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Build Your Own 50s-60s Dream Car

152 messages,  Last post on Oct 22, 2009 at 1:59 PM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Convertible

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#93 of 152 Nice Picture, Argent.... by andys120 Feb 21, 2003 (4:58 pm)
I've been a fan of the early Pontiac GPs ('62-'64) since I first saw them. There's something about those clean lines and those eight lug wheels that makes me forget they're basically just cleaned up, luxed-out Catalinas.   IIRC the 421 was available as well as the 389 (including the Tri-Power).
#94 of 152 by argent Feb 21, 2003 (6:03 pm)
Yeah, GPs were available with the 421, either in single 4-bbl form (353 hp) or Tri-Power (370 hp), and you could get a 4-speed box, but I imagine most of 'em were sold with the base 303-hp 389 and Hydra-Matic. There were allegedly three GPs produced with Super Duty 421s, although that wasn't a regular production option. Most people who were going for the street-racer probably bought the cheaper Catalina. Personal luxury buyers weren't that interested (almost no T-bird buyers went for the tri-power 390 option, for example).
#95 of 152 by argent Feb 21, 2003 (7:17 pm)
On a different subject, here's another 'never was' dream car idea -- a '67 Cougar fastback.   I kinda like the Cougar, and the idea of a Cougar grille (and those sequential taillights) and trim...   ...with the '67 fastback Mustang roofline:   Sounds nice. I like Ford's dark green color (ala Bullitt's Mustang), and the tan XR-7 interior. I'm not enamoured of any of the '67 engine choices for the Cougar, so I'd rather use a '69 351 engine -- even the 351 Windsor seems like a better tradeoff than either the 289/302 or the 390 engines.
#96 of 152 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Feb 21, 2003 (7:38 pm)
Well you could plop the 351 Cleveland heads and a high rise on the 302 and have yourself a Boss Cougar! Oh, 4-bolt mains, too, I guess.
#97 of 152 by argent Feb 21, 2003 (8:02 pm)
Nah... there were some Cougar Eliminators with the Boss 302 engine, I recall (I recently read a CAR LIFE review of one), but the Cougar seems like it needs easy torque, not screaming horsepower. The 390 engine is a stone, though, both in terms of output and in the extra heft it puts on the nose.
#98 of 152 by grbeck Feb 23, 2003 (6:51 pm)
Another sharp fastback is the 1967-69 Plymouth Barracuda. It has handsome styling and tough drivetrains. The 273 (for 1967) and the 340 (for 1968-69) were just about perfect - powerful, but light enough not to hurt the balance of the car.
#99 of 152 RE: 1963-64 GPs by wq59b Feb 23, 2003 (9:41 pm)
A decent percentage were manuals: 5157 units in '63, 3124 in '64. Not sure which was more common, but somewhere I found this stat: in '66 there were 386 4-spds & 531 3-spds.   There WERE 3 '63 GP SDs- none known to have survived... but none of the 16 '62 GP SDs were known either, yet in the last 8 years or so 3 have surfaced. Find a '63 GP SD and you'll have made a MAJOR find.   Yes- the GP & Cat share the same 'small' B-body, but theres a great deal of differences between the Catalina & GP besides just trim. The whole package comes off as much more upscale; the unique roofline, the buckets/console/floorshift, vacuum guage & other guages, upholstery, wood trim, grillework front & rear, lighting, etc. The early GPs (63-66) are beautiful cars.
#100 of 152 I agree..... by andys120 Feb 24, 2003 (10:33 am)
the GPs do come-off as more upscale than a Catalina or even a well-optioned Bonneville.   The '65-'66 restyle did nothing for me but it's interesting that Pontiac beat Buick, Olds, Cadillac and Chevy to the draw with a credible competitor to the T-bird by a couple of years.   The early-mid 60s were truly the golden age of the Tin Indian.
#101 of 152 Barracuda by argent Feb 24, 2003 (1:04 pm)
I like the '67-'69 hardtop better than the fastback. The 2nd-gen fastback looks better than the earlier Barracudas (which are ungainly from many angles), but the hardtop seems classier. Oddly, there are a bunch of first-generation fastback Barracudas around Los Angeles, but I've only ever seen one 2nd-gen, and it was so obviously rusty that I was amazed it was driveable.   This is a '68 notchback hardtop:   And this is the rear of a '68 fastback:
#102 of 152 I've gotta agree with you here... by ndance Feb 24, 2003 (4:59 pm)
Both versions of the pre-1970 Barracuda fastbacks are, um...., beauty impaired. I think they are much more archaic looking than say, a 67/68 Camaro. The notchback is OK, but those little scoops are silly looking (ranks right up there with hood mounted tachs).   For that matter,I've always wondered what was going on through the minds of a designer looking at a clay model at an early Dodge Charger (aka the Rambler Marlin). Ooh lah lah, maybe.

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