Hooniverse Fastback Friday – 2 Mid Sixties Pontiac Full Sized Fastbacks


Welcome to Hooniverse Fastback Friday, where I find some interesting Fastback Vehicles from across the web to bring to your attention. Blake has lately been on a British Car Obsession, and while I can appreciate the occasional piece from Great Britain, they are nowhere near as reliable as a 1960’s American Full Sized Car. On top of that, the typical British heap commands more money than either of these two Classic American Beauties. Let’s discover the 1965 Pontiac 2+2 Hardtop, and the 1967 Pontiac Executive Hardtop.


The first of these Full-Sized Road Queens is this 1965 Pontiac 2+2 2-door Hardtop, and according to the listing:

This is an Original, Matching Numbers 1965 Pontiac 2+2 Catalina 2 door Hardtop, with the Monster 421 Tri Power Engine and the Original Build sheet and Owners Manual. This Sleek and Strong Cruiser has never failed to perform or impress and with only 23k miles on the rebuilt 421/356hp Tri Power Engine, an older partial repaint, a new Dash Pad and of course normal maintenance is in Original factory condition.

So if your looking for a Rare, Original, Big Block, Tri Power car that has the Great Classic, Sleek look, starts easily, is always dependable, runs and drives strong then this Pontiac 2+2 is worth a good LOOK!

Unfortunately, you will have to inquire for the selling price, so take a look at the Hemmings listing here.

The next Full-Sized road-cruiser is this 1967 Pontiac Executive 2-door hardtop. The Executive slotted between the Bonneville, and the Catalina in the lineup. According to the listing:

Just arrived, this car is an eclectic Pontiac Executive Coupe. Excellent original Coronado Gold Poly metallic exterior with contrasting cream painted top and factory black vinyl interior and carpet. This car is equipped with the original 400 cubic inch V-8 engine, two barrel carb and automatic transmission. This car has been refreshed and detailed and is ready to drive or show. 

• 100% laser straight body panels
• Excellent original paint in Coronado Gold Poly metallic
• Contrasting cream painted roof
• Factory black vinyl interior and carpet
• Excellent interior & door panels
• Great chrome and soft trim throughout
• Original 400 cubic inch V-8 – two barrel carb
• Cold factory air conditioning
• Original AM radio & factory clock
• Factory spinner wheel covers and newer whitewall tires
• 73,000 garage kept miles since new


Asking price for this bruiser is only $14,500. See the Hemmings listing here.
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  1. njhoon Avatar
    njhoon

    I'll take the '65 any day of the week. I love the mid sixties Pontiacs they are just awesome. I almost had a 66 Grand Prix when I was younger, it is one of the 'ones that got away' that I still kick myself over.

    1. Smells_Homeless Avatar
      Smells_Homeless

      I did have a 66 GP through college. Your self-kicking is well deserved.

  2. Black Steelies Avatar

    The '65 has the better powerplant option but the '67 lacks the fenderskirts that always looked peculiar to me, especially on a car designed for performance to some extent.
    I think the peculiar looks of the '67 are quirky in the right way and would grow handsome the more I look at it. Besides, for my purposes the 400 would suit just fine. On top of that, the 21 absent cubes and 2 carbs MIA could result in better mileage, an invaluable feature these days!

  3. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    Styling of the big Pontiacs began to go downhill in 1967 (along with the rest of the big GM cars) but it hadn't gotten to the 1969+ bloated uglies yet. If price isn't a factor, then I'd take the '65 on looks though no A/C is a downside. However, a price of "inquire" always means "expensive", so the '67 would be a better deal as well as a more useful daily driver.

    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      Hey, I had a '68 Bonneville 4-door sedan (one of 3,499 built), and I thought it was pretty cool looking.

    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      That linky no worky.

    2. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      Linky works now. Such a sad story, especially the Corvair that was crushed. It was a '69, one of only 6,000 built.

  4. $kaycog Avatar
    $kaycog

    I love this 1967 picture of Delta Pontiac dealership in Stockton, CA. The sign says "1967 Wide Tracks are here."
    <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3336/3429632618_c801325e8b.jpg"width="500"/&gt;

    1. chrystlubitshi Avatar
      chrystlubitshi

      one of my great-mechanic good-friends has always told me he likes Pontiac women… "wider is better" (and he doesn't mean it to be cruel or in jest… he actually means it to represent his own tastes (5'9" 130lbs… 28" waist.. little guy!)..).. always makes me smile and think of him when the whole "wide-track" ad campaign is mentioned
      thanks,

  5. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    "So if your looking for a Rare, Original, Big Block, Tri Power car that has the Great Classic, Sleek look, starts easily, is always dependable, runs and drives strong then this Pontiac 2+2 is worth a good LOOK!"
    Punctuation, grammar, and caps issues aside, and not getting into the hair splitting of calling a car with new dash, rebuilt engine and a respray "Original", Pontiac never made a big block. 326 through 455 all had the same external dimensions.

  6. raphaelinberlin Avatar
    raphaelinberlin

    stranger and (maybe) cheaper, the '67 wins for me

  7. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    I'd take the 2+2 with the 421 Tri-Power. The engine in the Executive is a 2-barrel, and is probably the low-compression 265hp step-down engine, that you could also order in the GTO (for people who couldn't handle a real 400).
    Car and Driver did a face-off in the March, 1965 issue between the '65 2+2 and a Ferrari 330GT 2+2, which elicited a howl of protest from the Ferraristi at the time:
    http://www.330gt.com/magazinearticles/caranddrive
    The Pontiac managed a 3.9sec. 0-60 time – not too shabby!

    1. tonyola Avatar
      tonyola

      Ah yes, the classic Royal Pontiac ringer. You can bet that a 2+2 off a regular showroom floor wouldn't come close to matching it.

    2. tonyola Avatar
      tonyola

      From the Car and Driver test:
      "If the Ferrari was a woman, she’d be about thirty-five with an athletic figure and sad eyes. She’d be a lousy cook, sensational in bed, and utterly unfaithful. The Pontiac would have an enormous bosom and the pretty-but-empty face of an airline stewardess. She’d be earnest but uninspired in both kitchen and boudoir, and your friends would think you were the luckiest guy in the world."
      1965 – ahh, that innocent and sexist year. Just think of the letters C/D would get if they wrote like that today.

      1. dukeisduke Avatar
        dukeisduke

        Wow, I didn't remember that. I just scanned the article today; I haven't read the whole article in over 30 years.

      2. Feds_II Avatar
        Feds_II

        Dear Car and Driver,
        That was awesome.
        Feds_II.

        No? Not like that?

  8. Smells_Homeless Avatar
    Smells_Homeless

    I'm kinda on the fence on this one. On the one hand, my parents brought me home as a new model Smells_Homeless in a turquoise 67 Bonneville. On the other hand, as I mentioned somewhere above, I owned a trashed, but much loved 66 GP for a couple of years and really learned to appreciate the styling on them.
    The 65 has better features and arguably styling, but that 67 is one clean motorcar. Can I have both?

  9. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    I also had a '64 Grand Prix, but it was pretty tired when I bought it. Base 389 4-barrel with a Slim Jim and 8-lugs. They cheaped out IMO by putting the funky, troublesome Slim Jim in the Catalina and the GP, instead of the four-speed Hydra-Matic. The 1-2 shift of the Slim Jim is something I'll never forget.

  10. Seth_L Avatar

    If the 67 had Blue Vinyl it would be a no brainer.

  11. Black Steelies Avatar

    I agree with that sentiment but I don't think it started going downhill until a bit later.

  12. AteUpWithMotor Avatar
    AteUpWithMotor

    I would quibble over calling either of these cars a fastback, particularly the '65. Yes, the sail panels have a rakish tilt, but it still has a distinct notchback profile. The '67 is 'faster,' but it's still a far cry from, say, the big Ford XLs.
    I think the '65-'66 Pontiac B-bodies are a fabulous piece of design. You don't really appreciate its intricacy until you study it closely (or try to photograph it decently, which is surprisingly difficult) — a lot of subtle compound curves.

    1. longrooffan Avatar

      Big XL FTW , although this one I spotted last summer is a newer version of them….
      <img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-opiiKe4OSvA/TXq4LQx2q3I/AAAAAAAAO-8/_K1umr3UyJs/s1600/1+082.jpg&quot; width="600" end="">

      1. dukeisduke Avatar
        dukeisduke

        Mag wheel covers FTW!

    2. Jim Brennan Avatar
      Jim Brennan

      Aaron, Yes these have rakish roof lines, and so did the 1965 Mustang, and no one has any problem with calling it a "Fastback" even though the roof didn't flow all the way back to the tail panel. So, if that Mustang can be called a "Fastback", then these two Pontiacs can be called "Fastbacks".
      <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3802445131_83bf85e23f.jpg&quot; alt="" />