The Catalina was Pontiac’s entry-level full-size car from the 1950s through the 1970s. But it was anything but a basic automobile. A redesign came in 1965, so the cars received just a facelift in 1967, and the standard engine was upgraded from a 389 to a 400 cubic inch V8. Though it carries an older repaint, the seller’s 1967 Catalina is a survivor-quality vehicle that needs a new home because the seller is moving. Located in Dunwoody, Georgia, this car demonstrates that four doors aren’t necessarily too many. It’s available here on craigslist for $8,950. A nod to Barn Finder Barney for this great tip!
New for 1967 were concealed windshield wipers, the first time this was offered by any U.S. automaker. The base 400 engine in the Catalina came with a 2-barrel carburetor and was rated at 265 horsepower. The advantage over the 4-barrel option was that the engine could run on regular gasoline (back in the days before unleaded fuel). While a 3-speed manual transmission was standard, most of these automobiles left the factory with a Turbo-Hydramatic. So, in keeping with Pontiac’s performance image, no Catalina was a slouch when you romped down on the accelerator.
The seller’s Catalina is one of 80,000 4-door sedans assembled in 1967, so the original supply was ample. The seller has tweaked this edition by adding a 4-barrel carb, aluminum radiator, and an upgrade to the camshaft. All of the original parts were saved, should you want to reinstall them, but we’re told the car runs well. And the odometer reading of 70,000 seems logical.
Its Silverglaze Poly paint was redone in 2003 and still looks good. The interior is fine, but the front seat could stand some new upholstery, so a blanket covers things. The seller bought the car off the original owners (when?) and has added some aftermarket wheels and tires, though you can have the factory pieces as well. There is some emotional attachment to the car, so the seller wants to be sure it goes to a home that will honor it as he/she has.
Now wait a minute, I thought that
the executive was Pontiac ‘s cheapest car. Even so, these base 4-doors are nothing to sneeze at. You got a fair deal if you were wise enough to buy one. You got a good size engine
that actually moved the car at a fair clip as you floated down the
Interstate. And you also got an
interior with acres of room and two really cushy seats front and rear. It was like someone took two sofas and put them in the car. And then there’s that trunk!
Big enough to sneak three of your
buddies into your friendly neighborhood drive-in if cash was
short. Or, if organized crime was
your thing, you could rub out two
of your enemies, stuff them in the
trunk, and fageddanout it! And that’s why you don’t see these much in either Joisey or Chicago.
This is the car the mob would use
to take you for a ride. But for the rest of us, that trunk could hold everyone’s suitcases, souvenirs,
or anything else you might accumulate while rolling down Route 66 on your way to California on that marvelously blissful thing called your Summer
Vacation. Want more? You could
take this car down to Farm & Fleet, Western Auto, or Sears to have a very stout hitch attached
to the rear of the car to tow your
boat, a U-Haul, or your camper and transport the entire clan in fine style. As you’ve probably figured out by now, I want this car
with a passion. These are a very
rare commodity along with their
Wagon siblings as many of them
were crushed after they gave up
their drive trains for someone’s
street rod. And best of all, it’s
reasonably priced. And if you’re
gonna fly in and drive it home, get
a rear hitch installed, and grab yourself a U-Haul to tote all that
original equipment that comes along with the car.
The Catalina was the base full-size. The Executive was designed to be a not quite as rich man’s Bonneville. It was between the Catalina and Bonneville and somewhat short-lived as far as models go.
Mom had a,’67 Executive wagon. She paid $400 for it as ot had 150,000miles on it. Being in Illinois and not rusty I was not concerned as we were always getting low mileage rusted out Pontiacs trade-in for cheap at our Pontiac dealership that I could steal an engine out of. That thing would roll all day with the a/c on at 75 mph and return 16 mpg. At 400,000 the cam went flat. And we didn’t have any likely donors on the lot. So I installed a new cam and lifters. It ran smooth but not very fast. I suspected that the old cam had left tons of crud in the intake and combustion areas. I suspected that gentle driving would eventually clean it out. When I gave the car back k to Mom it would run 65 mph. A week or 2 later. My sister did a bonzai 300 mile round trip to rescue her boyfriend who’s bicycle broke down. She averaged a put 85 mph! A few days later Mom drove down through the heart of Chicago to go see a friend in the south suburbs. At 10pm while just entering the south side, the oil light came on. She didn’t stop! (I wouldn’t have either) About 50 miles later there was a loud knocking noise. My Mom (Joe mechanic) decided to put the car in neutral and Rev the engine to decide if the kno king noise was engine related. (50 miles with the oil light on? really?) The engine scattered and quit. My buddy and I went down with his tow truck to pick it up. Richie played down on the ground to hook up the sling and started laughing so hard I had to help him up. 3 connecting rods were hanging out of the oil pan at 3 different angles! When I went to pull the engine, I didn’t have to remove the motor mount bolts as the block was broken at the mount bosses. I wish the car had a tale tell tachometer. It would have been fun to see the RPM when it came apart! Luckily there was a donor car on the lot at that time. So I dod an engine and transmission swap only because there was also evidence of overheating. She drove that car a other 100,000 miles before the rust weavulls got it.
That’s a steal at 9k. Very little needed to make it a fantastic head turner.
A driver priced to drive, and looks good doing it. Kudos to the seller. This is what keeps the hobby alive, not $225,000 Camaros.
I mean, whatever you buy today is going to be a 4-door or a wagon anyway. She wears those wheels good. I’d drive it and smile.
Definitely sounds like it will be gone quick at that price.
Lovely looking car. Shouldn’t there also be a temperature gauge? I think there should be. Not just gasoline and battery.
A/C is AWOL, in Georgia no less, wow.
Ad reports he has all parts. Install its a/c and have a special ride.
And once again, an A/C deleted car. WTF???
Finally, a decently priced classic car that’s really close to me. I wonder what the HOA would think of 2 feet of car sticking out of the garage?
In the early/mid ’80s, my neighbor was visited by the county Nazis. He had too many vehicles in his farmyard. The next day he donated his ’67 Pontiac Executive wagon to me. I should have saved it but I didn’t need a visit by the county either, so I parted it out. It was the most loaded wagon I had seen – 400 engine, 400THM, posi rear end,disc brakes, tilt, cruise, AC, power windows, AM/FM stereo etc. Black in and out. I stripped all the accessories, engine and transmission, rolled it on it’s side and cut out the rear axle and front spindles. I even cut the roof off and made a tonneau cover for my black 66 ElCamino. The roof was equipped with the factory roof rack and looked really cool on the ElCamino, but weighed about 400 lbs – too heavy to hinge and lift by hand.
Looking back, I really wish I had saved it but I had too many vehicles around and wagons weren’t in demand like now. I sold most of the accessories but still have a 67 Pontiac pile in my barn.
My father had a 67 Executive 4-door in Gold. How could a person tell the difference between the Catalina and an Executive at first glance.. Hmm I wonder