eBay Find of The Day: ’62 Super Duty 421 Catalina

The early 1960’s were a busy and significant time in the automotive world. The election of President Kennedy had filled the country with hope and purpose. The hot rodding craze from California arrived in the east, while both stock car and drag racing were growing in popularity. In 1961, the NHRA held its first ever Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

That same year, Pontiac downsized the popular Catalina, making it the lightest and least expensive of the division’s full-sized coupes. When fitted with the 389cui V8 engine, the “Super Duty” car was highly favored by drag racers. Pontiac made several body parts available in aluminum for better performance, including aluminum front bumpers, radiator supports, fenders and more.

The following year, a Super Duty 421 option became available, intended for drag strip competition. The ’62 Super Duty 421 was officially rated at 405hp at 5600 rpm, but true output was rumored to be much closer to 460hp. Torque was rated as 425 ft-lbs at 4400 rpm.

One of these cars recently showed up on eBay, but failed to sell on a high bid of $132,600. Currently located in Vacaville, CA, the seller claims it to be “One of the most original ones left.” Fitted with the 421 engine, 4-speed manual transmission and 4:30 positraction rear end, the car is said to show only 13,400 miles on the odometer.

The car is said to be equipped with the full range of aluminum parts available from Pontiac at the time, including the truly hardcore aluminum exhaust headers. Other sources indicate that only about a dozen comparable 421 Super Duty Catalinas were built in 1962, so this would be an extremely rare and collectible car.