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It’s a shame when a good thing has to come to an end. When Pontiac went under a couple years ago, many of us hated to see it go. What could have been if Pontiac was still around, especially with the growing number of classic-styled muscle cars coming back onto the market? We will never know, but if we had our wish come true, Pontiac would be producing vehicles like the ones Hooniverse wants for Christmas. With a ’69 Firebird 350 convertible, ’71 GTO 455 coupe, ‘67 GTO H.O. convertible and the only Catalina Bubble Top ever made on their wish list, who can blame them?
Pontiac used to mean performance. It wasn’t enough to just drive your car, you were supposed to be able to drive the daylights out of it. That’s why Pontiac became known for its performance. Sure, Pontiac shared some base models with other companies like Chevrolet, but if you owned the Pontiac version, you were getting a car with more bells and whistles than any other model.
Obviously the ’69 Firebird 350 was one of those cars. With a 350ci XE engine under the hood and a TH350 to grind gears with, the Firebird 350 was the epitome of a muscle car. Add that to the extras like power steering, power disc brakes, available power convertible top and special order paint options, and that muscle car became the top of the line in comfort and performance.
The ‘71 GTO is a very desirable car, especially with the 455ci YC-code engine under the hood. With 325hp and 455 lb.-ft. or torque, this car was a beast in its own right. Although it was a brute on the road, available options like the Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering, brakes and windows, and bucket seats with center console, made the GTO soar above other muscle cars when it came to the amenities. If you have one of these iconic GTOs, hold onto it, especially if it’s a hard top. Only 534 were ever made.
The ‘67 GTO H.O. was another “goat” that screamed performance. Equipped with a 400cui High-Output V8 engine, this car was capable of producing 360hp. That may not seem like a lot by today’s standards, but back then, that was more than a scary amount of horsepower. Adding to the GTO’s performance was the M20 four-speed manual transmission, 3.55 Safe-T-Track rear end, Ride and Handling package, power steering and power disc brakes. To give the car a bit more of an edge, it was also equipped with bucket seats, a Rally gauge cluster and a hood-mounted tachometer. Are you drooling yet?
The last of these four Pontiacs, you may not be as familiar with. The ’62 Catalina Bubble Top was created for none other than Mickey Thompson as a way to get the Pontiac brand more attention. The car was equipped with a “Department X” all aluminum 389ci engine with experimental aluminum heads and a cast aluminum intake matted to a 4-barrel carburetor. Only 14 of these engines were ever built with the one in the Catalina Bubble Top being the only one known to exist in running condition.
If you’re a Pontiac fan, these are all dream cars, some more so than others. Fortunately, for the right price they could be more than just a dream. All the cars seen here are for sale through the Saint Louis Car Museum. Now, if only Pontiac had stuck around to resurrect some of them….
