Pontiac Catalina

The name "Catalina" was first used on the 1950 Chieftain Series 25/27 hardtop, Pontiac's top trim level package at the time, and later added to the Star Chief in 1954, Pontiac's equivalent of the Chevrolet Bel Air. Originally referred to as "hard-top convertibles", these vehicles offered pillarless design in the door and window areas, along with the top-grade convertible appointments. The advantage this fixed-roof design offered is its sporty, airy feeling without the expense and drawbacks normally associated with convertibles. With the exception of the 1958 Bonneville, all Pontiac hardtops were designated "Catalinas" from 1950 to 1958. Powered by a flathead straight-eight engine at the time of its debut, it would receive Pontiac's new OHV Pontiac V8 four years later. A one-piece windshield was new for 1954. A padded safety dash became available in 1956. The names "Catalina" and "Bel Air" are upscale communities in Southern California, United States. File:Pontiac Chieftain Catalina 1953.jpg|1953 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina hardtop coupe File:1954 Pontiac Star Chief Eight Custom Catalina 2d HT.jpg|1954 Pontiac Star Chief Catalina hardtop coupe File:1955 Pontiac Chieftan Hardtop.jpg|1955 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina hardtop coupe File:1955 Pontiac Starchief (15041199863).jpg|1955 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina File:56 Pontiac Chieftan (7819886402) (cropped).jpg|1956 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina hardtop sedan File:1956 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina (2772066367) (cropped).jpg|1956 Pontiac Star Chief Two-door Catalina File:1957 Pontiac Chieftain (29689701332).jpg|1957 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina hardtop coupe File:1957 Pontiac Star Chief (19545567434).jpg|1957 Pontiac Star Chief Catalina hardtop coupe File:Pontiac Star Chief 1957 4.jpg|1957 Pontiac Star Chief Catalina hardtop sedan File:1958 Pontiac Chieftain (29617380205).jpg|1958 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina hardtop coupe ==As a stand-alone model==

1959–1960 For 1959, Pontiac dropped the name "Chieftain" and "Super Chief" models for its junior-level series and renamed it "Catalina", while demoting the former top-line Star Chief to intermediate status eliminating the two door Star Chief Catalina, the only hardtop for the Star Chief was the four door hardtop and expanding the Bonneville nameplate to a senior series that included sedans, coupes, convertibles and Safari station wagons. Styling highlights include thin-pillar rooflines and greater use of glass for increased visibility. Pillared four-door sedans feature six-window styling, while two-door hardtops were dubbed "bubbletops" due to the large wraparound bubble windshield and thin c-pillar and large rear window; four-door hardtops featured flat-blade rooflines with an overhang past the rear window. Wheelbases were 122" for Catalina and 124" for Star Chief and Bonneville inches, but overall length on Catalina was 7" shorter than Bonneville and Star Chief at . The 1959 Pontiacs featured a "split grille", which came about by accident when the styling studio was exploring grille design. Experimentally, a design for a conventional, full width, oval grille, containing horizontal quad headlights, was cut in two and the halves transposed. With the lights remaining at the extremities, this gave the split center, open ended look of the '59 Catalina. Along with the wider body came a 5" wider chassis in which the wheels were moved out towards the fenders. This not only improved the appearance of the car but led to improvements in ride and handling - spawning the term "wide track" ride and handling which Pontiac would use in its promotional efforts for many years to come. All Pontiacs were powered by various renditions of the new 389 cubic-inch Tempest V8 (which was later renamed from 1961 as the Trophy V-8), which was basically a version of the previous 370 cubic-inch V8 with stroke increased to 3.75 inches (the 370ci was used in 1958-model Pontiacs and based on the Pontiac V8 design introduced in 1955). Catalinas came standard with a version of the 389 with two-barrel carburetor and 8.6 to 1 compression mated to the three-speed manual transmission. When the optional four-speed Hydramatic transmission was ordered, the standard engine was version of the same engine with higher 10.5 to 1 compression ratio. Available as a no-cost option with the Hydramatic transmission was the 215-horsepower 389 (dubbed the Economy V8) with 8.6 to 1 compression ratio which burned cheaper regular gasoline, instead of the premium and super-premium fuels required for the high-compression engines, and capable of achieving more than 20 MPG on the highway. Optionally available at extra cost were higher-power versions of the 389 V8 with four-barrel carburetion rated at with manual gearbox or 303 hp with Hydramatic, a 4-barrel carburetor version with a horsepower rating of 318 hp, or "Tri-Power" options with triple two-barrel carburetors and 330 hp or . Inside, a revised instrument panel featured a new horizontal sweep speedometer along with minor changes in trim patterns. 1961–1964 The 1961 full-sized Pontiacs were completely restyled with more squared-off bodylines, the reintroduction of the split grille first seen in 1959 and dropped for 1960 and an all-new Torque-Box perimeter frame with side rails replacing the "X" frame chassis used since 1958. The new frame not only provides greater side-impact protection than the "X" design but also improves interior roominess. along with various "over the counter" performance options offered by Pontiac including aluminum bumpers and even lighter frames with drilled holes (which were dubbed the "Swiss cheese" frames). For 1963, Catalinas and other full-sized Pontiacs featured cleaner, squared-off bodylines and vertical headlights flanking the split grille, but retained the same dimensions and basic bodyshell of 1961-62 models except for the rear flanks of the new coke bottle styling and due to this styling the rear track was extended to the 59 and 60 Pontiac's 64" wide track. Engine offerings were revised as the and versions of the 389 V8 were dropped in favor of "production" versions of the larger rated at with four-barrel carburetor, with Tri-Power, or a "HO" with Tri-Power . The Super Duty 421 was still offered to racing teams during the early portion of the model year but discontinued after General Motors ordered Pontiac (and Chevrolet) to "cease and desist" from factory-supported racing efforts in February 1963. New options for 1963 included a tilt steering wheel that could be adjusted to six different positions, AM/FM radio and cruise control. With the downsized 1977 model, the Catalina Safari got a new two-way tailgate that could be opened to the side as a door or lowered as a tailgate which replaced the more complicated 1971-76 clamshell tailgate design. The wagons also shared the same full-coil spring suspension as their sedan counterparts, rather than the multi-leaf springs found on 1971-76 Safaris. As Pontiac V8s were completely banned from the State of California beginning in 1977 due to the inability to meet the state's more stringent emission control standards, Catalinas (and Bonnevilles) sold in California were equipped with engines from other GM divisions through 1981. Those included the Buick 231 V6 and an assortment of V8s including the Chevrolet 305, Oldsmobile 307, Buick and Oldsmobile 350s, and Oldsmobile 403 V8. The Catalina was discontinued after the 1981 model year as Pontiac sought to abandon the full-sized car market as part of GM's continued downsizing program. When production of the Catalina nameplate ended in 1981, over 3.8 million Catalinas had been sold since 1959. ==Canada and Canadian exports==

Strato Chief, Laurentian, Parisienne and Grande Parisienne From the 1950s through 1970s, GM of Canada offered a unique hierarchy of full-size Pontiac series different from the American Catalina, Star Chief, Executive and Bonneville lines. In Canada, Pontiac was still marketed as a medium priced make, but with a lower price spread than those in the U.S. Closely paralleling Chevrolet's Biscayne, Bel Air and Impala series, by 1959 the Canadian models were named Strato Chief, Laurentian and Pontiac Parisienne. The Strato-Chief series had been introduced for 1958, replacing the Pathfinder De Luxe. When Chevrolet introduced the "Super Sport" as a distinct model line in 1962, GM of Canada soon made available a similarly equipped Pontiac "Custom Sport" (rebadged Pontiac "2+2" in 1967 to mirror a name used by Pontiac in the US for a sporty model based on its Catalina series). And when Chevrolet rolled out its topline Caprice model in mid-1965 to compete with Ford's newly introduced upscale Ford LTD, GM of Canada introduced the "Grande Parisienne" trim series for the 1966 model year. For the 4 years that Grande Parisienne was offered, 1966-1969 it was available as a 2-door hardtop, 4 door hardtop, or the model with no twin in the US, the 1967-1968 Grande Parisienne station wagon with hideaway headlights. Front end styling copied the U.S. market Grand Prix. Like all Canadian Pontiacs built from 1955 to 1970, Laurentians used full-size Chevrolet chassis, drive trains, and other parts, but using a body shell similar in style to, but not interchangeable with, the U.S. Catalina. For example, a 1964 Pontiac Laurentian looks like a Catalina, but has more in common with the Chevrolet Bel Air. Through at least 1967, however, the Laurentian wore the three "stars" normally associated with the Pontiac Star Chief/Executive series, even though other exterior trim pieces were similar to the Catalina. The Laurentian was available in all the body styles used for the Chevrolet Bel Air, including hardtop coupes and sedans, through the 1962 model run. After 1963, hardtops were offered only in the Parisienne and Grande Parisienne series (first offered in 1966), which paralleled the Chevrolet Impala and Caprice respectively. However, two-door hardtops returned to the Strato Chief and Laurentian series in 1969 because Pontiac discontinued its Catalina 2-door sedan in the U.S. after the 1968 model run. The Canadian model line nameplates were never sold in the U.S. They were built for the Canadian market and for export from Canada as disassembled "crate" or "kit" cars. The one exception came when the Parisienne became an American Pontiac offering beginning in mid-1983 through 1986, although by this time the U.S. and Canadian offerings were identical. As the only remaining full-size Pontiac model available at the time, the Canadian Parisienne had been coveted by US dealerships as a flagship model to fill that market segment and compete with the Caprice offered by Chevrolet dealers. The existing name was deemed suitable for the purpose and production was simply extended to cover both countries. Right-hand drive Laurentians were assembled from CKD kits by GM Holden in Australia from 1959 to 1963. In Australia, Laurentian was replaced by Parisienne for 1964. Parisiennes and Laurentians were assembled from CKD kits by GM South Africa in South Africa; and from SKD kits by GM New Zealand in New Zealand. As well, these kits were assembled for both Left-hand drive and Right-hand drive markets in Europe at a GM plant in Antwerp, Belgium. Canadian Pontiacs were used in part because, for fellow Commonwealth countries, there were advantages with import duties. But largely due first to the economies of part sourcing two separate GM lines from the same parts bin. Second, with higher gasoline prices and lower discretionary spending than in the US, Canadian Pontiacs like Chevrolets were more affordable, hence more marketable overseas. Thirdly, without the bulk and weight of American Pontiacs, their Canadian counterparts were better adapted where space can be limited, as in Europe and in a British RHD environment where an overly large full-size car suffers considerable disadvantages. These RHD cars had the same dashboards whether Chevrolet or Pontiac (Impalas and Bel Airs were also exported to RHD markets) and only one dash design per bodyshell run so the 61-64 models had the one dash (a RHD version of the 1961 Pontiac layout) even though it changed annually in Canada and the 65-68s all had a 'transposed' version of the '65 Chevrolet dash. The RHD cars also had antiquated, short, 'clap-hands' wipers that almost met in the middle of the windshield rather than the parallel wipers of the LHD Canadian cars. Local radios, upholstery and two-speed heater/demisters were fitted – some Australian cars had local Frigidaire air conditioning. File:'62 Pontiac Strato Chief (Rassemblement Rigaud 2013).JPG|1962 Pontiac Strato-Chief 4-Door Sedan (Canada) 1963 Pontiac Laurentian (27398728333).jpg|New Zealand-assembled 1963 Pontiac Laurentian File:1964 PONTIAC Laurentian.jpeg|1964 Pontiac Laurentian 4-Door Sedan '65 Pontiac Strato Chief (Auto classique Laval '10).jpg|1965 Pontiac Strato-Chief (Canada) '70 Pontiac Laurentian (Auto classique Laval '11).JPG|1970 Pontiac Laurentian Four-Door Sedan File:'78 Pontiac Laurentian Coupe (Orange Julep '10).jpg|1978 Pontiac Laurentian 2-Door Coupe (with non-standard wheels) ==Footnotes==