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When it comes to muscle cars, name plates like the Ford Mustang, the Chevy Camaro and the Dodge Challenger may come to mind. Chances are, most people don't think of a 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2, but this little known muscle car is gaining in popularity. While Catalina 2+2 is not as widely known as its muscle car cousn the GTO, it has its own fans and is available for a steal in terms of muscle cars prices. The Catalina 2+2 can be had for as little as $8500 for a coupe. A convertible can be had for just $14,500.
When it comes to muscle cars, name plates like the Ford Mustang, the Chevy Camaro and the Dodge Challenger may come to mind. Chances are, most people don't think of a 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2, but this little known muscle car is gaining in popularity. While Catalina 2+2 is not as widely known as its muscle car cousn the GTO, it has its own fans and is available for a steal in terms of muscle cars prices. The Catalina 2+2 can be had for as little as $8500 for a coupe. A convertible can be had for just $14,500. The Catalina 2+2 was introduced as a high powered version of the full sized Pontiac Catalina. Pontiac had much success from the 1964 introduction of the GTO and hoped that a larger engine in the Catalina would give the auto maker the same type of success. The Catalina 2+2 was basically the same car as a regular Catalina with a 389 V8 engine that generated 283 horsepower with the four speed manual transmission. In addition to the larger engine, the Catalina 2+2 had a sportier appearance, with a console, an updated interior and bucket seats. The Catalina 2+2 was the first high performance vehicles among the larger Pontiac models. The Catalina 2+2 was an experiment by Pontiac to see if a larger number of Pontiac car buyers would choose the Catalina 2+2 with plenty of power and room for a growing family over the smaller GTO. The 2+2 designation was borrowed from the tradition of European sports cars and meant 2 seats in the front and 2 in the back. Unlike the sports cars of Europe, which had small backseats, the Catalina 2+2 had a full sized backseat that could comfortably seat three. The first year sales of the Catalina 2+2 was just 7,998. In spite of such low sales numbers, Pontiac decided to redesign the Catalina 2+2 for 1965, certain that there was a market for a family muscle car among older, more affluent drivers. The 1965 Catalina 2+2 was larger than its predecessor, but it had sleeker lines. Pontiac also dropped a larger engine, making the Catalina 2+2 a full fledged muscle car. The 1965 Catalina 2+2 boasted a 421, 383 horsepower V8 with a floor mounted three speed manual transmission. Other new options for the 1965 Catalina 2+2 was a tachometer, a front anti sway bar and aluminum wheels. The Catalina 2+2 had a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.9 seconds and topped out at 30 miles per hour. In spite of the coupe selling for $419 over the regular Catalina, the car saw a jump in sales of 44 per cent. Over 11,000 Catalina 2+2s were sold in 1965. The 1966 Catalina 2+2 saw few changes, but the sales dropped by almost half due to the competition of the smaller, cheaper GTO and the larger Bonnevilles and Grand Prixs. Current prices for the 1965 and 1966 Catalina 2+2s are cheaper than any other muscle car, but as there were only a few of these cars made, they can be hard to find. |
