slim jim (not a powerglide). I don't know but I had a hard time finding linkage parts for that tranny.
I did some research W/Google one article I found said a Dealer ordered it special W/ Bubble Top and Factory built it for him don't know what to believe. I owned 3 Tin Indians in the 60's read every Car Magazine published and never saw a Bubble Top Pontiac Cat unit this you tube montha ago.
And a 455 SD ! See Firebird LS5 ! HuH (for) 55 ! Water Temp sender tribute ? What would they tribute to the Oil Pressure Sender 3 wire ? How about a 455 Super Duty H.E.I Distributor and electric fuel pump Factory LS5 1970 Firebird ! Great Tribute to the Oil Temp sender 3 Wire ! Not ready till 80s ? Sad ! so sad for a car built before it's time .
Grand Prix was a stand alone model for 62. 2 doors only, bucket seats, higher trim level. Catalina sat below the Bonneville trim wise. Yes there were bubble top 62's made, they are very rare.
@@chrispappas3750 No they weren't. The owner posted above that there were two bubble tops converted by David Green in Tennessee. Scroll up to the post by the owner Cabler Bergschneider from about 3 years ago. Engine is a special aluminum block from Mickey Thompson.
@@bobthbldr3 They are, you're a fucking idiot and you're wrong. The first year for the Grand Prix was 1962 and their roofs were different from the vehicle in the video. That roof is a carry-over from 1961. There's nothing about my comment that is incorrect. Fuck you and have a nice day.
omg she is sweet dou what ever yo do do not let her go right luved the vid shared as well been thinkin bout this car for weeks now very nice cant say enough to justify that thing is bada@22 thankx cooter out
thats what I was thinking.Chevy is the only division that continued with a Bubble Top in the Belaire series in 1962.Maybe I am delusional but I've researched this and haven't found any proof.it is similar to 61 but this Cat is definetely a 62.???????????????????
Bill Taylor It was actually just the opposite. The Pontiac guys were 'car' guys, GM corporate put a stop to Pontiac creating muscled cars due to eating sales away from Chevrolet. Corporate was the bean counters.
