One of the few regrets in my life is that I’ve never owned a sixties Pontiac Catalina. No joke. As a young adult, I fixated on certain model years: 1963 was always a favorite, then I dabbled with 1962s, then a 1965 model caught my eye, then my mom would show me pictures of my grandpa’s 1967 sedan, making me want one of those. Unfortunately, my storage situation has limited vehicle length to about 210 inches, so a Catalina has remained enticingly elusive, but for those whose garages warrant no such limitations, we at Barn Finds (courtesy of reader T.J.) present this beautiful one-owner 1967 Catalina Convertible, which is being sold here on Marketplace in Orlando, Florida, with an asking price of $22,500.
Considering that Facebook Marketplace advertisements aren’t known for their thorough presentations, I was surprised to see an undercarriage picture of the Catalina. It certainly looks rust-free, although the lighting makes it hard to tell if it’s been giving a spritz of undercoating. Regardless, if that’s the case, it doesn’t appear to be hiding anything nefarious. The single exhaust system was standard on the Catalina.
Aside from mentioning that the engine is a numbers-matching 400, the ad doesn’t tell us if it’s the standard (with the Turbo Hydra-Matic) 290-horsepower two-barrel or something with a little more verve. The engine itself looks like it’s received a makeover of some sort, maybe a dash of paint, although with 52,000 miles on it, it probably didn’t need rebuilding. The master cylinder and power brake booster appear to be newer (or perhaps rebuilt, in the case of the booster), and we can also see a power steering pump hiding behind the upper radiator hose. Sadly, for those air-conditioning-or-pass buyers among us, you’re out of luck.
The color combination is striking, and maybe a bit unusual; the exterior color looks like Code P “Silverglaze,” which was one of five colors that Pontiac recommended when a customer ordered a blue interior. Pontiac did marketing better than any other brand in the 1960s, so they didn’t call this vinyl interior a vinyl interior: Oh no, it’s “Morrokide.” To be fair to the other divisions, they too had special marketing names for it, but somehow “Morrokide” is the most memorable.
The only feature I can’t quite get a handle on is the wheel cover selection. They certainly have a Pontiac look, but I’ve never seen this exact set with spinners before on a 1967, so perhaps the Pontiac people can help us out in the comment section. They look great whatever they are, as does this Catalina Convertible, so if one of your life regrets is not owning one, maybe you can right that wrong here and now.
A very close friend had a car like this, not for long in Wisconsin, the great GM heater seemed to defy the elements while in a convertible, even with top up. I do remember a few rides with the top down, and living in Wis. all those years, it just seemed so unusual not to have a top over our heads. Wonderful cars, and I think those are earlier(’64?) Bonneville wheel covers. This is what people will want in the future, guaranteed!
I’ve always liked the look of the ’67s.From an era where
the designers came out with some unconventional designs,
& you could tell what kind of car it was without having to
see the emblems on it.
Had a 69 growing up with the 455, ran like the wind