That is one of the most beautiful cars ever... and it belongs to the master of detail. Your narration is impeccable your wealth of knowledge is incredible you just really have an amazing presentation.
@@RareClassicCars I live in Saginaw but it's amazing how many clean classic cars you find in Chicago. There are a lot of collectors there. My 71 Torino 428scj came out of Elk Grove village of all places and he was all set to sell it to Vanguard classic cars so I gave him 200 dollars more than they did so I got the car.
@@RareClassicCars Bill's definitely telling the truth, you're an excellent explainer and definitely know your cars...makes for very enjoyable and interesting viewing!
@@mikesamra9126 My buddy in HS. Drove his dad's Torino with "428 Super Cobra Jet Police Interceptor" on air cleaner. Was absolutely the fastest car I ever rode in. Faster than 350 Vega I think !
The family went to the local Pontiac dealer and my Dad said, “We’ll take that one”. He proceeded to lay down 33 $100 bills, and we drove home a green, ‘66 Catalina with a black vinyl top with a “reverberator” radio …. We ALL loved the car …. As a 17 year old, I couldn’t be happier …. it was FAST!! 👍
my dad had a burgundy ‘65 Pontiac Starchief… was the first family car I have memories of! Pretty similar, but the catalina was a model up in the lineup I believe.
I went with my dad to pick up a brand new '66 4 door Catalina from Brownell Pontiac in Birmingham. I was 4 but I remember it well. It was the same color outside and in as the one in this video except ours was 4 door. We even had the same hub caps as this one. Brings back a lot of memories. I even remember the unique sound of the turn signals - THIS CAR STILL HAS THAT ORIGINAL SOUND.
Mark of Excellence is a Lincoln tag line. GM was large an in charge back in the day, 50s to real early 70s before quality took a dive, too bad GM was asleep as imports invaded. If they stayed on their game, Imports wouldn't have credibility.
,hes, you aee exactly right. This was right at the beginning of the end of the glory days of GM. And 30 years later the brand was dead and the corporation was bankrupt. The worst mksmanagement in history.
I had a 63 for the family car back in 74. We put our playpen in the back for our daughter. It had to be 4' square and 3' or so feet tall. Slid right in the back seat. What a great car with plenty of power. It was 421 Super Duty, great motor. Road like you were in a Cadillac, very smooth and handled great.
My father started working at Pontiac in 1934 in 1965-67 he ran the block line at the Pontiac Foundry so it is possible that he was part of this car. He died in Feb 1967 three months prior to his retirement date and is buried in Pontiac Michigan
When I was growing up my next door neighbor had a shared driveway with his brother, so they lived side by side. They both bought brand new maroon with black Interior 65 Pontiac Catalina 2 doors. I think they were the 2+2 cars.They were beautiful and I always thought that was so cool as a kid. I have always loved cars though. Your 66 is also beautiful. Those Pontiacs of the 60’s were always very stylish. Great video.
My neighbor, Myra, had one of these in the same color. She hardly ever drove it. She said gas was too expensive. She had everyone in my family doing charity work for her. I cut her grass. Mom did her laundry and bought her underwear. My Dad was her handy man. Everybody thought she had very little as she had been a school teacher and never married or had kids. Guess What? When she died, we had all been fooled! She left over a Million Dollars in stocks and bonds and real estate to her niece and nephew who barely even knew her!
My grandma puchased a 66' two hardtop catalina new off the lot in 68'. It was red with black cloth interior. 389 V8/auto. It had A/C under along the dash. Drove it as her everyday car till she died back in 2011. She never used the side skirts. When I was sick at school that car would come pick me up. Or she would drop me and my friends off at the mall. I drove it in the 90's when I got my drivers license. The car was surprisingly fast. She literally granny drove it so I had no clue to power the car actually had.
That car is stunning. Such a quintessential 1960's color, too - and the interior is very striking in quality and color, too. Thanks for doing one for us GM fans.
My thoughts exactly. My father had the station wagon version in the similar color. It wasn't new when he had it but strangely this car had the 283 SBC V8 with a 2 speed Powerglide transmission. It was a very strong well made car built like a tank. I learned to drive on this car back in the '70's. Those were fun times. Thanks for the memories of the good old days in the '66 Pontiac Catalina. I'll miss them forever. Stay safe and have a God blessed day.
@@paulkirkland1535 hi; Canadian built Pontiacs had Chevy power trains. 283 power glide, but model would have been Strato Chief, Laurentian or Parisienne. Also, the Grande Parisienne was introduced for 66 but not in wagon till 67.
In 1976 I bought a '66 Bonneville wagon for $100. It was sitting for a long time in a neighbor's driveway and I asked if he wanted to sell it. It had a checkered past and no title. In those days I had to wait until it was 10 to register it w/o a title. It ran very rough and I found the firing order was messed up. It was running smooth 10 minutes after I opened the hood. Same color as this car but black interior which was mint, looked like leather with wood veneer and the exterior had some crash damage, mostly one rear door. Factory air worked too. Being a poor teen, I ran regular gas so could not open the secondaries on the Carter aluminum four barrel or the high compression engine that required premium would detonate loudly. It had a rear end clunking sound when turning after it got hot. I fixed this with new gear oil and GM posi additive. Yes, 4x8 sheets could go in the back. Great car and I gave it to my parents 4 years later as I could not get enough gas every day for my long commute during the '79 energy crisis (it used lots of gas!). I bought a small FWD hatchback and have owned them ever since. I don't remember what happened to the Bonnie but it must have been traded or junked. The horror!
My parents had both a '64 Catalina sedan and a station wagon, which were the first cars I drove as a teenager. In 1966 I got my first new car, a '66 burgundy Pontiac Tempest with 326 CID engine and 2 speed automatic. I loved that car and it served me well through my college years! Had to replace the timing chain due to the plastic coating on the cam gear breaking off and causing the timing to jump, but otherwise it was pretty reliable. It was easy to work on because it had no air conditioning. The drum brakes were good for about one hard stop from 70 mph until they cooled down. When the factory tires wore out at 15K miles, I put Michelin radials on and went 55K miles before I needed new tires again. Those tires also improved the ride considerably. My parents bought a new '68 Catalina, but I really didn't care for the styling on that car at all. Your '66 sure looks good and must have been well cared for all these years.
This car brings back many fond memories. My grandpa had a '65 Catalina 4 door hardtop. It had a few more options than this one, but yours is in impeccable condition and it reminds me of what a beautiful car this generation of Pontiacs were. I can still recall sitting in the driver's seat in Grandpa's garage and thinking how cool those center mounted gauges that were angled toward the driver were. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane.
Well done ! Thank you for that excellent walk thru on an outstanding classic machine ! The '66 Pontiac Catalina was my first car in 1972 @ 15 1/2 yrs old, green/black int. 2 dr . I just got my first drivers license in N. Dakota, (No picture on license). My H.S. sweetheart and I wanted to 'run away' and elope in that car. Everything you said about this car is spot on ! I rebuilt the 389 engine and transmission in it also with my grandfather. I also have a black/white picture of my '66. Today @ 65 yrs old, I am still driving and rebuilding classic cars. Wanna trade for my restored '69 Roadrunner?
Adam where do you find these mint cars? Do you keep them all or re-sell? This Catalina was one of my favorite designs, Pontiac really was special! Beautiful GM color. The illustrations and Ads were done by Art Fitzpatrick, I got to meet him and pick his brain in Carmel Ca - he said he'd work from photos, and cut them up and stretch them to be wider and longer than they even were in real life, which was enormous already! As a kid I saved all the car ads so it was amazing meeting him. I believe he was working till he passed at age 96. Delorean the GM of Pontiac, only wanted illustrations done by Fitz and Van Kaufman for the advertising. Pontiac went from 7th- to third in sales, outpacing Chrysler, so the imagining worked. I enjoy your videos sooo much!!!
I remember when my Dad bought his 64 Catalina brand new , i still don't know who was more excited , him or me ( I was 5 years old ) . After a year he let go warm it up in winter for him , i still love the cold months .
The base model is well equipped because Pontiac was a premium brand. My parents had a 66 Catalina wagon in dark blue. They factory ordered overload springs that made it a good hauler. With the rear seat laid down, we could haul sheets of plywood. Best of all, it was a reliable car. It was the first car we ever owned that we could drive from Portland to Wisconsin and back without mechanical problems. Kudos to Pontiac.
There were other GM models equally wonderful in those days. My parents would only buy Chevrolets. Why pay. Otr for the same car? Our 66 was an ImpalaSS sport coupe samebright interior moldings. Ermine White, same aqua interior, inyl bucket seats. Beautiful!Today there is no GM car I wojld consider
My shop teacher in junior high and I were friends.During summer vacation we did house repair. He taught me how to drive in his own car. It was a 66 Pontiac bonaville. I remember that car fondly it was smooth,powerful, and a dream to drive.
@StevenSmith-pt8rz My shop teacher choked me for interrupted him by jumping up and playing air guitar. He was scared after. I didn't tell anybody. He was proud of me later when I rebuilt a Briggs horizontal shift engine, At 12. 😉
That diaphragm that you were talking about is called a dash pot. My father's 65 Buick Wildcat had the same thing. It also let's the idle come slowly rather than abruptly. Such a gorgeous 🚗 car!!
Beautiful car. And just by how you can name all the little details show how passionate you are about these cars. Well done! Just one small request for upcoming videos: When you got the engine running, please take us to the rear and let us hear how she sounds. No stupid revving, just calm idling for a few seconds. I would really appreciate it!
What a gorgeous survivor you have there ! Makes me homesick for my old `66 Grand Prix, which had the 421 Tri-Power H.O. (376 HP), 4-speed, and 3.42 Posi, with those beautiful finned aluminum wheels. It was impressively fast for such a big car. I still kick myself for letting that one go, I`ll never find another one like that.
Thanks, great Pontiac & HO,** etc.!! Interestingly, I had a ****1966 FORD GALAXIE **500XL/ 4 *speed/ *Burgandy & BLACK INT/ ps/ PB 362/4 BBL( moderate engine ,at least FAIRLY EXONOMICALfor College Kid & beyond):: Anyways after a little fixing ( MOTORCRAFT STUFF, special,metallic Brakes/ tires/ shocks,etc) was nice CRUISER for many miles!! Interestingly,also, bought the GALAXIE XL @ DODGE DEALERS “LOT “fairly cheap( forgotten now) IN 1967…..my 66:had the EMERGENCEY FLASHERS IN glovebox,NO CoolantnRecovery System( had to use MOTORCRAFT *KIT, only before AUTO PARTS had it, NO AIR CONDITIONING,no Disc brakes, no Cruise). Oddly good &/Solid Caen to,cruise all,over INDIANA/to Pharmacy School ( Purdue):,:……..
My father had a 1967 Pontiac Catalina convertible in Tyrol blue. He loved that car so much. Always loved the Pontiac front ends with the headlights stacked vertically. Thought it looked so elegant compared to other GM cars. Gorgeous color.
I, too, have always been attracted to the Poncho's mid-'60s stacked headlights, and the front end in general. Too bad the attraction of that front end was only skin deep. The parts that beauty concealed may as well have been cast from pot metal for all the durability they held. I know; I replaced most of them at one time or another. The rest of the car was moderately artillery-proof. I bought a '65 Catalina for $300 in 1985 and used it as a driver/family car until 1994...60 miles round trip to work each day; road trips from Central Cali to San Diego, Tijuana, Ensenada; from Central Cali to Seattle; to Yosemite twice. My only regret is not getting my money's worth out of it.
@@budlewis721 You should have seen the road testing we gave my dad's '65. As teenagers, we did things that would have made crash test dummies run and hide.
@@dansmusic5749 The folly of youth. If you were anything like me, you _were_ a crash test dummy. A high school friend (still, actually) had a beautiful, fully operational '55 Packard Clipper Custom that we'd take on "death cruises", but we were careful to do it only when safely drunk. Little dents, scrapes, lost hubcaps, broken parts ignored - you know the drill. It was 1970, so even if we hadn't been morons we wouldn't have appreciated a car only 15 years old. That car didn't deserve the slow, painful death we gave it.
Beautiful car, Adam! The front-end of your Catalina is classic. GM's full-size sedans in the 60's were incredible...stylish, smooth riding, great powertrains.
In '65, the T400 trans was a God-send & a huge performance boost for GM's larger-engined cars! I prefer the '65 model which had a straight-across (not tapered) grill design. Pontiac, as an entire Division of GM, was Motor Trend Magazine's choice, as "Car of The Year" in 1965!
Mom had a 66 base model..came w/o ps! Dad installed so it'd be easier to drive... SHE LOVED THAT CAR!! Years later I had a 63 Galaxie XL notchback sold it to a friend so I could buy a 66 Ventura Coupe. Love the style and it had fender skirts. It was a POS, wish I had my Ford back!!!
What a beauty of a car! The engine is amazing! The closest I've been to such American muscle was a 1974 Caprice here in Costa Rica in 1977! Probably it wasn't even a V8! It was driven by my friend's mother very conservatively. I wish they kept it or at least know the whereabouts of the car. It was ages ago and a lot of water has passed under the bridge! Dad had the brochure of the same vehicle in his night table along with glossy Goodhousekeeping magazines of the era! Later my friend's family bought a Toyota Corona 1800 cc which lasted for a long time! The price of gas killed the big cars and so it went my dad's German Ford 17M 2000 with a 2 liter V6! It took us in 1973 from San José to Mexico City and back!
I love mid-sixties Pontiacs. It's amazing that you are able to find all your cars such great shape. They don't tend to be collectible models originally purchased by enthusiasts which begs the question: who took such good care of them, and why?
I bought a used '65 sedan back in the early '70's. Paid $300 for it, drove the snot out of it for over a year, then sold it for $300. Great riding land yacht.
That's what mine cost, too. I had a '65 Catalina from 1985 to about 1994; it had well over 100, 000 miles when I bought it, so I pulled a valve cover when I got it home. It seems the 389ci engine had a pushrod that had leaned to one side and worn a long groove in the head. From California I called Nunzo the Pontiac Man in Brooklyn, whose ad I saw in a _National Lampoon,_ of all places. He said it wasn't uncommon, and the wear would continue until the rod fell out from underneath the rocker arm and start loudly reshaping things until you shut off the engine. He told me how GM had solved the problem, but, and I quote, "You notta gonna findadoze. Maybe you make-a summa, but I no hava dem." I swear to God! Right out of Central Casting, 1935. When GM switched to the 400ci a year or 2 later, they installed sheet metal rod guides on the rocker studs. I went to our little wrecking yard and pulled a set. They were ⅛" too wide (or narrow?) between stud holes to work on the 389ci, so I decided to make one. If it worked I would make 7 more just to prevent it from happening to the other cylinders. After spending too much time using the wrong tools I managed to crank one out in a little less than forever. It looked rough but it worked. I wasn't gonna go through that again, so I had a local machine shop make the rest for $12 each, and never had a problem with them again.
Same color as my 66 GTO. The very best out of all the cars I've ever owned. 1966 Catalina 2 doors are outstanding in every way. Pontiac made quality and performance back then and since then, no one has equaled.
It's absolutely gorgeous. I remember when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s my family had Chevies which were good cars but our next door neighbors and neighbors across the street had Pontiacs. I was envious. They were just a notch above Dad's Chevies. The first car I bought back in 1982 was a 69 Pontiac Firebird. After that I had a 66 Tempest, a 70 Tempest, a 68 GTO and a 70 LeMans Sport and I loved them all. Hopefully I'll get my hands on some more old Pontiacs before I die.
Love the 66 Pontiac’s. My uncle had a white 66 Executive 4 door with blue interior. He drove it until 1972. Bought a 72 Catalina. You are right. The 66 is my favorite body style. My dad had a 64 Catalina coupe with the Ventura interior. He bought a 69 Bonneville for me to drive in high school. And my first car was a 15 year old 63 Bonneville. My dad loved the air conditioning controls with the colored bars
My car is a '81 WB Caprice (in Australia) ; 116 inch wheelbase it's a big car. Beyond comfortable, great to drive...lots of room. Modern cars driver's shoulder so close to the passengers. Not my idea of comfort.
Modern cars are a whole different animal for a whole different reality. They’re far more durable and reliable than the older cars, while being faster, more economical, with better handling and refinement. And especially safety. Road death rates today are less than half what they were back then. But you’re right that the older cars have so much more character because their designers and engineers had a much freer hand back then.
Well now it is about economy fuel consumption,pollution control,aero dynamics,the cars are bigger now than the older cars,they were longer but if you park a modern car next to an old car the new cars are huge. Many safety features like air bags and they are designed to survive a crash,back then you had no air bag and well many people died. I love the body deign of the old cars but no doubt they were sleek beautiful and elegant.
Adam, I agree, these mid-60s Pontiacs looked great. At 5:23 we see the customer had 15 paint color choices as well as numerous interior hues to choose from when ordering their car. If you get more than 6 color choices on a mainstream car today you are lucky.
And most of the colors are grey, black, and white, with a red or occasional blue thrown in. I've owned a car since 1974 and I so far have avoided ever owning one that's grey, black or white. All have been either blue or green.
@@rightlanehog3151 Part of it is the domination of leasing, which means they have to guess the resale value of the car coming off lease. If you have yellow, orange, or purple cars, it is assumed they tend to be worth less as a resale. Cars have become more of a tool and less of a work of art. Hopefully the worm will turn, but who know?
My dad owned a '67 turquoise Pontiac Catalina, 2 door hardtop. It had 67k miles on it when he aquired it. 401 V8. I got to drive it twice before it gave in. What a FABULOUS ride! Doug
In the fall of 1965 my father brought home a brand new Pontiac Catalina station wagon (in Reef Turquoise) from Totem Pontiac in Seattle. I thought it was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen (I was 8 years old at the time). Years later, it was the first car I ever drove.
Got out of the Navy in Nov. 67 and bought a beautiful, low millage 65 Ventura 2 dr. hdtp with black vinyl roof. Quadraphonic 4 track tape deck. Great car, went like stink!
mid to late 60's Pontiacs were absolutely works of art. Wish I could own real one. I have quite a few original issue 1:24/1:25 plastic models of these classics including promos and built kits.
In 1966 I was in 3rd grade. A friend of mine came to school one day bragging about his father just bought a 66 Bonneville. I said uhhh..ok.. whatever my father has a 62' Olds Ninety Eight..big deal. He talked about the 66 Bonny all day so after school I followed him home to look at it. And to myself I said wow, this is truly bad ass. And I did give him the nod of approval. From that day the 66 Bonny has been one of my favorite factory Lead Sleds.
I loved the foot vent, when I was a kid I would lank that knob back a forth in Mom's 67 Catalina...And the coolest "none politicly correct" accent was the Indian Headress as the HighBeam indicator
Let me add, My mom now 88 would holler at me while I messed with the foot vent knob and every other switch or button, AND we never wore a seatbelt..As a matter of fact, pop would grumble if we messed with the shoulder straps that were tucked NEATLY away...
@@dennisadorno6721 Our new '62 Catalina was the first car we had with front seat belts - an option at the time. Color coded, but no retractors. They just lay there, or if you didn't put them on, dangled out the car door. My dad forced this bratty 7-year old to wear them. I have been in the habit ever since.
@@dmiller1000 Seat belts??? I was about 5 years old at the time, I remember being in my moms first car, a Pontiac from the mid-50s..I probably didn't latch the front passenger door very well, so when mom made a left I was about 2" from the asphalt before she grabbed me....Thanks Mom...
@@dennisadorno6721 In our other cars without belts, when I rode shotgun my mom's hand would go out across my lap every time she made what she thought was a short stop. Parents knew instinctively what they had to do before belts were common.
@@dmiller1000 And it wouldn't have done a bit of good in a collision. My mom used to do the same thing, and with such force we probably sustained greater injury than if we'd hit the dash. _THUD!_ A straightarm across the chest and _"WHO-O-O-F!"_ a sharp expulsion of a perfectly good breath we were just about to use. But we were safe - more or less.
I totalled out my parents 64 Impala when I was 16. NOT my fault. My dad replaced it with a white 66 Catalina just like this one. Loved that car. Best accident I ever had.
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I rode in those Pontiacs all my life up in the Fresno area. I still see some on the road. The weather is hot and dry so they have survived. My first car in 1981 was a 1967 Pontiac 2-door Lemans coupe with only 21 thousand miles. I drove for many years! Love them Pontiacs.
So great to see as I owned one & it was a wonderful car & same color. Was a 4dr 66 Catalina & It moved with no issue! Then got a 71 Olds 98 4dr both were fully loaded. They were both detailed & both had a/c with wonderful sound system in each. AM In 66 Catalina & AM/FM Stereo In 98 Some years later the Catalina I sold & I kept 98 for 28 years until it was no more & gifted it forward to my mechanic who had 5 Olds 98 that each needed parts from mine. So it lives on in 5 other 98 Olds. How I wish Detroit would go back to making cars as the Catalina & 98 Olds were built. Fisher made the Body & they did amazing designs. My 1st Car was a Ford 500 Custom 65 4dr. it was a great Small 6cy car. Ah the sound of the Catalina run'n & did they ever run! The Trunk in the 66 was big & you learned real fast how everything fit you took with ya & in the 98 Olds was larger you could swim in! LOL! In the 98 Olds 71 there was this Grapefruit Can with a narrow hose. I asked my Mechanic "what is this for?" He laughed, "Nothing, anything the Catillacs have in them, they will put in the year before in 98 Olds". You make your living Buy'n & Sell'n cars you collect? RU-vid I am sure helps & Sponsor. You present & explain GREAT! It was a very Refreshing Moment on RU-vid for me. Look forward for your next one when your ready. Safe Travels, Thank-You, Always, Tommy :-)
These beautiful Catalinas were all over the place when I was a kid growing up near Detroit in the 1960’s. I remember riding in my friends’s Dad’s car and how smoothly it rode and how the engine purred.
This is one of the most beautiful cars GM ever produced! Incredible grille, roofline, skirts - the whole deal. Reliable - smooth, bulletproof design. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your well justified enthusiasm for this gorgeous Pontiac!
the catalina was made and sold only in the u.s. the canadian pontiac parisienne, was pretty much a chevy impala, with chevy drivetrains, built in oshawa, ont. the catalina in 1966 had a 389 c.i.d, with a thm 400 trans. impala/ parisiennes had a 283 c.i.d with a 2 speed (powerglide) auto. with a 3:36 to 1 axle ratio.
Beautiful car and color. Love these hardtops. Where I grew up a guy had shipped a 1965 Catalina Hardtop Coupe over from Canada. It was metallic blue. They hardly ever drove it, because gasoline went up to $5.5-6 per gallon back in 1979 when I got my license. When they put it up for sale in 1985, I was not ready. I still was going to school and drove a 1965 Buick Skylark. The car still "lives", but the owner, who bought it back then, changed the color. A shame. The 1966 Coupe was for me the "Matchbox" car for many years. It was not untill after the turn of the century, these cars started to appear at car meets here. Saw a convertible two weeks ago. Absolutely love them low, long, and wide as they are. Amazing how much space there is around the engine. You can practically sit there and work on it. Things have changed here since the 1960's.
I really loved this video. My family had a ‘66 Bonneville, and it was a wonderful car. My older brother put a Batman sticker on the rear bumper and we called it the Bat-mobile. To echo your point, the car did ride better than any other car. My dad drove Oldsmobiles as company cars … and they were nice … but he would only buy Pontiacs. And to echo another of your points, we traded the ‘66 for a ‘72 Bonneville, and it was not as nice a car. My mom complained about it (mostly because it didn’t have an adjustable steering column and she was short) and I could tell the wood grain was plastic and it just didn’t feel as luxurious. But I’d take either of them today. Your Catalina is a dream!!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Beautiful Catalina & the color is awesome. What I remember so fondly in these cars is their neat articulated wiper system and how they wiped & cleared the whole windshield to the end. Thanks for posting !!!
I am in love with your car! Beautiful color. I grew up riding in my dad's 1965 Catalina 4-door sedan. The color was a maroon red with red interior, although the dash was camera grain black with red visor and red surround. I didn't appreciate how well built and beautiful it was. I didn't know what we had - what we all had. Cars were better back then. I love that yours is camera grain turquoise. I never liked the square dials on the '66s. I much preferred the round ones of the '65s, until I saw this video. Now, I think they are gorgeous and I want to own a car like yours. My dad purchased his car new in 1965. It was very close in appearance to your car, as you know. I took the car for granted, back then. Your video helped me put the car in proper perspective. I see now that it was a great design. It truly was an outstanding value. I sorely miss this approach to car building. DeLorean and Cole were true, car loving enthusiasts and GM was the Mark of Excellence, especially Pontiac. I pray I find my way back to what I (we) have lost.
Yup..283’s with glides we’re everywhere n Canada… 327’s with glides and some 3 speed auto’s in higher option cars. I’m in Oshawa… those built cars were essentially Chev’s with Pontiac bodies. Almost never seen a 389 unless it was a U.S GTO….. having a Ford in this town was like having cancer. There was quite the car culture in this town… it was a blast 💥.
Beautiful ! Uncle had a '65 Le Mans he bought new so a 'tin indian' fan since i was 8. '82, go to Victoria Canada during a trip. Saw two or three Catalina's rebadged a 'Parissien's. Long time ago. Nice memory.
As a kid my family had a 64 bonneville that was about that color (Gulf Stream blue in 64). Your car makes me think of that one. Similar front end, but vertical tail lights in 64 instead of the horizontal ones they had after that. Also with real wood trim in the dash aboard, steering wheel and door panels. There was a light in the trunk you could remove and the retractable cord would let you take it out if you needed light after dark for a flat tire. Good idea and I’ve never seen another car with that feature. We got a 68 bonneville and the wood trim had turned to plastic by that time. I really enjoy your channel.
Gorgeous car! We had a 66 Catalina wagon when I was growing up. We had air conditioning, and the control you highlighted that turns red when turning it one way, would turn blue under air conditioning in like manner.
That Marina Turquoise is one of my favorite colors ever! When I was a kid, family friends had a '66 Impala wagon in that color, or very close to it. Pretty sure it had a 327. Those heater/HVAC controls..."Why does it have two radios?!" WOW, I never realized that those Lucite steering wheels came in any color other than pearl white. SUPER cool! Those angled gauges seem a little ahead of their time. I love that GP in the brochure! Looks like it has the Eight Lug setup!
My Mom had one just like it and if she had it her way she would have kept it for life. It was sold in 1982 for something more economical. Totally enjoyed your video. Brought me right back to family trips to Cape Cod and Virginia Beach. !👍👍
I love how they made the windows in the cars back during this time and there was so much room for passengers in the back seat. It brings back some good memories. This car is absolutely beautiful.
Beautiful car!!! Pontiac V8's were known torque monsters -- I remember a late 70's magazine article singing the praises of the Pontiac engine's Peterbilt-like torque curve: "if it's running, it's making torque!" IMO, GM was at its height in the 60's, and Pontiac was the height of GM. I'm not surprised that your Catalina rides and drives better than other 60's GM's you've had.
I once owned a 64 Catalina, I paid $300.00 for it in 1972 (plus a new rear window). Steve (the guy I bought it from) had been caught pants down, in the wrong bedroom, with the wrong woman. Pants in one hand, and running like hell Steve must have been sliding into the Pontiac just about when the husband grabbed for his bird gun. As Steve and the Pontiac made their getaway the aggrieved husband fired a load of birdshot into the back window leaving a busted rear window and dings in the dashboard. Steve, reasoning that driving the Catalina around town may attract more birdshot his direction was anxious to lose the car so he gave me a really great deal. I replaced the window and drove it, complete with birdshot dings in the dashboard until when a couple years later some woman rear-ended me at a stoplight, totaling the car. I loved that car, I was 18, it was my first car, it saw me through a couple of girlfriends and a future ex-wife, good times. Thanks for posting the video.
My grandfather had this vey same car... notice the gas gauge fluctuating with turns and stops... I remember all cars used to do that ... not now a dayz cars... really beautiful car...
My grandparents traded in their '65 Pontiac Star Chief for a new '72 Catalina. They really hated that car after having that 65 for so long, which was a far better car in every way.
that's a beautiful car , I owned one in the Yukon I believe it had a 348 , I sold it for $ 500 bucks ,man wish I still had it , no modules and computers . nice car man .
