JUST LIKE ITS ANCESTORS THAT DOMINATED NASCAR CIRCUITS A FEW YEARS BACK, OUR TEST CAR WAS STEADY AND STABLE AT TOP SPEED.
|
|
by Bob McVay, Assistant Technical Editor |
N MOST LANGUAGES, 2+2=4. But in Pontiac's special automotive lingo, 2+2 means a powerhouse with beauty, grace, and a road-hugging ability far above its passenger-sedan running mates.
Offered in either a Catalina convertible or sports coupe, the 2+2 option includes a husky 421-cubic-inch V-8 with dual exhausts, a 3.42 performance rear axle, and a floormounted three-speed, all-synchromesh transmission. Included in this package are heavy-duty springs and shocks, special interior and exterior, and a chrome engine dress-up kit. Price is $418.54 above that of a standard Catalina two-door hardtop; slightly less on the convertible.
Add on the options shown in our spec chart (among them the four-speed), and the tidy total comes to slightly over $4000. It's a lot of car for the price, but then Pontiac has had this habit for some time. It's a pretty good reason why they have a firm grip on the 3 sales slot in the nation.
Docile as a kitten in town, our 338-hp charger turned wild when we put our foot down hard. Acceleration was very strong throughout the rpm range in any gear. Especially impressive was the car's excellent passing acceleration and lugging ability in fourth gear, with 459 pounds-feet of torque available at 2800 rpm. The car pulled smoothly from 20 mph right up to 115 in fourth without a whimper.
This combination of a large-capacity engine in a relatively light body should prove an excellent tow car for the weekend racer or traveler. Pontiac's extensive option list lets the buyer specialize his car for his specific purpose. This one is a natural for the man who likes to or has to pull things.
The 421-incher comes in 338-hp standard form (as installed in our test car) or the 356-hp option with 10.75 compression ratio and a four-barrel carb. Then there's the HO option, with its three two-barrel carbs that puts out a roaring 376 hp and speaks with even more authority.
For all practical purposes, the 338-hp standard version should prove more than enough for the family sportsman who loves to drive a man's automobile. Its lightning-quick response in any gear carried us from point to point in very short order. Only on fast, tight turns did we detect the slightest amount of carb flooding. That wide power range is very handy for good control on fast, sweeping turns and for holding top allowable speeds on long upgrades regardless of load.
|
BEEFY 421-INCH POWERHOUSE PROVED SMOOTH, DOCILE, AND QUIET IN TRAFFIC, BUT CAME ON WITH A WILLING ROAR WHEN UNLEASHED.
|
|
|
