I was in the nineth grade when they unloaded these new 1961 Pontiacs at the neighborhood dealer, fall 1960. My feelings have not changed - these are still as handsome today as they were then.
The 1961 Pontiac full size cars, particularly the Catalina and Ventura 2-door hard top "bubble top" cars, are just gorgeous. Thank you for posting this review.
Thanks for this focus on the 1961 Pontiac, Adam.. This is the car that set the tone for Pontiac for the entire decade of the 1960s going forward. Clearly a home run, and quite desirable today. Anyone that hears of a 421 Super Duty on the market, do yourself a favor and jump on it. Those are the definition of rarities.
Great video ad usual Adam!I love your channel.Your automotive knowledge knows no bounds.I love when your videos come out.I am a FAN!Keep them coming and as always cheers from Eulethra.
Love the 61 Pontiacs. The issue with the 119" wheelbase was corrected in 1962 when Pontiac went to 120" on the smaller full-size cars. I have been close to buying a 61 Ventura/Catalina/Bonneville bubble top a few times but most had rust issues. The closest I got was a 61 Olds Super 88 bubbletop. Keep the Pontiac stories coming!
Adam, If that gorgeous Safari wagon 4:43 is available with a low compression 389 bolted to a manual transmission and Positraction rear end, I will take two of them. 🤩🤩
Thanks for this episode, Adam! My dad's first car and our first family car was a 1961 Pontiac 2-door sedan which I loved as a kid. It was the Canadian-made Strato-Chief with an inline 6-cylinder engine supplied by Chevrolet. Canadian Pontiacs were top sellers for many years back in the day, even outselling Ford and Chevy for some years because of their value.
My best friend had a 61 Catalina for a while in the late 80s. I remember driving it from my house to his, about 5 miles away. Yes, that transmission was certainly weird. The 1-2 shift not only was a wide gap, but the trans (torque converter) went into lock-up mode as it hit 2nd. The saving grace was the ample low-end torque of the 389. Luckily, he sold it before anything could go wrong with it! (Yes, I know that the torque converter didn't lock up, but it's the easiest way to describe it)
So often the case that the built car looks better than the other proposals, but I wonder if that is partly because of the refinements that any selected proposal would go through between selection and production. On the roto question, there are some great discussions on various boards around the internet, with at least some folks recommending a quality rebuild of the original instead of a swap. That is one thing I love about the RCC videos - they are always a jumping off point for more research.
I love the curved A pillar and windshields that are unique to the '61 and '62 GM full sized cars. They are my favorites along with the '57 through '64 full sized Mopars.
Funny how the grill at 7:02 ended up on the 1961 Mercury, minus the nose. Love the downsized 1961 Pontiac- it was also the beginning of a coke bottle form.
Nice video. The beginning of a beautiful era for Pontiac and GM. I did not know the 389 came from factory with 3 carbs. Always thought it was modified. It explains why a Grand Prix I saw recently on FB for sale has it. Cool.
My folks 1st - second car was a 1961 Pontiac Catalina two door hardtop the car had the most greenhouse of almost any car ever sold. It was gifted to them from my uncle on ironically April 4, 1968 the same day Martin Luther King was assassinated.
I think the best car of the 1960’s was the 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7. But Chevy and Pontiac put out so many beauties that decade. I was born in 1962. If I was an adult in the early/mid 60’s, I would have bought a Pontiac.
I have to admire your taste while also disagreeing with your Cougar year selection. My favorite was the ‘67 XR7 because of the flower pot steering wheel and no side marker lights which look too “aftermarket” to my eye in ‘68. And yes… I owned a ‘67 XR7 and am therefore biased! 😉🤣
Some of those proposals look Buick like. My dad had a lot of transmission trouble in his 64 Bonneville. He had an experimental 4 speed automatic transmission.
The '61 Pontiac full size line up was outstanding . Style, great power, beautiful interiors and well built. Estes taking over kept the brand at the forefront Pontiac had seized the momentum and culture Knudsen created and just thrived . These vehicles were exceptional for the price. If you have ever driven one of these cars you will notice the quality immediately .
I guess there were a variety of bottom end variations on the 389 engine including some with 4 bolt main caps and forged crankshaft 1961 wasn't one of the years where some 389s came with the substandard and horrible cast connecting rods was it ? Also sometime in that era some GM cars had the perimeter sides of the frame deleted as a cost cutting measure that probably almost no one knew about ? (The X brace in the middle of the frame remained- I think the 1959 Chevrolet was an example)
Virgil Exner had the split grille in 1955 and 1956 Chrysler 300 and Imperial. Exner had earlier had the split grille for Studebaker in 1952, 1953, 1954. In 1955 and 1956 Dodge had a divided grille .But GM dominance was able to produce total amnesia in public recognition. So when the 1964 Imperial was styled with a split grille the public was convinced that Pontiac was copied. Chrysler stylists could have "owned" the split grille. I always felt they were cowards who lacked courage. Exner was (apparently forever) demonized for his preliminary design for the downsized 1962 Plymouth and Dodge which he disowned as "plucked chickens" wishing to redo the design. IMHO GM dominated styling in the 1960s (and beyond). After all they had the means to hire the best stylists and in great numbers. Ford had good styling as well. The 1961 Lincoln Continental was a definate classic.
Actually the 61 fullsized Pontiacs were a sales disaster. Second lowest sales since 1948 (only 58 was worse) with a 40% decline from 1960. I suspect the main culprit was the new downsized body, especially the Chevy like wheelbase of the Catalina-Ventura that saw an almost 50% decline in sales. Even if you add the 100,000 all new Tempests total sales were still way below 1960. A very bad year for Pontiac and perhaps a big motivation behind the steady growth in the size of the Pontiacs for the next decade. Inversely the 61 Pontiacs did really well on the race track thanks to a sizable weight loss from the previous design.
I’m more a mid-late 60’s guy when it comes to Pontiac (and cars in general) but some early 60’s Pontiacs were attractive in their day. I just prefer the 63-64 and especially the 65-66 designs as the early 60’s models still had too much of that over shaped “troweling” and heavy looking detailing of the 50’s.
Is the Roto-Hydramatic Transmission the same ones that were also called Slim-Jims? I had a 63 Cat years ago, and the auto trans was called a Slim-Jim by a garage worker, and I wondered if they were the same.
Bunky was fire fro Ford because Henry Ford II dodnt like him. Ford didnt like the way the giy would just barge into his office with out knocking. Ioccoca details it in his book, he didnt fore the guy, he reportrd to him
He got him fired. You’re correct that Bunkie was senior to Iacocca. However, seniority doesn’t always dictate power in a company. Iacocca had a ton of loyalists. He rallied his peers basically gave an ultimatum to HFII that it was Bunkie or him and if he left, he’d take a lot of people with him. Realizing Bunkie had alienated many leaders during his brief tenure, HFII fired Bunkie.
I’m more a mid-late 60’s guy when it comes to Pontiac (and cars in general) but some early 60’s Pontiacs were attractive in their day. I just prefer the 63-64 and especially the 65-66 designs as the early 60’s models still had too much of that over shaped “troweling” and heavy looking detailing of the 50’s.
Early/mid 60s the absolute pinnacle of automotive design. These Pontiacs are super sweet!
I was in the nineth grade when they unloaded these new 1961 Pontiacs at the neighborhood dealer, fall 1960. My feelings have not changed - these are still as handsome today as they were then.
61 -67 were nicely styled. 63 Grand Prix is my absolute favorite. Car was just the right size.
The 1961 Pontiac full size cars, particularly the Catalina and Ventura 2-door hard top "bubble top" cars, are just gorgeous. Thank you for posting this review.
Ditto that...
Thanks for this focus on the 1961 Pontiac, Adam.. This is the car that set the tone for Pontiac for the entire decade of the 1960s going forward. Clearly a home run, and quite desirable today. Anyone that hears of a 421 Super Duty on the market, do yourself a favor and jump on it. Those are the definition of rarities.
I love that the grills sweep up and in. It’s a great look!
Just bought a 1972 Pontiac Luxury LeMans. Took off the skirts and it already had silver tips so it is pure muscle. 🔥🥰🔥🥰🔥
My brother used to have a 71 Lemans Sport. I loved that car
Leave the Skirts on!!!!! That’s what makes the Luxury LeMans so SPECIAL and BEAUTIFUL 😍
Yep, the first thing I did when my dad gave me his Pontiac I went and took the skirts off.
What a great watch, perfect timing, just going out the door.........................
Back in the good old days.
Early 60s American cars are the best. All the manufacturers had beautiful designs
Great video ad usual Adam!I love your channel.Your automotive knowledge knows no bounds.I love when your videos come out.I am a FAN!Keep them coming and as always cheers from Eulethra.
Love the 61 Pontiacs. The issue with the 119" wheelbase was corrected in 1962 when Pontiac went to 120" on the smaller full-size cars. I have been close to buying a 61 Ventura/Catalina/Bonneville bubble top a few times but most had rust issues. The closest I got was a 61 Olds Super 88 bubbletop. Keep the Pontiac stories coming!
Adam, If that gorgeous Safari wagon 4:43 is available with a low compression 389 bolted to a manual transmission and Positraction rear end, I will take two of them. 🤩🤩
LOVED THE 1959 ! 60, 61, WERE ATTRACTIVE CARS. BY NOW FINS WERE GONE AND THE STYLE WAS COMPLTELY CHANGED. LOVED THE LeMans and the GTO !
Great job, awesome pics of some of my favorite cars, KEEP IT UP.
These things did well on the NASCAR circuit in 1961😊
Thanks for this episode, Adam! My dad's first car and our first family car was a 1961 Pontiac 2-door sedan which I loved as a kid. It was the Canadian-made Strato-Chief with an inline 6-cylinder engine supplied by Chevrolet. Canadian Pontiacs were top sellers for many years back in the day, even outselling Ford and Chevy for some years because of their value.
The 61 Pontiac and Chevrolet bubble tops are my favorite ❤️
That first proposal's side sculpturing looks like it was designed to resemble the '61 Tempest.
My favorite full size Pontiac.
My best friend had a 61 Catalina for a while in the late 80s. I remember driving it from my house to his, about 5 miles away. Yes, that transmission was certainly weird. The 1-2 shift not only was a wide gap, but the trans (torque converter) went into lock-up mode as it hit 2nd. The saving grace was the ample low-end torque of the 389. Luckily, he sold it before anything could go wrong with it!
(Yes, I know that the torque converter didn't lock up, but it's the easiest way to describe it)
So often the case that the built car looks better than the other proposals, but I wonder if that is partly because of the refinements that any selected proposal would go through between selection and production.
On the roto question, there are some great discussions on various boards around the internet, with at least some folks recommending a quality rebuild of the original instead of a swap.
That is one thing I love about the RCC videos - they are always a jumping off point for more research.
Beautiful cars Adam! However I would say 59 was when they really took off. The 61s are among my favorite Pontiac’s.
I love the curved A pillar and windshields that are unique to the '61 and '62 GM full sized cars. They are my favorites along with the '57 through '64 full sized Mopars.
Funny how the grill at 7:02 ended up on the 1961 Mercury, minus the nose. Love the downsized 1961 Pontiac- it was also the beginning of a coke bottle form.
Nice video. The beginning of a beautiful era for Pontiac and GM. I did not know the 389 came from factory with 3 carbs. Always thought it was modified. It explains why a Grand Prix I saw recently on FB for sale has it. Cool.
My folks 1st - second car was a 1961 Pontiac Catalina two door hardtop the car had the most greenhouse of almost any car ever sold. It was gifted to them from my uncle on ironically April 4, 1968 the same day Martin Luther King was assassinated.
Great vid!! 🤜🤛
I think the best car of the 1960’s was the 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7. But Chevy and Pontiac put out so many beauties that decade. I was born in 1962. If I was an adult in the early/mid 60’s, I would have bought a Pontiac.
I have to admire your taste while also disagreeing with your Cougar year selection. My favorite was the ‘67 XR7 because of the flower pot steering wheel and no side marker lights which look too “aftermarket” to my eye in ‘68. And yes… I owned a ‘67 XR7 and am therefore biased! 😉🤣
Some of those proposals look Buick like. My dad had a lot of transmission trouble in his 64 Bonneville. He had an experimental 4 speed automatic transmission.
Safari Wagon is class
🔥🔥🔥
I understand that (one of?) the first thing that Bunkie did as GM was to remove the Silver Streaks from the 57s...
Maybe do the '61 Old, Buick & Cad sometime? Well done.
'41, '61, & '70 are my favorite GM's for styling.
Better looking than the Chevy bubble-top.
Once again, McKellar was never Pontiac Chief Engineer. At one point, he was Chief Engine Engineer..
My 1st car was a '61 Star Chief
Both of those styling exercises for 61 seem to have a grille inspired by Mercury of the same era..
The '61 Pontiac full size line up was outstanding . Style, great power, beautiful interiors and well built. Estes taking over kept the brand at the forefront Pontiac had seized the momentum and culture Knudsen created and just thrived . These vehicles were exceptional for the price. If you have ever driven one of these cars you will notice the quality immediately .
I guess there were a variety of bottom end variations on the 389 engine including some with 4 bolt main caps and forged crankshaft
1961 wasn't one of the years where some 389s came with the substandard and horrible cast connecting rods was it ?
Also sometime in that era some GM cars had the perimeter sides of the frame deleted as a cost cutting measure that probably almost no one knew about ? (The X brace in the middle of the frame remained- I think the 1959 Chevrolet was an example)
I like the concept at 8:20, but I can see what you mean about it not being super Pontiac-y. I can see it as a really nice Oldsmobile.
Adam is that your Regal parked on the street behind your '59 Pontiac? I have one, a 2012 (with the LUK mild hybrid) and I love it.
Virgil Exner had the split grille in 1955 and 1956 Chrysler 300 and Imperial. Exner had earlier had the split grille for Studebaker in 1952, 1953, 1954. In 1955 and 1956 Dodge had a divided grille .But GM dominance was able to produce total amnesia in public recognition. So when the 1964 Imperial was styled with a split grille the public was convinced that Pontiac was copied. Chrysler stylists could have "owned" the split grille. I always felt they were cowards who lacked courage. Exner was (apparently forever) demonized for his preliminary design for the downsized 1962 Plymouth and Dodge which he disowned as "plucked chickens" wishing to redo the design.
IMHO GM dominated styling in the 1960s (and beyond). After all they had the means to hire the best stylists and in great numbers. Ford had good styling as well. The 1961 Lincoln Continental was a definate classic.
*Please talk about grilles* and design trends when they were made to look angry and/or 'expressive' - as if to make a statement
Actually the 61 fullsized Pontiacs were a sales disaster. Second lowest sales since 1948 (only 58 was worse) with a 40% decline from 1960. I suspect the main culprit was the new downsized body, especially the Chevy like wheelbase of the Catalina-Ventura that saw an almost 50% decline in sales. Even if you add the 100,000 all new Tempests total sales were still way below 1960.
A very bad year for Pontiac and perhaps a big motivation behind the steady growth in the size of the Pontiacs for the next decade.
Inversely the 61 Pontiacs did really well on the race track thanks to a sizable weight loss from the previous design.
I’m more a mid-late 60’s guy when it comes to Pontiac (and cars in general) but some early 60’s Pontiacs were attractive in their day. I just prefer the 63-64 and especially the 65-66 designs as the early 60’s models still had too much of that over shaped “troweling” and heavy looking detailing of the 50’s.
Is the Roto-Hydramatic Transmission the same ones that were also called Slim-Jims? I had a 63 Cat years ago, and the auto trans was called a Slim-Jim by a garage worker, and I wondered if they were the same.
Same
Bunky was fire fro Ford because Henry Ford II dodnt like him. Ford didnt like the way the giy would just barge into his office with out knocking. Ioccoca details it in his book, he didnt fore the guy, he reportrd to him
He got him fired. You’re correct that Bunkie was senior to Iacocca. However, seniority doesn’t always dictate power in a company. Iacocca had a ton of loyalists. He rallied his peers basically gave an ultimatum to HFII that it was Bunkie or him and if he left, he’d take a lot of people with him. Realizing Bunkie had alienated many leaders during his brief tenure, HFII fired Bunkie.
@@RareClassicCarsHmm.. is Francis having a stroke, or texting while driving?! 🤭
I’m more a mid-late 60’s guy when it comes to Pontiac (and cars in general) but some early 60’s Pontiacs were attractive in their day. I just prefer the 63-64 and especially the 65-66 designs as the early 60’s models still had too much of that over shaped “troweling” and heavy looking detailing of the 50’s.