I boldly described this 1959 Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe as automotive perfection, and I am willing to stand by my claim. Its exterior presentation is dazzling, its interior is spotless, and the Tri-Power V8 under the hood is icing on the cake. It needs nothing and would suit a meticulous new owner. You could be that person, with the seller listing it here on Craigslist in Brentwood, California. The asking price of $38,500 is heading toward the top end of the market, but as you will see, that figure is justified. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Rocco B. for spotting this beauty.
Used previously to denote a trim level, the Catalina gained standalone model status in 1959. Its styling followed prevailing market trends, making it no surprise that this classic features fins. However, the ones on this model featured a “delta” configuration, which adds an interesting twist to the styling. A bit of detective work confirmed that this Catalina underwent a restoration before 2015. Its Regent Black paint looks flawless, with no evidence of marks or imperfection. This shade is excellent for exposing panel issues, but there are none on this car to cause the new owner sleepless nights. The car is rust-free, and the seller’s claim that there are no patches suggests it may never have suffered these problems. If it has spent its life in its current location, that is certainly possible. The enormous “glasshouse” gives this relatively large car a light and elegant appearance, with the fender skirts accentuating its length. The chrome sparkles beautifully, the glass is flawless, and the whitewall tires add the perfect finishing touch to the exterior. The seller describes this car’s condition as “show quality,” and it is hard to argue against that assessment.
If I examine this Pontiac’s interior critically, the carpet on the driver’s side may sport a few minor marks. However, this could also be a trick of the light, and only an in-person inspection would provide the answer. There is no visible wear, meaning that if there are marks, a deep clean might return it to as-new condition. Beyond that, the interior appears perfect. The cloth and vinyl seatcovers are free from wear and damage, with the remaining upholstered surfaces telling a similar story. There is no wear on the wheel and no evidence of corrosion on the bright trim pieces. I know the Cataline was considered the entry-level offering within Pontiac’s full-size range, but I find one aspect of the interior fascinating. Manufacturers were obsessed with chrome and polished aluminum trim during this era, and many interiors seemed to feature acres of it. By comparison, the Catalina’s interior is relatively restrained. It isn’t a criticism because it is a characteristic I find pretty appealing. The dash-mounted tachometer is a genuine Pontiac item, although I don’t believe it is original to this car. The interior isn’t loaded with optional extras. However, the original owner selected the AM radio and Decor Group that brought full wheel covers, a Deluxe steering wheel, and bright pedal trims.
Ordering a new Catalina in 1959 brought buyers a 389ci V8 under the hood as a matter of course. The specifications varied broadly, but the undoubted pick of the bunch was the Tri-Power unit producing 314hp. That is what we find occupying this engine bay. Shifting duties fall to a four-speed Hydramatic transmission, while power assistance for the steering and brakes make light work of driving duties. Performance figures reveal a surprise with this classic, especially considering its curb weight of 4,080 lbs. It should despatch the ¼-mile in 15.9 seconds, with that sweet Tri-Power V8 running out of breath with the needle nudging 133mph. It is unclear whether this Pontiac is numbers-matching, but its engine bay presentation is on par with the rest of the vehicle. It doesn’t flatter to deceive, with the seller stating it runs and drives well.
If you haven’t guessed, I like this 1959 Pontiac Catalina. I’ve always had a soft spot for cars from the “fins” era, and the delta-style ones on this classic look classy. The flawless panels, paint, and interior mean its new owner will draw crowds wherever they go. The admiration levels will continue to climb when knowledgeable enthusiasts see what hides under the hood. The asking price is at the top end of the current market, but the condition and specifications make the figure realistic. Values are following many within the market and are climbing. It’s worth noting that the increases have been steady rather than dramatic, meaning it wouldn’t tick the boxes as a short-term investment prospect. It appears to be a winner as a long-term proposition or a family heirloom. A brief online search revealed this car previously sold at auction in 2015 for $31,350. The current price is consistent with the trending value increases. It hasn’t been on the market long, and I suspect someone will snap it up reasonably quickly.
Nice car, WIDE-TRACKIN’, all the way. Not familiar with that moniker? Late 50s, Pontiacs claim to fame was a gimmick called Wide Trackin’. The stance was widened like 3 inches(?), but ads depicted it much wider. It stabilized the car some, but just a gimmick.
Now, I love the UP of Michigan, if all goes to Hades, and it won’t be long, that’s where I’ll be, but the people there live a different life. If they have access to a torch and a welder, more so. Once, while on holiday there, I came across a farm, with a car just like this. I’m not sure if it was a bubble top or a convertible, but the top and windshield were gone, and they made, butchered really, the car into their rendition of a Batmobile, and had it displayed on their front lawn, as some sort of pride? It looked like a nice car at one time.
Quick note on the authors top speed figures. These figures are generally, “on paper”, and the car just isn’t aerodynamically designed to reach that speed. Cars like this were usually geared for maybe 120 tops, but even in a car like this, was more than most Americans could handle. There is no question, GM had the nicest cars then. Oh sure, the others had some nice cars, but GM was across the board.
Beautiful example of top styling. Take off the rear skirts and the bought price will go up. Does deserve a Wow!”.
WOW, what a cool car. Loose the skirts and hope the idiot didn’t mess the dash up too much when he put the Tach on it. Then just enjoy it and whenever possible park it next to a Chevrolet Bubble Top and be so happy you own this one.
In my dreams ranks just below my 64 Bonneville tri-power, 8-lug, 4 speed convertible. and after that is an F.I. 58 Bonneville convertible. But being retired and on a fixed income the car is priced 2X what I get in S.S. Thanks to BarnFinds for fodder for my dreams. BTW the 64 Bonneville was sold about 1973, to pay hospital bills, (don’t cry $1200)
” gorgeous contrastion ” That’s a new one !
From back in the day when Pontiac built impressive cars.
Back in the day, my friend’s greasy “bad” uncle (not funny, just bad) had one of these, bright red with chrome fender skirts and very loud. That was when he still had a drivers license.
Almost the same here. My bad uncle’s car was a 59 Bonneville coupe with this engine. I can remember being an 11 year old sweating in the back seat on a sunny day. That car’s accelerator pedal knew only one position when the light turned green. His car was green in and out.
Here’s one for 10%. – on the local Facebook
And it’s California black plate
Bonneville
@Oldog4tz
Why would anyone take the skin off of the trunk lid? Why not just take the whole trunklid?
To patch the floors of another car. Nice flat panel of heavy gauge metal.
Terrific – I want it so bad!
1 – I’m not sure if the upholstery is original. My mother’s 59 Catalina convertible had tri-colored vinyl and that included the seat as well as the seat back. I could be wrong and Pontiac offered a variety of options for the upholstery. BTW, reverse was at the bottom of the indicator, not next to the park location.
2 – Does anyone else find that the BF website, with all of the advertisement videos/gifs kills the computer’s performance, both as it loads the crap and continues to run and replace ads with other ads? It’s really annoying. I understand that BF needs the money, but can’t it be done more efficiently?
Right now I see ads for a cruise line and Dunkin Donuts. Not hurting anything and I actually use both those products!
Strange, I see one for a purple c**k-shaped funnel urinal from TEMU so women can pee more easily in the great outdoors. Definitely don’t need one of those.
The interior appears to have been restored correctly w/original materials (I would assume from SMS Auto Fabrics). Your mother’s convert is another story entirely. Converts had all-vinyl interiors (Bonne converts leather & vinyl). Star Chief and Bonneville had all-vinyl interior options, however Catalinas did not. A sedan or ht Catalina was cloth & vinyl only.
Thanks for the detailed answer, Chuck. I knew there would be some Poncho-head on here who’d know the definitive answer :-)
Adam, great write up.
The only thing that I can think of that would make this car any better, would be what we used to call Salt and Pepper carpeting. In this case, it would be red carpeting with black specks in it.
I had a 1961 Impala that had that carpet from the factory. Green with black specks. Quite stunning
@ACZ
Sounds reasonable
We had use of a Canyon Copper ’59 Catalina flat top our father’s boss had picked up for him to use as a work car, to free up the ’67 Corvair 2 door for our mom. It had standard steering, brakes, automatic, whitewalls, AM radio with two rear speakers. It seemed like you could play just the front, just the back, or front and one rear speaker or all three. It also had optional Bonneville side blips. The upholstery was beige and copper vinyl, the seats had nice fabric with a tiny bit of glitter, and subtle two color browns, with no pleating. It also seems to have had the deluxe steering wheel. It was so elegant and stylish to me in the late ’60s. Eventually it was replaced with a white/blue vinyl interior ’62 Grand Prix. I loved both of those cars.
Had one of these bad boys When I was a kid, still to this day my favorite car
Very nice restoration however what happened to the generator? The Delco alternator didn’t come out until the early 1970s. As a whole this car would be a great cruise car and a rare sight at most Saturday night cruise events I’ve been to. Thanks for showing it.