1977-1982 Pontiac Catalina: Under The Under Dog

1977 Pontiac Catalina

Base models of any given car are often overlooked by the automotive press in favor of more exciting trims with more power and features. You’ve seen it before: the brochure shows the GT or LX parked in front of some fancy opera house while the DX is at the grocery store. Often these lowly base models can offer some of the appeal of it’s more expensive relative with considerably more value.

When the “old GM” had all of its divisions overlapping and duplicating each others offerings, it’s line of big cars were divided into two types: the big B-Body and bigger C-Body. By today’s standards even the so called midsized B-Body seemed large, but in 1977 GM rolled out new downsided full-sized cars that actually gained interior volume over their replacements, but lost as much as 800 pounds in the process. GM was shrewd in its early bid to downsize-resulting in success when the gas crunch happened again in the beginning of the ’80s.

Much of the reason was that GM managed to keep key proportions in tact that fell in line with customer expectations, especially on the interior where there was more room than before. Other carmakers like Ford and Chrysler had mixed results with their attempts at downsizing. GM was more consistent in its application and seemed to have done downsizing right.

1980 Catalina with optional wire 14′ wheels

Of the GM divisions offering a version of the B-Body, Pontiac was by public perception the least recognized, despite offering four and two door sedans as well as a wagon that was actually based on the larger C-body chassis. With the mid-sized LeMans being replaced by the downsized Catalina, the Bonneville became Pontiac’s top big car, although not always convincingly as the cheaper Catalina was the same size and trailed it in most key respects.

Both the Catalina and Bonneville shared the same body panels, only subtle differences in the amount of chrome and the rear wheel cover or skirt of the Bonneville distinguished them in most years. Even within the trim lines there were small differences between the grille of the coupe vs sedan. ‘Cat and Bonnie’ if you will, did share the same range of engines that went from the standard 3.8 liter V6 to an array of V8s (some initially banned in California due to emissions regulations). There was even a rarely seen Oldsmobile sourced diesel variant. Like many of GM’s divisions who shared engines, Pontiac was no different with some of it’s V8 coming from Buick or Oldsmobile (especially cars sold in California).

The handsome 1978 Pontiac Catalina coupe

The Catalina 2+2 had a short but storied history as one of the fastest cars of the early muscle car era, but the new ’77 was far from that legacy as it was a response to strict emissions standards. Being that the Catalina was often sold as a “stripped down alternative” to the Bonneville, most went out the door with the Buick sourced base 3.8 liter V6.

Being the base model did not mean that it was truly stripped of elegance. Aside from a reduction of brightwork and the absence of the flap over the rear wheel wells, the Catalina actually looked like a sportier version of the Bonneville, much like the Impala was the sportier version of the Caprice. At least to my eyes it was the more handsome car of the pair thanks to selective restraint and the absence of the wheel apron.

1980 Catalina interior

Nothing betrayed the Catalina’s occasional luxury aspirations as much as it’s front bench seat. You got a split-bench as standard equipment in the Bonneville. The Catalina was marketed as part of a tiered options package, meaning that once you went beyond a certain tier, you were into Bonneville territory. This insured that no Catalina could be as well equipped as a Bonneville. Even the station wagon was tiered from bare bones Catalina Laurentian Safari to Bonneville Parisienne Safari.

However, because both models shared the same engine range, the Catalina could in theory be equipped with the 400 cid V8. That would be mostly theory, as the Catalina’s biggest engine was usually reserved for the Bonneville Parisienne Safari station wagon. In sedans there were often in police cars or the occasional taxi. With the sedan weighing in at around 3500 pounds, the downsized Catalina would have been handicapped as a performance car with only 105 hp from its base engine. The largest V8 with around 180 hp, might have pushed it into performance car territory by 1977 standards. By the ’80s, Pontiac was offering a 4.9 liter V8 with even less power than the old 400 thanks to ever stricter emissions standards.

1981 Mid-sized LeMans Safari (left) and Full-sized Bonneville Parisienne Safari (right)

The lighter Catalina would have had a slight edge over a heavier more optioned Bonnevilles in fuel efficiency if not all out speed. Despite such an advantage, the Catalina was never promoted as a sleeper performance car. It’s performance potential was exploited mostly as a police car, a role it seemed well suited for. Oddly enough, with features like three and four speed automatic transmissions, rear drum brakes and 8 track stereo options, the 5th gen Catalina’s spec sheet looked similar to the 1967 model in some ways. Everything was there except the muscle car-like performance.

1979 Catalina dash

It was because of Pontiac’s muscle car legacy that most people still knew Pontiac for it’s sporty intermediate coupes. Even its smaller cars like the Phoenix got more attention than the Catalina/Bonneville pair. During the time of the 5th generation Catalina, Pontiac was not yet into full steam marketing any sedans as true performance cars. That would not come until the arrival of the 6000 STE in 1983 and Grand Am in 1985.  The Catalina did excel as a smooth riding, reasonably comfortable highway cruiser that just happened to be relatively efficient with the base engine.

The Catalina’s best attribute might be it’s subdued and modern appearance. The fifth gen car’s lines were crisp and modern and set the tone for the squared off look of GM’s large sedans for the ’80s. The ’77 model in particular with it’s simple cross grille was the cleanest expressions of the “Pontiac look” as it applied to sedans. Successive grille designs would evolve the vertical slat look until it became a standard identifiable Pontiac design trait by the mid ’80s.

1977 Catalina Safari

The Catalina was always overshadowed by the Bonneville which in turn was overshadowed by Chevrolet’s popular Impala/Caprice duo. Even Buick had more success with their B-bodies than Pontiac. That’s too bad because finding a clean working Catalina from this era would be a rare and have some collector potential. Think about it – the right car properly equipped would come close to the Bonneville in just about every way. Plus there’s the bonus of not having to bother with the skirt when changing or cleaning tires.

The Catalina’s underdog status might have been part of the reason the name was dropped by 1982, despite being around since the ’50s. In its place a further downsized and now front wheel drive Bonneville would become all things to all people looking for the ever shrinking Pontiac ‘big’ sedan.

1981 Pontiac Catalina