Pontiac had built a well-deserved reputation as General Motors performance division by 1967. Innovative performance enhancing engineering, matched with attractive but aggressive styling, set the division apart from the pack. The legendary Wide-Track chassis introduced in 1959 captured the public’s imagination and the automotive media’s praise. Motor Trend magazine named Pontiac Motor Division Car of the Year, in 1959 and again in 1965. In addition, Pontiacs were tearing-up the nation’s race tracks by the early ’60s. GM would officially pull the plug on factory sponsored racing, in 1963, after several very successful NASCAR and drag racing campaigns for Pontiac. By then Pontiac was riding high in sales, largely due to their youthful performance image. Undaunted by the loss of the race teams, they would change the automotive landscape forever with the introduction of the GTO in 1964. The public and the automotive press were all over Pontiac’s new muscle car, and it was the talk of the industry. However, lost in the wake of the GTO’s release, was another new Pontiac that hit the showrooms in 1964: the Catalina 2+2.
