That is one of the most beautiful cars ever... and it belongs to the master of detail. Your narration is impeccable your wealth of knowledge is incredible you just really have an amazing presentation.
@@RareClassicCars I live in Saginaw but it's amazing how many clean classic cars you find in Chicago. There are a lot of collectors there. My 71 Torino 428scj came out of Elk Grove village of all places and he was all set to sell it to Vanguard classic cars so I gave him 200 dollars more than they did so I got the car.
@@RareClassicCars Bill's definitely telling the truth, you're an excellent explainer and definitely know your cars...makes for very enjoyable and interesting viewing!
@@mikesamra9126 My buddy in HS. Drove his dad's Torino with "428 Super Cobra Jet Police Interceptor" on air cleaner. Was absolutely the fastest car I ever rode in. Faster than 350 Vega I think !
The family went to the local Pontiac dealer and my Dad said, “We’ll take that one”. He proceeded to lay down 33 $100 bills, and we drove home a green, ‘66 Catalina with a black vinyl top with a “reverberator” radio …. We ALL loved the car …. As a 17 year old, I couldn’t be happier …. it was FAST!! 👍
Mark of Excellence is a Lincoln tag line. GM was large an in charge back in the day, 50s to real early 70s before quality took a dive, too bad GM was asleep as imports invaded. If they stayed on their game, Imports wouldn't have credibility.
,hes, you aee exactly right. This was right at the beginning of the end of the glory days of GM. And 30 years later the brand was dead and the corporation was bankrupt. The worst mksmanagement in history.
The base model is well equipped because Pontiac was a premium brand. My parents had a 66 Catalina wagon in dark blue. They factory ordered overload springs that made it a good hauler. With the rear seat laid down, we could haul sheets of plywood. Best of all, it was a reliable car. It was the first car we ever owned that we could drive from Portland to Wisconsin and back without mechanical problems. Kudos to Pontiac.
There were other GM models equally wonderful in those days. My parents would only buy Chevrolets. Why pay. Otr for the same car? Our 66 was an ImpalaSS sport coupe samebright interior moldings. Ermine White, same aqua interior, inyl bucket seats. Beautiful!Today there is no GM car I wojld consider
My father started working at Pontiac in 1934 in 1965-67 he ran the block line at the Pontiac Foundry so it is possible that he was part of this car. He died in Feb 1967 three months prior to his retirement date and is buried in Pontiac Michigan
That car is stunning. Such a quintessential 1960's color, too - and the interior is very striking in quality and color, too. Thanks for doing one for us GM fans.
My thoughts exactly. My father had the station wagon version in the similar color. It wasn't new when he had it but strangely this car had the 283 SBC V8 with a 2 speed Powerglide transmission. It was a very strong well made car built like a tank. I learned to drive on this car back in the '70's. Those were fun times. Thanks for the memories of the good old days in the '66 Pontiac Catalina. I'll miss them forever. Stay safe and have a God blessed day.
@@paulkirkland1535 hi; Canadian built Pontiacs had Chevy power trains. 283 power glide, but model would have been Strato Chief, Laurentian or Parisienne. Also, the Grande Parisienne was introduced for 66 but not in wagon till 67.
Adam where do you find these mint cars? Do you keep them all or re-sell? This Catalina was one of my favorite designs, Pontiac really was special! Beautiful GM color. The illustrations and Ads were done by Art Fitzpatrick, I got to meet him and pick his brain in Carmel Ca - he said he'd work from photos, and cut them up and stretch them to be wider and longer than they even were in real life, which was enormous already! As a kid I saved all the car ads so it was amazing meeting him. I believe he was working till he passed at age 96. Delorean the GM of Pontiac, only wanted illustrations done by Fitz and Van Kaufman for the advertising. Pontiac went from 7th- to third in sales, outpacing Chrysler, so the imagining worked. I enjoy your videos sooo much!!!
my dad had a burgundy ‘65 Pontiac Starchief… was the first family car I have memories of! Pretty similar, but the catalina was a model up in the lineup I believe.
What a gorgeous survivor you have there ! Makes me homesick for my old `66 Grand Prix, which had the 421 Tri-Power H.O. (376 HP), 4-speed, and 3.42 Posi, with those beautiful finned aluminum wheels. It was impressively fast for such a big car. I still kick myself for letting that one go, I`ll never find another one like that.
Thanks, great Pontiac & HO,** etc.!! Interestingly, I had a ****1966 FORD GALAXIE **500XL/ 4 *speed/ *Burgandy & BLACK INT/ ps/ PB 362/4 BBL( moderate engine ,at least FAIRLY EXONOMICALfor College Kid & beyond):: Anyways after a little fixing ( MOTORCRAFT STUFF, special,metallic Brakes/ tires/ shocks,etc) was nice CRUISER for many miles!! Interestingly,also, bought the GALAXIE XL @ DODGE DEALERS “LOT “fairly cheap( forgotten now) IN 1967…..my 66:had the EMERGENCEY FLASHERS IN glovebox,NO CoolantnRecovery System( had to use MOTORCRAFT *KIT, only before AUTO PARTS had it, NO AIR CONDITIONING,no Disc brakes, no Cruise). Oddly good &/Solid Caen to,cruise all,over INDIANA/to Pharmacy School ( Purdue):,:……..
My father had a 1967 Pontiac Catalina convertible in Tyrol blue. He loved that car so much. Always loved the Pontiac front ends with the headlights stacked vertically. Thought it looked so elegant compared to other GM cars. Gorgeous color.
I, too, have always been attracted to the Poncho's mid-'60s stacked headlights, and the front end in general. Too bad the attraction of that front end was only skin deep. The parts that beauty concealed may as well have been cast from pot metal for all the durability they held. I know; I replaced most of them at one time or another. The rest of the car was moderately artillery-proof. I bought a '65 Catalina for $300 in 1985 and used it as a driver/family car until 1994...60 miles round trip to work each day; road trips from Central Cali to San Diego, Tijuana, Ensenada; from Central Cali to Seattle; to Yosemite twice. My only regret is not getting my money's worth out of it.
@@budlewis721 You should have seen the road testing we gave my dad's '65. As teenagers, we did things that would have made crash test dummies run and hide.
@@dansmusic5749 The folly of youth. If you were anything like me, you _were_ a crash test dummy. A high school friend (still, actually) had a beautiful, fully operational '55 Packard Clipper Custom that we'd take on "death cruises", but we were careful to do it only when safely drunk. Little dents, scrapes, lost hubcaps, broken parts ignored - you know the drill. It was 1970, so even if we hadn't been morons we wouldn't have appreciated a car only 15 years old. That car didn't deserve the slow, painful death we gave it.
Beautiful car, Adam! The front-end of your Catalina is classic. GM's full-size sedans in the 60's were incredible...stylish, smooth riding, great powertrains.
In '65, the T400 trans was a God-send & a huge performance boost for GM's larger-engined cars! I prefer the '65 model which had a straight-across (not tapered) grill design. Pontiac, as an entire Division of GM, was Motor Trend Magazine's choice, as "Car of The Year" in 1965!
Mom had a 66 base model..came w/o ps! Dad installed so it'd be easier to drive... SHE LOVED THAT CAR!! Years later I had a 63 Galaxie XL notchback sold it to a friend so I could buy a 66 Ventura Coupe. Love the style and it had fender skirts. It was a POS, wish I had my Ford back!!!
My neighbor, Myra, had one of these in the same color. She hardly ever drove it. She said gas was too expensive. She had everyone in my family doing charity work for her. I cut her grass. Mom did her laundry and bought her underwear. My Dad was her handy man. Everybody thought she had very little as she had been a school teacher and never married or had kids. Guess What? When she died, we had all been fooled! She left over a Million Dollars in stocks and bonds and real estate to her niece and nephew who barely even knew her!
When I was growing up my next door neighbor had a shared driveway with his brother, so they lived side by side. They both bought brand new maroon with black Interior 65 Pontiac Catalina 2 doors. I think they were the 2+2 cars.They were beautiful and I always thought that was so cool as a kid. I have always loved cars though. Your 66 is also beautiful. Those Pontiacs of the 60’s were always very stylish. Great video.
I bought a used '65 sedan back in the early '70's. Paid $300 for it, drove the snot out of it for over a year, then sold it for $300. Great riding land yacht.
That's what mine cost, too. I had a '65 Catalina from 1985 to about 1994; it had well over 100, 000 miles when I bought it, so I pulled a valve cover when I got it home. It seems the 389ci engine had a pushrod that had leaned to one side and worn a long groove in the head. From California I called Nunzo the Pontiac Man in Brooklyn, whose ad I saw in a _National Lampoon,_ of all places. He said it wasn't uncommon, and the wear would continue until the rod fell out from underneath the rocker arm and start loudly reshaping things until you shut off the engine. He told me how GM had solved the problem, but, and I quote, "You notta gonna findadoze. Maybe you make-a summa, but I no hava dem." I swear to God! Right out of Central Casting, 1935. When GM switched to the 400ci a year or 2 later, they installed sheet metal rod guides on the rocker studs. I went to our little wrecking yard and pulled a set. They were ⅛" too wide (or narrow?) between stud holes to work on the 389ci, so I decided to make one. If it worked I would make 7 more just to prevent it from happening to the other cylinders. After spending too much time using the wrong tools I managed to crank one out in a little less than forever. It looked rough but it worked. I wasn't gonna go through that again, so I had a local machine shop make the rest for $12 each, and never had a problem with them again.
It's absolutely gorgeous. I remember when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s my family had Chevies which were good cars but our next door neighbors and neighbors across the street had Pontiacs. I was envious. They were just a notch above Dad's Chevies. The first car I bought back in 1982 was a 69 Pontiac Firebird. After that I had a 66 Tempest, a 70 Tempest, a 68 GTO and a 70 LeMans Sport and I loved them all. Hopefully I'll get my hands on some more old Pontiacs before I die.
I love mid-sixties Pontiacs. It's amazing that you are able to find all your cars such great shape. They don't tend to be collectible models originally purchased by enthusiasts which begs the question: who took such good care of them, and why?
My car is a '81 WB Caprice (in Australia) ; 116 inch wheelbase it's a big car. Beyond comfortable, great to drive...lots of room. Modern cars driver's shoulder so close to the passengers. Not my idea of comfort.
Modern cars are a whole different animal for a whole different reality. They’re far more durable and reliable than the older cars, while being faster, more economical, with better handling and refinement. And especially safety. Road death rates today are less than half what they were back then. But you’re right that the older cars have so much more character because their designers and engineers had a much freer hand back then.
Well now it is about economy fuel consumption,pollution control,aero dynamics,the cars are bigger now than the older cars,they were longer but if you park a modern car next to an old car the new cars are huge. Many safety features like air bags and they are designed to survive a crash,back then you had no air bag and well many people died. I love the body deign of the old cars but no doubt they were sleek beautiful and elegant.
In the fall of 1965 my father brought home a brand new Pontiac Catalina station wagon (in Reef Turquoise) from Totem Pontiac in Seattle. I thought it was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen (I was 8 years old at the time). Years later, it was the first car I ever drove.
Beautiful car. And just by how you can name all the little details show how passionate you are about these cars. Well done! Just one small request for upcoming videos: When you got the engine running, please take us to the rear and let us hear how she sounds. No stupid revving, just calm idling for a few seconds. I would really appreciate it!
haha i agree.....lou's car story drives me nuts....'''give it a rev.!!!
3 роки тому+7
I rode in those Pontiacs all my life up in the Fresno area. I still see some on the road. The weather is hot and dry so they have survived. My first car in 1981 was a 1967 Pontiac 2-door Lemans coupe with only 21 thousand miles. I drove for many years! Love them Pontiacs.
mid to late 60's Pontiacs were absolutely works of art. Wish I could own real one. I have quite a few original issue 1:24/1:25 plastic models of these classics including promos and built kits.
I loved the foot vent, when I was a kid I would lank that knob back a forth in Mom's 67 Catalina...And the coolest "none politicly correct" accent was the Indian Headress as the HighBeam indicator
Let me add, My mom now 88 would holler at me while I messed with the foot vent knob and every other switch or button, AND we never wore a seatbelt..As a matter of fact, pop would grumble if we messed with the shoulder straps that were tucked NEATLY away...
@@dennisadorno6721 Our new '62 Catalina was the first car we had with front seat belts - an option at the time. Color coded, but no retractors. They just lay there, or if you didn't put them on, dangled out the car door. My dad forced this bratty 7-year old to wear them. I have been in the habit ever since.
@@dmiller1000 Seat belts??? I was about 5 years old at the time, I remember being in my moms first car, a Pontiac from the mid-50s..I probably didn't latch the front passenger door very well, so when mom made a left I was about 2" from the asphalt before she grabbed me....Thanks Mom...
@@dennisadorno6721 In our other cars without belts, when I rode shotgun my mom's hand would go out across my lap every time she made what she thought was a short stop. Parents knew instinctively what they had to do before belts were common.
@@dmiller1000 And it wouldn't have done a bit of good in a collision. My mom used to do the same thing, and with such force we probably sustained greater injury than if we'd hit the dash. _THUD!_ A straightarm across the chest and _"WHO-O-O-F!"_ a sharp expulsion of a perfectly good breath we were just about to use. But we were safe - more or less.
These beautiful Catalinas were all over the place when I was a kid growing up near Detroit in the 1960’s. I remember riding in my friends’s Dad’s car and how smoothly it rode and how the engine purred.
Adam, I agree, these mid-60s Pontiacs looked great. At 5:23 we see the customer had 15 paint color choices as well as numerous interior hues to choose from when ordering their car. If you get more than 6 color choices on a mainstream car today you are lucky.
And most of the colors are grey, black, and white, with a red or occasional blue thrown in. I've owned a car since 1974 and I so far have avoided ever owning one that's grey, black or white. All have been either blue or green.
@@rightlanehog3151 Part of it is the domination of leasing, which means they have to guess the resale value of the car coming off lease. If you have yellow, orange, or purple cars, it is assumed they tend to be worth less as a resale. Cars have become more of a tool and less of a work of art. Hopefully the worm will turn, but who know?
This is one of the most beautiful cars GM ever produced! Incredible grille, roofline, skirts - the whole deal. Reliable - smooth, bulletproof design. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your well justified enthusiasm for this gorgeous Pontiac!
Beautiful Catalina & the color is awesome. What I remember so fondly in these cars is their neat articulated wiper system and how they wiped & cleared the whole windshield to the end. Thanks for posting !!!
the catalina was made and sold only in the u.s. the canadian pontiac parisienne, was pretty much a chevy impala, with chevy drivetrains, built in oshawa, ont. the catalina in 1966 had a 389 c.i.d, with a thm 400 trans. impala/ parisiennes had a 283 c.i.d with a 2 speed (powerglide) auto. with a 3:36 to 1 axle ratio.
the catalina, was nicer and bigger than the impala, it came std. with a 389 c.i.d, with a thm 400 tran., the impala had a 283 c.i.d and a two speed powerglide tran.
Yup..283’s with glides we’re everywhere n Canada… 327’s with glides and some 3 speed auto’s in higher option cars. I’m in Oshawa… those built cars were essentially Chev’s with Pontiac bodies. Almost never seen a 389 unless it was a U.S GTO….. having a Ford in this town was like having cancer. There was quite the car culture in this town… it was a blast 💥.
Beautiful car and color. Love these hardtops. Where I grew up a guy had shipped a 1965 Catalina Hardtop Coupe over from Canada. It was metallic blue. They hardly ever drove it, because gasoline went up to $5.5-6 per gallon back in 1979 when I got my license. When they put it up for sale in 1985, I was not ready. I still was going to school and drove a 1965 Buick Skylark. The car still "lives", but the owner, who bought it back then, changed the color. A shame. The 1966 Coupe was for me the "Matchbox" car for many years. It was not untill after the turn of the century, these cars started to appear at car meets here. Saw a convertible two weeks ago. Absolutely love them low, long, and wide as they are. Amazing how much space there is around the engine. You can practically sit there and work on it. Things have changed here since the 1960's.
As a kid my family had a 64 bonneville that was about that color (Gulf Stream blue in 64). Your car makes me think of that one. Similar front end, but vertical tail lights in 64 instead of the horizontal ones they had after that. Also with real wood trim in the dash aboard, steering wheel and door panels. There was a light in the trunk you could remove and the retractable cord would let you take it out if you needed light after dark for a flat tire. Good idea and I’ve never seen another car with that feature. We got a 68 bonneville and the wood trim had turned to plastic by that time. I really enjoy your channel.
My grandma puchased a 66' two hardtop catalina new off the lot in 68'. It was red with black cloth interior. 389 V8/auto. It had A/C under along the dash. Drove it as her everyday car till she died back in 2011. She never used the side skirts. When I was sick at school that car would come pick me up. Or she would drop me and my friends off at the mall. I drove it in the 90's when I got my drivers license. The car was surprisingly fast. She literally granny drove it so I had no clue to power the car actually had.
My Mom had one just like it and if she had it her way she would have kept it for life. It was sold in 1982 for something more economical. Totally enjoyed your video. Brought me right back to family trips to Cape Cod and Virginia Beach. !👍👍
I went with my dad to pick up a brand new '66 4 door Catalina from Brownell Pontiac in Birmingham. I was 4 but I remember it well. It was the same color outside and in as the one in this video except ours was 4 door. We even had the same hub caps as this one. Brings back a lot of memories. I even remember the unique sound of the turn signals - THIS CAR STILL HAS THAT ORIGINAL SOUND.
Beautiful car!!! Pontiac V8's were known torque monsters -- I remember a late 70's magazine article singing the praises of the Pontiac engine's Peterbilt-like torque curve: "if it's running, it's making torque!" IMO, GM was at its height in the 60's, and Pontiac was the height of GM. I'm not surprised that your Catalina rides and drives better than other 60's GM's you've had.
This car brings back many fond memories. My grandpa had a '65 Catalina 4 door hardtop. It had a few more options than this one, but yours is in impeccable condition and it reminds me of what a beautiful car this generation of Pontiacs were. I can still recall sitting in the driver's seat in Grandpa's garage and thinking how cool those center mounted gauges that were angled toward the driver were. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane.
First time seeing this… THAT IS A NICE LOOKING CAR my friend had one , not quite that clean 🤣😂😅. It wasn’t… CAN YOU SAY land barge… REALLY , NICE LOOKING CAR …
One of the beautiful lines of the front is the visor metalwork above and below the headlights. It really set the style off well. Cadillac in 65 I think did the same thing and it was a beautiful touch.
I couldn't agree more! Love those pontoon front fenders and the stacked headlights. Very classy. The rear valance treatment and the taillights were classy touches as well. They don't style cars like that anymore.
Well done ! Thank you for that excellent walk thru on an outstanding classic machine ! The '66 Pontiac Catalina was my first car in 1972 @ 15 1/2 yrs old, green/black int. 2 dr . I just got my first drivers license in N. Dakota, (No picture on license). My H.S. sweetheart and I wanted to 'run away' and elope in that car. Everything you said about this car is spot on ! I rebuilt the 389 engine and transmission in it also with my grandfather. I also have a black/white picture of my '66. Today @ 65 yrs old, I am still driving and rebuilding classic cars. Wanna trade for my restored '69 Roadrunner?
Oddly enough, a 2nd gen Prius has the same weird temperature/fan control. It's still gimmicky and I'd much prefer real knobs or sliders so I don't have to tap the temperature button a million times either way OR go through menus on the main screen and take my eyes off the road. Either way, I wish car makers would all collectively agree not to do this.
11:39 I know you want to keep it original, but nobody would fault you if you installed a dual master cylinder. I'm sorry you hated this car so much. Ha ha! It is indeed "a looker". My first car was a '56 two-door hardtop, so I was, and still am (well... except for the latest model) a Pontiac fan. If you want to see a fun factory produced video on 1966 Pontiacs, search for a video titled, "Pontiac, Wide Open World of Youth 1966". Go to 0:28 in that video to hear the narrator tout them as: "Pontiac for 1966 --- Cars with a lean strong look". Lovely as they are, there was nothing "lean" about these cars. The video goes on to show these big boats being tossed around corners like sports cars. (Plowing through corners was more like it.) ... That's not to fault the cars, they were beautiful but promoting them as youthful sports cars was frankly hysterical. My father, by the way, used to hate these commercials. He always said, "If you were caught driving like this, your warranty would be voided immediately". He might have been right. Still, it was great fun to watch the video.
In 1976 I bought a '66 Bonneville wagon for $100. It was sitting for a long time in a neighbor's driveway and I asked if he wanted to sell it. It had a checkered past and no title. In those days I had to wait until it was 10 to register it w/o a title. It ran very rough and I found the firing order was messed up. It was running smooth 10 minutes after I opened the hood. Same color as this car but black interior which was mint, looked like leather with wood veneer and the exterior had some crash damage, mostly one rear door. Factory air worked too. Being a poor teen, I ran regular gas so could not open the secondaries on the Carter aluminum four barrel or the high compression engine that required premium would detonate loudly. It had a rear end clunking sound when turning after it got hot. I fixed this with new gear oil and GM posi additive. Yes, 4x8 sheets could go in the back. Great car and I gave it to my parents 4 years later as I could not get enough gas every day for my long commute during the '79 energy crisis (it used lots of gas!). I bought a small FWD hatchback and have owned them ever since. I don't remember what happened to the Bonnie but it must have been traded or junked. The horror!
The real seat comfort basic this car is lack is head rest. I remember my father Poni Crand AM 1973+/- 1 6.5L had perforated white Leather chair with Head Rest, head rest was inside seat back not above.
My Uncle Tony had a '66 Catalina in a gold color, that he kept in a separate garage out behind his house. I was a young kid, but I remember how solid and composed that car felt, like it was almost permanent. He kept that car for a long time.
Adam . Please sell me that beautiful time capsule of a car ! Please let at least one of your cars go ! Lol 😊 I really hope to hear back from you . I live in Kelowna B.C. 🇨🇦👍
Pontiacs were at one time a car for the cool in spite of the racial pejorative one can make with its sequential letters. GTO, Trans Am, Grand Prix, Bonneville, Ventura 2+2. Legendary automobiles that gave way to such ghastly creations as the Montana, Aztek and Solstice. General Motors can take cars with the greatest reputation (Cadillac) and turn them into something to laugh at. Damned shame
The cool thing about that era is this car, the Bonneville and others big cars could be ordered with a 4 speed manual trans. Not only GM, but Chrylser and Ford also had 4 speed manuals avail. in many the full size cars. Unlike today car builders then were in your face bad ass builders like the Harley Earls, Bill Mitchells, Lee Ioccocas, Delorean's etc. unlike the pansy asse nobodys running the show today.
Cars back then required a hell of a lot more maintenance though due to the available technology. If I remember correctly Points, Plugs and condensers were good about 15k miles. Shocks and muffler would last about 25k miles. Many engines would start to seep oil at the gaskets by 60 or 70k miles, not because of badly built but that was the gasket technology lifespan at the time. A lot of those gaskets have been eliminated today in exchange for silicone and other type of modern seals and adhesives. Same goes for the interiors. Back then everything was held together with screws, dash boards, trim, etc. Not so today as fancy designed plastic clips and adhesives hold things together. Thus no screw to vibrate lose and less rattles over time. My current car is a 17' SS Camaro 6 speed. Now with 46k miles. All I have done is change fluids and tires. Still runs like new.
They did generally require more frequent maintenance. Difference is the primary maintenance was generally simple, quick, easy and cheap. Little maintenance on today’s cars, outside of oil changes and sometimes brakes, adheres to those adjectives.
Back in the early 90’s my family had this exact car although it was a rust bucket and in really bad condition. The one thing I’ll never forget is one time my dad started the car and it backfired so bad that it blew the muffler about 20 feet from he car! Sounded like a rifle going off! haha Makes me sad knowing the car got crushed.
I bought a 1963 Pontiac Star Chief when I was in the service. It came factory 389 with 3 deuces on it. I removed the triple set up and installed a factory 4 bbrl carb and intake. Freshened up the paint job and drove her from California back home to West Virginia. 52 hours of smooth "wide tracking" bliss. This was in 1972. Excellent old ride for a cross country trip. She performed perfectly
That car is awesome it just needs an air conditioner such a big car no air conditioner I guess Earth wasn't that hot then but it sure as hell is hot now beautiful though..🥵
I used to have a green 1972 Pontiac Catalina sedan, with a green vinyl top and green interior. It was a wonderful transportation car. It was absolutely HUGE inside, and rode like it was floating on air. I wish I still had it. I now have a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis. It's big on the outside, but much smaller on the inside than that Catalina was. And while it is fairly comfortable, it doesn't have that floating over the road feeling.
In 1966 I was in 3rd grade. A friend of mine came to school one day bragging about his father just bought a 66 Bonneville. I said uhhh..ok.. whatever my father has a 62' Olds Ninety Eight..big deal. He talked about the 66 Bonny all day so after school I followed him home to look at it. And to myself I said wow, this is truly bad ass. And I did give him the nod of approval. From that day the 66 Bonny has been one of my favorite factory Lead Sleds.
My grandparents traded in their '65 Pontiac Star Chief for a new '72 Catalina. They really hated that car after having that 65 for so long, which was a far better car in every way.
After watching this video again & going through most of your videos Adam, the Pontiac’s dash looks super high quality & clearly looks a lot more premium to your other cars.This is a magnificent car & the colour is outstanding with the matching interior. Beautiful stuff!
I remember when my Dad bought his 64 Catalina brand new , i still don't know who was more excited , him or me ( I was 5 years old ) . After a year he let go warm it up in winter for him , i still love the cold months .
WOW, what a BEAUTY, great condition for age. Love the Pontiac translucent steering wheel? My Fav, original unrestored. Mid-late 60's Pontiacs are sharp. Was this the era when John DeLorean was a designer?
Your lucky you have a heater. My buick lesabre didnt even had a heater. I found out that my car was sold to a person in Florida in the Miami area. These cars are great vehicles that gm made,big roomy and great for families. Just remember that the timing gears especially the cam gear had the plastic coated gears. They start falling apart around the 70,000 mile mark. Just a heads up to get the timing gears done before they come apart
That is one of the most beautiful cars ever... and it belongs to the master of detail. Your narration is impeccable your wealth of knowledge is incredible you just really have an amazing presentation.
Wow, thank you!
@@RareClassicCars I live in Saginaw but it's amazing how many clean classic cars you find in Chicago. There are a lot of collectors there. My 71 Torino 428scj came out of Elk Grove village of all places and he was all set to sell it to Vanguard classic cars so I gave him 200 dollars more than they did so I got the car.
It is Bill!!!!
@@RareClassicCars Bill's definitely telling the truth, you're an excellent explainer and definitely know your cars...makes for very enjoyable and interesting viewing!
@@mikesamra9126 My buddy in HS. Drove his dad's Torino with "428 Super Cobra Jet Police Interceptor" on air cleaner. Was absolutely the fastest car I ever rode in. Faster than 350 Vega I think !
The family went to the local Pontiac dealer and my Dad said, “We’ll take that one”. He proceeded to lay down 33 $100 bills, and we drove home a green, ‘66 Catalina with a black vinyl top with a “reverberator” radio …. We ALL loved the car …. As a 17 year old, I couldn’t be happier …. it was FAST!! 👍
what happened to it then? did your parents drive it to dea th and got rid of it?
Wait $3300 ?
This car was produced when GM really was the Mark of Excellence.
Excellence 🤣ours sucked.
Mark of Excellence is a Lincoln tag line. GM was large an in charge back in the day, 50s to real early 70s before quality took a dive, too bad GM was asleep as imports invaded. If they stayed on their game, Imports wouldn't have credibility.
@@patcurrie9888 Perhaps it was a Lincoln tag line. But GM has used it for years. gm-techlink.com/?p=14074
I would say after the firebird and Camaro ended they lost it but when the LS2 GTO ended they really lost their touch
,hes, you aee exactly right. This was right at the beginning of the end of the glory days of GM. And 30 years later the brand was dead and the corporation was bankrupt. The worst mksmanagement in history.
The base model is well equipped because Pontiac was a premium brand. My parents had a 66 Catalina wagon in dark blue. They factory ordered overload springs that made it a good hauler. With the rear seat laid down, we could haul sheets of plywood. Best of all, it was a reliable car. It was the first car we ever owned that we could drive from Portland to Wisconsin and back without mechanical problems. Kudos to Pontiac.
There were other GM models equally wonderful in those days. My parents would only buy Chevrolets. Why pay. Otr for the same car? Our 66 was an ImpalaSS sport coupe samebright interior moldings. Ermine White, same aqua interior, inyl bucket seats. Beautiful!Today there is no GM car I wojld consider
My father started working at Pontiac in 1934 in 1965-67 he ran the block line at the Pontiac Foundry so it is possible that he was part of this car. He died in Feb 1967 three months prior to his retirement date and is buried in Pontiac Michigan
Motor City Warrior he was..
RIP Larry’s dad
Sorry to hear. Those foundries killed many men before their time. Ventilation and PPE were non existent.
My condolences he was part of a noble and great period in us automotive history
@@michaelorlando6159 Thank you all for your kind words.
Adam, that lucite steering wheel is AWESOME & flawless. I haven't seen one of those since I was a kid & I'm 55 now.
That car is stunning. Such a quintessential 1960's color, too - and the interior is very striking in quality and color, too. Thanks for doing one for us GM fans.
Will be more. Have plenty of classic GMs; just happened to get more Fords out first this year.
My thoughts exactly. My father had the station wagon version in the similar color. It wasn't new when he had it but strangely this car had the 283 SBC V8 with a 2 speed Powerglide transmission. It was a very strong well made car built like a tank. I learned to drive on this car back in the '70's. Those were fun times. Thanks for the memories of the good old days in the '66 Pontiac Catalina. I'll miss them forever. Stay safe and have a God blessed day.
Blue light...
@@paulkirkland1535 hi; Canadian built Pontiacs had Chevy power trains. 283 power glide, but model would have been Strato Chief, Laurentian or Parisienne. Also, the Grande Parisienne was introduced for 66 but not in wagon till 67.
I agree it couldn’t be a more 1960s color
Adam where do you find these mint cars? Do you keep them all or re-sell? This Catalina was one of my favorite designs, Pontiac really was special! Beautiful GM color. The illustrations and Ads were done by Art Fitzpatrick, I got to meet him and pick his brain in Carmel Ca - he said he'd work from photos, and cut them up and stretch them to be wider and longer than they even were in real life, which was enormous already! As a kid I saved all the car ads so it was amazing meeting him. I believe he was working till he passed at age 96. Delorean the GM of Pontiac, only wanted illustrations done by Fitz and Van Kaufman for the advertising. Pontiac went from 7th- to third in sales, outpacing Chrysler, so the imagining worked. I enjoy your videos sooo much!!!
Beautiful car in a beautiful color. I miss car colors other than Mouse colors.
my dad had a burgundy ‘65 Pontiac Starchief… was the first family car I have memories of! Pretty similar, but the catalina was a model up in the lineup I believe.
@@ronleece6893 , my Dad had a '64 Star Chief and then a '66 Catalina (both sedans). Loved both as a kid, but am partial to the '65 and '66 models.
What a gorgeous survivor you have there ! Makes me homesick for my old `66 Grand Prix, which had the 421 Tri-Power H.O. (376 HP), 4-speed, and 3.42 Posi, with those beautiful finned aluminum wheels. It was impressively fast for such a big car. I still kick myself for letting that one go, I`ll never find another one like that.
Thanks, great Pontiac & HO,** etc.!! Interestingly, I had a ****1966 FORD GALAXIE **500XL/ 4 *speed/ *Burgandy & BLACK INT/ ps/ PB 362/4 BBL( moderate engine ,at least FAIRLY EXONOMICALfor College Kid & beyond):: Anyways after a little fixing ( MOTORCRAFT STUFF, special,metallic Brakes/ tires/ shocks,etc) was nice CRUISER for many miles!! Interestingly,also, bought the GALAXIE XL @ DODGE DEALERS “LOT “fairly cheap( forgotten now) IN 1967…..my 66:had the EMERGENCEY FLASHERS IN glovebox,NO CoolantnRecovery System( had to use MOTORCRAFT *KIT, only before AUTO PARTS had it, NO AIR CONDITIONING,no Disc brakes, no Cruise). Oddly good &/Solid Caen to,cruise all,over INDIANA/to Pharmacy School ( Purdue):,:……..
My father had a 1967 Pontiac Catalina convertible in Tyrol blue. He loved that car so much. Always loved the Pontiac front ends with the headlights stacked vertically. Thought it looked so elegant compared to other GM cars. Gorgeous color.
I agree the front end is gorgeous
I, too, have always been attracted to the Poncho's mid-'60s stacked headlights, and the front end in general. Too bad the attraction of that front end was only skin deep. The parts that beauty concealed may as well have been cast from pot metal for all the durability they held. I know; I replaced most of them at one time or another. The rest of the car was moderately artillery-proof. I bought a '65 Catalina for $300 in 1985 and used it as a driver/family car until 1994...60 miles round trip to work each day; road trips from Central Cali to San Diego, Tijuana, Ensenada; from Central Cali to Seattle; to Yosemite twice. My only regret is not getting my money's worth out of it.
@@budlewis721 Lol, yup a couple more years and you might’ve broke even.
@@budlewis721 You should have seen the road testing we gave my dad's '65. As teenagers, we did things that would have made crash test dummies run and hide.
@@dansmusic5749 The folly of youth. If you were anything like me, you _were_ a crash test dummy. A high school friend (still, actually) had a beautiful, fully operational '55 Packard Clipper Custom that we'd take on "death cruises", but we were careful to do it only when safely drunk. Little dents, scrapes, lost hubcaps, broken parts ignored - you know the drill. It was 1970, so even if we hadn't been morons we wouldn't have appreciated a car only 15 years old. That car didn't deserve the slow, painful death we gave it.
Beautiful car, Adam! The front-end of your Catalina is classic. GM's full-size sedans in the 60's were incredible...stylish, smooth riding, great powertrains.
My parents had a burgundy one without the fender skirts. Same engine and bench seat, no cruise, good memories.
65 through 67 were the best looking Pontiacs ever. Love them!
In '65, the T400 trans was a God-send & a huge performance boost for GM's larger-engined cars! I prefer the '65 model which had a straight-across (not tapered) grill design. Pontiac, as an entire Division of GM, was Motor Trend Magazine's choice, as "Car of The Year" in 1965!
Mom had a 66 base model..came w/o ps! Dad installed so it'd be easier to drive... SHE LOVED THAT CAR!! Years later I had a 63 Galaxie XL notchback sold it to a friend so I could buy a 66 Ventura Coupe. Love the style and it had fender skirts. It was a POS, wish I had my Ford back!!!
My neighbor, Myra, had one of these in the same color. She hardly ever drove it. She said gas was too expensive. She had everyone in my family doing charity work for her. I cut her grass. Mom did her laundry and bought her underwear. My Dad was her handy man. Everybody thought she had very little as she had been a school teacher and never married or had kids. Guess What? When she died, we had all been fooled!
She left over a Million Dollars in stocks and bonds and real estate to her niece and nephew who barely even knew her!
When I was growing up my next door neighbor had a shared driveway with his brother, so they lived side by side. They both bought brand new maroon with black Interior 65 Pontiac Catalina 2 doors. I think they were the 2+2 cars.They were beautiful and I always thought that was so cool as a kid. I have always loved cars though. Your 66 is also beautiful. Those Pontiacs of the 60’s were always very stylish. Great video.
I bought a used '65 sedan back in the early '70's. Paid $300 for it, drove the snot out of it for over a year, then sold it for $300. Great riding land yacht.
That's what mine cost, too. I had a '65 Catalina from 1985 to about 1994; it had well over 100, 000 miles when I bought it, so I pulled a valve cover when I got it home. It seems the 389ci engine had a pushrod that had leaned to one side and worn a long groove in the head. From California I called Nunzo the Pontiac Man in Brooklyn, whose ad I saw in a _National Lampoon,_ of all places. He said it wasn't uncommon, and the wear would continue until the rod fell out from underneath the rocker arm and start loudly reshaping things until you shut off the engine. He told me how GM had solved the problem, but, and I quote, "You notta gonna findadoze. Maybe you make-a summa, but I no hava dem." I swear to God! Right out of Central Casting, 1935. When GM switched to the 400ci a year or 2 later, they installed sheet metal rod guides on the rocker studs. I went to our little wrecking yard and pulled a set. They were ⅛" too wide (or narrow?) between stud holes to work on the 389ci, so I decided to make one. If it worked I would make 7 more just to prevent it from happening to the other cylinders. After spending too much time using the wrong tools I managed to crank one out in a little less than forever. It looked rough but it worked. I wasn't gonna go through that again, so I had a local machine shop make the rest for $12 each, and never had a problem with them again.
It's absolutely gorgeous. I remember when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s my family had Chevies which were good cars but our next door neighbors and neighbors across the street had Pontiacs. I was envious. They were just a notch above Dad's Chevies. The first car I bought back in 1982 was a 69 Pontiac Firebird. After that I had a 66 Tempest, a 70 Tempest, a 68 GTO and a 70 LeMans Sport and I loved them all. Hopefully I'll get my hands on some more old Pontiacs before I die.
I remember these cars from back in the day; just getting inside and going somewhere (anywhere for that fact) put me in a good mood.
I love mid-sixties Pontiacs. It's amazing that you are able to find all your cars such great shape. They don't tend to be collectible models originally purchased by enthusiasts which begs the question: who took such good care of them, and why?
Even though I'm a Mopar fan, no body matched GM styling in the 60's.
After seeing this amazing car, it just confirms modern cars are really crap.
My car is a '81 WB Caprice (in Australia) ; 116 inch wheelbase it's a big car. Beyond comfortable, great to drive...lots of room. Modern cars driver's shoulder so close to the passengers. Not my idea of comfort.
Modern cars are a whole different animal for a whole different reality. They’re far more durable and reliable than the older cars, while being faster, more economical, with better handling and refinement. And especially safety. Road death rates today are less than half what they were back then.
But you’re right that the older cars have so much more character because their designers and engineers had a much freer hand back then.
Actually, no, but the older one's were a lot easier to work on, FWD is a labor nightmare.
@@barryaiello3127 ; not much daylight under the hood huh ?? Seriously tight, ya' absolutely correct.
Well now it is about economy fuel consumption,pollution control,aero dynamics,the cars are bigger now than the older cars,they were longer but if you park a modern car next to an old car the new cars are huge.
Many safety features like air bags and they are designed to survive a crash,back then you had no air bag and well many people died.
I love the body deign of the old cars but no doubt they were sleek beautiful and elegant.
In the fall of 1965 my father brought home a brand new Pontiac Catalina station wagon (in Reef Turquoise) from Totem Pontiac in Seattle. I thought it was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen (I was 8 years old at the time). Years later, it was the first car I ever drove.
Beautiful car. And just by how you can name all the little details show how passionate you are about these cars. Well done!
Just one small request for upcoming videos: When you got the engine running, please take us to the rear and let us hear how she sounds. No stupid revving, just calm idling for a few seconds. I would really appreciate it!
The tailpipe sound is always a good thing to provide
haha i agree.....lou's car story drives me nuts....'''give it a rev.!!!
I rode in those Pontiacs all my life up in the Fresno area. I still see some on the road. The weather is hot and dry so they have survived. My first car in 1981 was a 1967 Pontiac 2-door Lemans coupe with only 21 thousand miles. I drove for many years! Love them Pontiacs.
mid to late 60's Pontiacs were absolutely works of art. Wish I could own real one. I have quite a few original issue 1:24/1:25 plastic models of these classics including promos and built kits.
I loved the foot vent, when I was a kid I would lank that knob back a forth in Mom's 67 Catalina...And the coolest "none politicly correct" accent was the Indian Headress as the HighBeam indicator
Let me add, My mom now 88 would holler at me while I messed with the foot vent knob and every other switch or button, AND we never wore a seatbelt..As a matter of fact, pop would grumble if we messed with the shoulder straps that were tucked NEATLY away...
@@dennisadorno6721 Our new '62 Catalina was the first car we had with front seat belts - an option at the time. Color coded, but no retractors. They just lay there, or if you didn't put them on, dangled out the car door. My dad forced this bratty 7-year old to wear them. I have been in the habit ever since.
@@dmiller1000 Seat belts??? I was about 5 years old at the time, I remember being in my moms first car, a Pontiac from the mid-50s..I probably didn't latch the front passenger door very well, so when mom made a left I was about 2" from the asphalt before she grabbed me....Thanks Mom...
@@dennisadorno6721 In our other cars without belts, when I rode shotgun my mom's hand would go out across my lap every time she made what she thought was a short stop. Parents knew instinctively what they had to do before belts were common.
@@dmiller1000 And it wouldn't have done a bit of good in a collision. My mom used to do the same thing, and with such force we probably sustained greater injury than if we'd hit the dash. _THUD!_ A straightarm across the chest and _"WHO-O-O-F!"_ a sharp expulsion of a perfectly good breath we were just about to use. But we were safe - more or less.
The "reading light" is correctly called a MAP light. Your car is a treasure and I personally like the heating controls.
The controls on the A/C cars seemed to be more natural.
These beautiful Catalinas were all over the place when I was a kid growing up near Detroit in the 1960’s. I remember riding in my friends’s Dad’s car and how smoothly it rode and how the engine purred.
Adam, I agree, these mid-60s Pontiacs looked great. At 5:23 we see the customer had 15 paint color choices as well as numerous interior hues to choose from when ordering their car. If you get more than 6 color choices on a mainstream car today you are lucky.
Yep. Few interior colors today too. It’s a bummer.
And most of the colors are grey, black, and white, with a red or occasional blue thrown in. I've owned a car since 1974 and I so far have avoided ever owning one that's grey, black or white. All have been either blue or green.
@@dmiller1000 Greater automation in the car building process should give us more choices not fewer.
And yet prices continue to climb. Something wrong with this picture.
@@rightlanehog3151 Part of it is the domination of leasing, which means they have to guess the resale value of the car coming off lease. If you have yellow, orange, or purple cars, it is assumed they tend to be worth less as a resale. Cars have become more of a tool and less of a work of art. Hopefully the worm will turn, but who know?
This is one of the most beautiful cars GM ever produced! Incredible grille, roofline, skirts - the whole deal. Reliable - smooth, bulletproof design. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your well justified enthusiasm for this gorgeous Pontiac!
We had a '66 Grand Prix in Palmetto Green. It had the 389 engine with four barrel carburetor. Beautiful car.
Beautiful Catalina & the color is awesome. What I remember so fondly in these cars is their neat articulated wiper system and how they wiped & cleared the whole windshield to the end. Thanks for posting !!!
GM was top notch in interiors back in the day 🇺🇸
Missed the colours from the 60s and 70s...Love the Catalina!
the catalina was made and sold only in the u.s. the canadian pontiac parisienne, was pretty much a chevy impala, with chevy drivetrains, built in oshawa, ont. the catalina in 1966 had a 389 c.i.d, with a thm 400 trans. impala/ parisiennes had a 283 c.i.d with a 2 speed (powerglide) auto. with a 3:36 to 1 axle ratio.
Catalina=Strato-chief. Bonneville =Parisienne.
@@MrJoedabaker Not really, the Catalina and the longer Bonneville had longer wheelbases than the Chevy based Parisienne.
Remember the Laurentian. Also from that era.
@@MrJoedabaker wrong! catalina was bigger, with pontiac motors and a pontiac interior and wasn't a chevrolet!
@@paulsheehan789 Huh... I thought that was after '66,when bodystyle changed. Oh well,I was a fan, just not so well informed I guess. Lol,and thanks.
the catalina, was nicer and bigger than the impala, it came std. with a 389 c.i.d, with a thm 400 tran., the impala had a 283 c.i.d and a two speed powerglide tran.
My first car was a 1965 Pontiac custom sport which was Canada’s version of the Grand Prix
A shame they put Chev engines in them
Yup..283’s with glides we’re everywhere n Canada… 327’s with glides and some 3 speed auto’s in higher option cars. I’m in Oshawa… those built cars were essentially Chev’s with Pontiac bodies. Almost never seen a 389 unless it was a U.S GTO….. having a Ford in this town was like having cancer. There was quite the car culture in this town… it was a blast 💥.
Beautiful car and color. Love these hardtops.
Where I grew up a guy had shipped a 1965 Catalina Hardtop Coupe over from Canada. It was metallic blue.
They hardly ever drove it, because gasoline went up to $5.5-6 per gallon back in 1979 when I got my license.
When they put it up for sale in 1985, I was not ready. I still was going to school and drove a 1965 Buick Skylark.
The car still "lives", but the owner, who bought it back then, changed the color. A shame.
The 1966 Coupe was for me the "Matchbox" car for many years. It was not untill after the turn of the century,
these cars started to appear at car meets here. Saw a convertible two weeks ago. Absolutely love them
low, long, and wide as they are.
Amazing how much space there is around the engine. You can practically sit there and work on it.
Things have changed here since the 1960's.
Apart from everything else what a fantastic colour!
Man...Pontiac was def in their stride at the time. This is a real beauty.
That front end though!
As a kid my family had a 64 bonneville that was about that color (Gulf Stream blue in 64). Your car makes me think of that one. Similar front end, but vertical tail lights in 64 instead of the horizontal ones they had after that. Also with real wood trim in the dash aboard, steering wheel and door panels. There was a light in the trunk you could remove and the retractable cord would let you take it out if you needed light after dark for a flat tire. Good idea and I’ve never seen another car with that feature. We got a 68 bonneville and the wood trim had turned to plastic by that time. I really enjoy your channel.
My grandma puchased a 66' two hardtop catalina new off the lot in 68'. It was red with black cloth interior. 389 V8/auto. It had A/C under along the dash. Drove it as her everyday car till she died back in 2011. She never used the side skirts.
When I was sick at school that car would come pick me up. Or she would drop me and my friends off at the mall.
I drove it in the 90's when I got my drivers license. The car was surprisingly fast. She literally granny drove it so I had no clue to power the car actually had.
Such a beautiful car, it is great that you have collected so many great cars
The way you talk about cars is wonderful - everything from the technical specs to the visual details.
My Mom had one just like it and if she had it her way she would have kept it for life. It was sold in 1982 for something more economical. Totally enjoyed your video. Brought me right back to family trips to Cape Cod and Virginia Beach. !👍👍
Barbara Eden car.
I went with my dad to pick up a brand new '66 4 door Catalina from Brownell Pontiac in Birmingham. I was 4 but I remember it well. It was the same color outside and in as the one in this video except ours was 4 door. We even had the same hub caps as this one. Brings back a lot of memories. I even remember the unique sound of the turn signals - THIS CAR STILL HAS THAT ORIGINAL SOUND.
The first car I bought was a well used 64, cost me 300 dollars. What a great car.
Wow this Catalina is well preserved. A beautiful car and built back when General Motors had amazing people running the show.
Beautiful car!!! Pontiac V8's were known torque monsters -- I remember a late 70's magazine article singing the praises of the Pontiac engine's Peterbilt-like torque curve: "if it's running, it's making torque!" IMO, GM was at its height in the 60's, and Pontiac was the height of GM. I'm not surprised that your Catalina rides and drives better than other 60's GM's you've had.
BEAUIFUL AUTO, thanks for showing it. This is when a car was a CAR !
Another great tour of a wonderful car, Adam. Thank you. (And the lavalier microphone sounds great.)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely stunning. Man the colors are wonderful, inside and out. Thank you.
This car brings back many fond memories. My grandpa had a '65 Catalina 4 door hardtop. It had a few more options than this one, but yours is in impeccable condition and it reminds me of what a beautiful car this generation of Pontiacs were. I can still recall sitting in the driver's seat in Grandpa's garage and thinking how cool those center mounted gauges that were angled toward the driver were. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane.
First time seeing this…
THAT IS A NICE LOOKING CAR
my friend had one , not quite that clean
🤣😂😅. It wasn’t…
CAN YOU SAY land barge…
REALLY , NICE LOOKING CAR …
One of the beautiful lines of the front is the visor metalwork above and below the headlights. It really set the style off well. Cadillac in 65 I think did the same thing and it was a beautiful touch.
I couldn't agree more! Love those pontoon front fenders and the stacked headlights. Very classy. The rear valance treatment and the taillights were classy touches as well. They don't style cars like that anymore.
Well done ! Thank you for that excellent walk thru on an outstanding classic machine ! The '66 Pontiac Catalina was my first car in 1972 @ 15 1/2 yrs old, green/black int. 2 dr . I just got my first drivers license in N. Dakota, (No picture on license). My H.S. sweetheart and I wanted to 'run away' and elope in that car. Everything you said about this car is spot on ! I rebuilt the 389 engine and transmission in it also with my grandfather. I also have a black/white picture of my '66. Today @ 65 yrs old, I am still driving and rebuilding classic cars. Wanna trade for my restored '69 Roadrunner?
Oddly enough, a 2nd gen Prius has the same weird temperature/fan control. It's still gimmicky and I'd much prefer real knobs or sliders so I don't have to tap the temperature button a million times either way OR go through menus on the main screen and take my eyes off the road. Either way, I wish car makers would all collectively agree not to do this.
11:39 I know you want to keep it original, but nobody would fault you if you installed a dual master cylinder.
I'm sorry you hated this car so much. Ha ha! It is indeed "a looker". My first car was a '56 two-door hardtop, so I was, and still am (well... except for the latest model) a Pontiac fan.
If you want to see a fun factory produced video on 1966 Pontiacs, search for a video titled, "Pontiac, Wide Open World of Youth 1966". Go to 0:28 in that video to hear the narrator tout them as: "Pontiac for 1966 --- Cars with a lean strong look".
Lovely as they are, there was nothing "lean" about these cars. The video goes on to show these big boats being tossed around corners like sports cars. (Plowing through corners was more like it.) ... That's not to fault the cars, they were beautiful but promoting them as youthful sports cars was frankly hysterical.
My father, by the way, used to hate these commercials. He always said, "If you were caught driving like this, your warranty would be voided immediately". He might have been right. Still, it was great fun to watch the video.
My father had one it was the best and most reliable car he ever had
The effin Catalina Wine Mixer!
Prestige Worldwide😜👍
The Pontiac 350 was always called a big block. Made my Chevy friends mad.
That's true...same withe the 326. There was no small block Pontiac V8.
The Pontiac 326 was actually a 336" to start with... and the 350 a 354"...
In 1976 I bought a '66 Bonneville wagon for $100. It was sitting for a long time in a neighbor's driveway and I asked if he wanted to sell it. It had a checkered past and no title. In those days I had to wait until it was 10 to register it w/o a title. It ran very rough and I found the firing order was messed up. It was running smooth 10 minutes after I opened the hood. Same color as this car but black interior which was mint, looked like leather with wood veneer and the exterior had some crash damage, mostly one rear door. Factory air worked too. Being a poor teen, I ran regular gas so could not open the secondaries on the Carter aluminum four barrel or the high compression engine that required premium would detonate loudly. It had a rear end clunking sound when turning after it got hot. I fixed this with new gear oil and GM posi additive. Yes, 4x8 sheets could go in the back. Great car and I gave it to my parents 4 years later as I could not get enough gas every day for my long commute during the '79 energy crisis (it used lots of gas!). I bought a small FWD hatchback and have owned them ever since. I don't remember what happened to the Bonnie but it must have been traded or junked. The horror!
Looks like a really nice car, inside and out!
The real seat comfort basic this car is lack is head rest. I remember my father Poni Crand AM 1973+/- 1 6.5L had perforated white Leather chair with Head Rest, head rest was inside seat back not above.
We had a black 4-dr Catalina and still think it was one of the most beautiful cars we ever owned.
My parents bought a new 1965 Pontiac tempest brand new window sticker was $2700 I believe!
My Uncle Tony had a '66 Catalina in a gold color, that he kept in a separate garage out behind his house. I was a young kid, but I remember how solid and composed that car felt, like it was almost permanent. He kept that car for a long time.
Only Thing More Would Be the 421 Tri-power, 3 2 Barrel Carbs, in 2+2 Model.
For those of us who are past sixty, these cars bring back memories. I sometimes think I wouldn't mind having a 1962 Pontiac, but this is a beauty.
I love the '62 GP and Bonneville too
Adam . Please sell me that beautiful time capsule of a car ! Please let at least one of your cars go ! Lol 😊 I really hope to hear back from you . I live in Kelowna B.C. 🇨🇦👍
Pontiacs were at one time a car for the cool in spite of the racial pejorative one can make with its sequential letters. GTO, Trans Am, Grand Prix, Bonneville, Ventura 2+2. Legendary automobiles that gave way to such ghastly creations as the Montana, Aztek and Solstice. General Motors can take cars with the greatest reputation (Cadillac) and turn them into something to laugh at. Damned shame
I LOVE mid '60s Fitzpatrick & Kaufmann Pontiac illustrations!
The cool thing about that era is this car, the Bonneville and others big cars could be ordered with a 4 speed manual trans. Not only GM, but Chrylser and Ford also had 4 speed manuals avail. in many the full size cars. Unlike today car builders then were in your face bad ass builders like the Harley Earls, Bill Mitchells, Lee Ioccocas, Delorean's etc. unlike the pansy asse nobodys running the show today.
Nice car growing up we had a 66 Laurentian 4 door which I think was equivalent model to the Catalina in Canada. Started learning body work on that car
Ahh. The good old days. Who needs a back up camera. Just keep backing until you hear the crunch.
Cars back then required a hell of a lot more maintenance though due to the available technology. If I remember correctly Points, Plugs and condensers were good about 15k miles. Shocks and muffler would last about 25k miles. Many engines would start to seep oil at the gaskets by 60 or 70k miles, not because of badly built but that was the gasket technology lifespan at the time. A lot of those gaskets have been eliminated today in exchange for silicone and other type of modern seals and adhesives. Same goes for the interiors. Back then everything was held together with screws, dash boards, trim, etc. Not so today as fancy designed plastic clips and adhesives hold things together. Thus no screw to vibrate lose and less rattles over time. My current car is a 17' SS Camaro 6 speed. Now with 46k miles. All I have done is change fluids and tires. Still runs like new.
They did generally require more frequent maintenance. Difference is the primary maintenance was generally simple, quick, easy and cheap. Little maintenance on today’s cars, outside of oil changes and sometimes brakes, adheres to those adjectives.
Back in the early 90’s my family had this exact car although it was a rust bucket and in really bad condition. The one thing I’ll never forget is one time my dad started the car and it backfired so bad that it blew the muffler about 20 feet from he car! Sounded like a rifle going off! haha Makes me sad knowing the car got crushed.
Had one as teenager.in1970. Very fast after i put a 4 barrel on it. White. Loved it
Wow it looks gteat, almost brand new. Thanks for pointing out all the standard features. No wonder they were no. 3 in the 60s.
I am really enjoying your description of your vehicles
I bought a 1963 Pontiac Star Chief when I was in the service. It came factory 389 with 3 deuces on it. I removed the triple set up and installed a factory 4 bbrl carb and intake. Freshened up the paint job and drove her from California back home to West Virginia. 52 hours of smooth "wide tracking" bliss. This was in 1972. Excellent old ride for a cross country trip. She performed perfectly
I LOVE that color, Marina Turquoise!
Like other comments, just to see brilliant color...not black, gray, or beige is just
wonderful.
Now GM turns out self destructing product after a few years, very few years.
That car is awesome it just needs an air conditioner such a big car no air conditioner I guess Earth wasn't that hot then but it sure as hell is hot now beautiful though..🥵
1966 BEAUTY ! 1966 PONTIAC CATALINA .
I used to have a green 1972 Pontiac Catalina sedan, with a green vinyl top and green interior. It was a wonderful transportation car. It was absolutely HUGE inside, and rode like it was floating on air. I wish I still had it. I now have a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis. It's big on the outside, but much smaller on the inside than that Catalina was. And while it is fairly comfortable, it doesn't have that floating over the road feeling.
In 1966 I was in 3rd grade. A friend of mine came to school one day bragging about his father just bought a 66 Bonneville. I said uhhh..ok.. whatever my father has a 62' Olds Ninety Eight..big deal. He talked about the 66 Bonny all day so after school I followed him home to look at it. And to myself I said wow, this is truly bad ass. And I did give him the nod of approval. From that day the 66 Bonny has been one of my favorite factory Lead Sleds.
Nice car I like it I had a 72 Pontiac Catalina I thought it was a nice ride I wish I still had it
My grandparents traded in their '65 Pontiac Star Chief for a new '72 Catalina. They really hated that car after having that 65 for so long, which was a far better car in every way.
After watching this video again & going through most of your videos Adam, the Pontiac’s dash looks super high quality & clearly looks a lot more premium to your other cars.This is a magnificent car & the colour is outstanding with the matching interior. Beautiful stuff!
Beautiful! It seems to have the basic body of the 66 Impala.
I remember when my Dad bought his 64 Catalina brand new , i still don't know who was more excited , him or me ( I was 5 years old ) . After a year he let go warm it up in winter for him , i still love the cold months .
WOW, what a BEAUTY, great condition for age. Love the Pontiac translucent steering wheel? My Fav, original unrestored. Mid-late 60's Pontiacs are sharp. Was this the era when John DeLorean was a designer?
He was the division chief.
THE STAR CHIEF EXECUTIVE WAS SLIGHTLY LONGER IN THE TRUNK AREA ! 1966
There was a time when Pontiac really knew how to design a car.
Friend had a 1966 Pontiac Parisienne 2+2 convertible. That was one beautiful car. This is as nice for sure.
Your lucky you have a heater. My buick lesabre didnt even had a heater. I found out that my car was sold to a person in Florida in the Miami area. These cars are great vehicles that gm made,big roomy and great for families. Just remember that the timing gears especially the cam gear had the plastic coated gears. They start falling apart around the 70,000 mile mark. Just a heads up to get the timing gears done before they come apart