1963 Pontiac Catalina

In our third and final (for now) Catalina instalment we present John Mead’s utterly beguiling 1963 Catalina. Could this be the ultimate dual-purpose classic: hubcaps on, it won’t look out of place in any show ‘n shine. Snap the shiny bits off and you have a formidable drag racer.

John races the Catalina in nostalgia and vintage events, and turned a best 1/8th mile ET of 8.94 last season, “not bad for a C/S, 3,790 lb car.” John’s Cat is powered by a 405 h.p. 421” with stock heads, forged flat-top 10.5:1 pistons, a forged crank, forged rods, and a street cam. The induction is a tri-carb setup, and the ignition is stock.

Check out Dragtime News for more info.

Thanks to John.

1963 Pontiac Catalina

1963 Pontiac Catalina In Show Trim