1963 Pontiac Catalina Hardtop

In 1926, Pontiac debuted as a companion marque to Oakland. Its heritage dates to the 1899 founding of the Pontiac Spring and Wagon Works, a maker of fine carriages. It merged with Oakland and was then absorbed by General Motors. It was a survivor through the Great Depression, and by the 1950's enjoyed a reputation for durable but bland vehicles. Sales faltered mid-decade and Semon 'Bunkie' Knudsen arrived to breathe life into the flagging brand. He eliminated the venerable Silver Streak chrome strips ('suspenders' in his lexicon) and aggressively supported motorsports in an effort to overhaul Pontiac's image. This performance emphasis endured for many years.

Knudsen's efforts were then followed by Pete Estes and John DeLorean who were busy transforming Pontiac from a sluggish brand into a performance-oriented, 'Wide Tracking' powerhouse. The dated 'Silver Streak' stripes and Indian Chief logo gave way to a stylish split grille, bestowing the marque with a bit of much-needed styling panache.

Meanwhile the Catalina name first appeared in 1950 to denote any hardtop body style but eventually became a separate model - the Division's entry level full size offering powered by a variety of 389 cubic-inch engines ranging from pokey to thundering. Catalina and Pontiac's burgeoning performance devotion coalesced with the 421 Super Duty. The engine was first offered in 1961 for drag racers but NHRA rule changes required production engines in stock classes. So, General Motors added it to the factory option sheet for 1962, though fewer than 180 of the pricey $2,250 options were built.

It was officially rated at 405 horsepower, but real output was likely much higher. These were truly race engines complete with four-bolt mains, forged rods and crank, solid lifters, NASCAR heads and twin four-barrels. Cast-iron headers were fitted with removable exhaust dumps. Only manual transmissions were offered as no GM automatic could handle the 421.

For 1963 it received a facelift with cleaner, squared-off bodylines and elegant vertical headlights. Creature comforts included a tilt steering wheel, AM/FM radio and cruise control. The factory 421 cubic-inch engine was once again offered - with 405 understated horsepower.

This Catalina Sport Coupe comes with dual four barrels, 4-speed, a 3.64 axle, and the original 421 engine. The current owner of this car spotted this Sport Coupe at the 2007 Woodward Dream Cruise sporting a For Sale sign. Given the stop and start nature of the cruise, he and a friend gave chase but he was hobbled by a recent knee surgery. However several blocks later his friend caught it and retrieved a phone number. A deal was struck and the new owner drove it straight to his shop to being a thorough restoration.