Next week, during its Indy Sale, Mecum will sell this rare and beautiful prototype, 1959 Pontiac El Catalina, the only completed for testing.
History of the Pontiac El Catalina
This concept vehicle known as El Catalina was the first light-duty truck by Pontiac since 1928. It was an idea of [Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen] (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semon_Knudsen), American automobile executive at the the helm of Pontiac in order to improve sales figures against its concurrents Ford Ranchero, big success since its launch in 1957. Then, Chevrolet introduced its own version El Camino, other success 22,246 examples sold the first year (against 14,000 examples of the Ranchero).
So, the Pontiac engineers combined some elements of the Chevrolet El Camino (the cabin shell) to the chassis of the Catalina Safari. They had to do some adjustments to adapt the windows and the roof structure. But the top-level executives decided to cancel the program because the market was too small, only two El Catalina were built. This model is the last survivor.
Technical specification
The Pontiac El Catalina has a V8 engine delivered 300 hp with 4-speed super Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.
Beautiful interior in white leather with a orange touch. All features are installed : air conditioning, sportable AM radio, under-hood utility light.
Sources
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Bonus Pic
