I’ve covered quite a few Pontiac Catalinas over the last several months. Most, usually have some standout, or at least notable, characteristic that makes them a car of interest, and earns them an entry on our tip list. This ’68 Catalina doesn’t have much of a tale to tell. It’s a standard four-door sedan incorporating little in the way of Pontiac “excitement”. Collectible? Maybe – just depends on who wants what these days. Let’s take a look and see what you think. It’s located in Williamstown, New Jersey and is available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,000. Thanks are due to Dennis H. for this tip!
I know from previous posts that I have written, there are four-door fans but they seem to be in the minority. You would be hard-pressed to find a two-door model in production today – sure they exist but they’re few and far between. But back in the day, most domestic models came either way and it’s those two-door body styles that draw all of the attention – especially on a nicely optioned subject. Being a four-door sedan, this Catalina is pretty much the B-body Pontiac entry point for ’68 – and there was a two-door Catalina sedan available too along with two and four-door hardtops. Moving upscale, prospective buyers encountered the Executive, Bonneville, and the Brougham editions.
There’s not much in the way of details included in this car’s listing but the onyx black finish is strong and fade-free. Nothing is said about rust, but none is evident – always a concern with a New Jersey car. The distinctive Pontiac beak, more prominent in ’68 than probably any other model year, looks to be unkissed – parking lot walls could prove to be a nemesis. I’m not much on white letter tires on an old full-size car, a four-door body style in particular, but to each their own.
There are no images of the two-barrel carburetor equipped 400 CI V8 engine which is likely either a 265 or 290 HP variant. The seller claims 24K miles but I don’t know if he means existentially or just on the engine – as in rebuilt 24K miles ago. Said to “run and drive“, an exhaust leak is mentioned as an issue. A Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission handles gear changes.
The blue vinyl and cloth upholstery is late ’60s GM all the way – the door handles, armrests, and window cranks made the show on other GM models too (and those blue knob window cranks are impossible to find – I’ve looked for them for my Impala). The upholstery and door panels look fine and the only issues that I spied are a deteriorated rear package shelf and a steering wheel that’s missing some chunks.
While not exactly an endearing model, this is a nice old sedan and all indications are that it’s a pretty sound car. I’m not sure who might step up to the plate and make an offer for this big Poncho but there’s a hindside for every seat, right?
“Too many doors”? I think the tide is turning on that, Jim. Auctions feature fantasy 2 door vehicles to basically childless people, who would shudder at the thought of someone, like children, or back seat driver mother in law, sitting behind them. I think there is a resurgence in clean, previously hum-drum 4 door cars, for families that might still want one. Pontiac should be recognized as one of the finest US road cars made, but to future thin skinned folks, a car named after a Native American surely must be wrong, even though I always thought of it as an honor. Again, I’d have to think this car was repainted black to appeal to colorless people of today. I never remember a black car with a blue interior. Blue cars had blue interiors. Still, a great find, and you’ll see, that buyer driving this for the 1st time, will instantly see what the attraction was with a Poncho then.
If you don’t recall black cars w/a blue interior, you must have had very limited exposure to cars of these years. It was not all that uncommon.
I agree Howard A, because so many two door cars have gone beyond reason in price and availability their four door variants have new life. There is nothing you can’t do to a 1970 Chevelle Sport Sedan, post car or wagon that you can do to a coupe or SS. All the suspension and speed parts are the same as well as most of the interior bits forward of the front doors. Now you have a possible SS clone with more doors, longer wheel base, better ride and comfort and the ability to EASILY take your friends with you.
Yes to many doors for the car. Its each persons choice though..
One might think of this way… how many 4 door tri-fives made it to the todays car shows.. We see mainly two doors as not many restored them…. A wagon trip-five is seen some but again not as many as the handy man special and nomads.
The Market is always what the bearer will bear.
Me I am a two door hardtop or a post… but prefer verts…
Help! I am totally lost here. What is a tri-five or trip-five (555?).
1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevrolets are called the tri-fives.
We had a ’71 Catalina with the same drivetrain – formerly my grandparent’s car, which they gave to my Mom after Dad divorced her.
It was a decent-running car, but was ‘sluggish’ in comparison to the ’68 Country Squire LTD (390, 4bbl) in which I and my brothers rode in our middle and high school years. Horrible gas mileage, though. Mom drove it a couple years and traded it on a used Chevy Citation. Better mileage, but much worse reliability!
I have to agree with Howard – I’m more drawn to the ‘common man’ cars than pristine restomods, and four doors is a plus in my book. I’d love to have a ’68 Country Squire like the one I grew up in, but the price horse has left the barn on those already.
My uncle had one of these. Not exactly sure what year it was but it had a 455 with a four-barrel carburetor in it. That was probably one of the fastest boats I’ve ever been in haha. Definitely cruise down the road just smooth as glass at a hundred miles an hour with zero problems. Lived up in the hills where nobody was back then and you could drive as fast as you wanted to without seeing a soul all day long. Those were the days.
My fondest memory of a ’68 Catalina is riding up to Cadillac MI in my brother’s friend’s new car. He turned an almost 3hour drive in a little over 2 hours. We went to visit said bro in the hospital. Mom was cool with the ride but my aunt was smoking like a chimney in the back with me.
Aw this car brings me back. I had a spinster Auntie who drove the same car in the same colors. She bought it new, we called it her funeral car. Many rides to bingo and bowling in that beast. I can’t comment on performance because I doubt she ever went over 45 in it.
Sadly she got t-boned in the snow on the way to church choir in 1978 and that was that. If this runs and drives well, I would say it’s a decent buy. Probably pretty crusty underneath, need a PPI to make sure it passes inspection.
Well I’m the friendly stranger in the
black sedan won’t ya hop inside my
car. I got candy I got kisses I’m a
lovable man and I can take you to the nearest star. I’m your vehicle
baby, I’ll take you anywhere you
wanna go. I’m your vehicle woman,
by now I’m sure you know that I love you (love you) need you (need
you) I want you gotta have you child. Great God in heaven you know I love you.
That Ides of March song probably played through that car’s radio more than a few times, back in the day.
No mention if it has A/C, so it probably doesn’t, but with that interior in such great shape, it could very well be original miles. In that case, as long as it’s clean underneath and under the hood has no surprises, it is reasonably priced, which is unusual. Mostly, people think it’s worth it’s weight in gold. I hope it finds a good home.
The dash photo shows a chrome horizontal HVAC center vent, which was exclusive to A/C-equipped Ponchos of the day.
This car is beautiful, but it had to have been repainted, probably in the 1980s. There were few weird color combinations in the late 60s that would ever had left the plant. Maybe it’s really dark blue and not black? Need more photos to be sure.
There is nothing “weird” about this color combination.
We live in very drab and ugly times: grey, white, silver and black. Ugly clothes, cars, architecture, decor, art.
I guess black and blue would seem weird…
I think it’s a lovely car. A 2 door hardtop is nice, a convertible is nice as well. But a 4 door is even nicer. If only more pictures were posted. It’s nice to see more of the car, including the engine, the trunk, etc. Assuming everything on the car works like they should and it runs and drives safely, I’d be willing to pay between $7,000 and $10,000 for the car and just enjoy it.
I’m tired of the “too many doors” ethic. Everyone knows four door cars are the handiest for what most people use cars for. Besides when we were all growing up what type of cars were most often found in our driveways or those of our neighbors? That’s right, the humble four door sedan. Not so much the fancy sports coupes or convertibles, but the basic sedans. Yet over the years, it is the sports hardtops and convertibles that survived the scrap yards more than the lowly sedans. Thus, when I see a nice four door sedan like this one, it evokes my growing up years simply because they were everywhere, part of the landscape.
The industry has destroyed the utility of the modern sedan with it’s insistence on “coupe like” styling, hatchback look with no hatch usefulness, terrible visibility and packaging, obscenely large consoles in front, fat A,B and C pillars, low heights and compromised entry and exit.
Four door sedans used to have 90% of the capability of a wagon, perhaps 80% of an SUV.
Now they’re almost as useless for general purpose as “personal luxury” coupes were.
And the market for them died.
To get the usefulness sedans offered in the past, one has to get some cookie cutter CUV. At a price premium of course.
True dat. The biggest problem I have with modern cars, besides too much technology, is the oor visibility from the fat and raked back A pillars. You can’t see to the side, especially at the skewed intersections we have sp many of in upper NY. But, on the other hand, some four door sedans have more utility than one would think from the outside. Mine, if I fold down the rear seat backs I can get full size two by fours inside, or a door, with all doors and kids closed.
With a face and toosh like that I wouldn’t kick her out of bed for having four boobies!
Or eating crackers… Nah, that’s a nice old car I don’t care how many doors it has. I’d ‘dub’ it out, drop it a bit, put some big meats on it, some good looking wheels, and some pep under that football field sized hood, and let the white smoke roll!
Jim I like everything about it down to the rowl’s on tires to offset the black & the dog dish or moon caps. I had those on my 65 Stang. Everything is subjective. I’m kinda surprised that Pontiacs 400 didn’t put out more hp tho for 1968. Especially when you consider what the rivals were putting in their big car products.
Oddity, it has AC!
All those extra vents on the dash, and below it are the tipoff.
(Our ’68 didn’t. It was a Canadian Parisienne, blue on blue 4dr hardtop.)
2 doors were a pain in the ass for families. Mom kept having to lean forward or get out of the car and tilt the seat back forward for the kids to get in and out. Also, try taking grandma and grandpa anywhere with them having to crawl in and out of the back seat. 4 doors were built far more because they are practical. I have a convertible, a wagon, a 4 door, and 2 2 door hardtops. When I’m by myself or the wife we take the convertible or hardtops. If its the family or with another couple we take the 4 door or wagon.
My parents would disagree. When they bought their new 65 Biscayne, they purposely bought a two door so the four of us kids would not open a door and fall out. Seat belts not required or even located in the back seats at the time.
Good points Frank. And those Biscaynes could be had with much more hp right into 1966 than this Pontiac offers.
Not too much out there that’s halfway decent for the money. Looks like you can jump in and just go. I would pile all the boys in and go tailgating at the game. Plenty of room for everything a full size bbq would probably fit in the trunk!
You forgot the 1968 Ventura, I’ve been hunting for another for 15 years. Mind was a 2 door with the 400/400 and bucket seats, a/c, PS and PB. Please send one my way.
It looks decent and all there…the steering wheel is a mess and the carpet has seen better days, but for the age and of the car and where it is, that makes sense…
People have to realize, more is better when it comes to pictures because without them it makes appear as though something is being hidden…