Cary Lewis of Anniston, Alabama has a big Pontiac. Lewis' 1965 Catalina 2+2 has all the muscle and good looks of a 1965 Pontiac GTO but with plenty of elbow and trunk space to spare. Lewis, 62, says, 'Some people have never heard of the car billed by Pontiac as "the big GTO," that being the Catalina 2+2.' One look at the stacked headlights and a peek at the high-performance 421-cubic inch V8 under the hood reveals a myriad of similarities. Lewis' dad, Joseph Richard 'Red' Lewis, was the parts manager for the Pontiac store in Anniston for 44 years. Pontiacs were always parked in their driveway.'We always drove a Pontiac, we never had a GTO but we did have a Grand Prix or two but mostly Bonneville's,' adds Lewis. When the '64 model GTOs hit the showroom, Lewis and his dad took turns test driving it after Lewis got out of school. 'We didn't just look at it, we took turns trying to burn the rubber off both rear tires and I think we did. Afterwards we took it back to the showroom floor and parked it. I still remember the smell of tire rubber and clutch,' said Lewis. 'I was 15 years old,' he added.
The 2+2 was an option on the Catalinas. The 2+2 offered buyers bucket seats, a heavy duty suspension and best of all, they got Pontiac's potent 421-cubic inch engine which produced 338hp with the 4-barrel carburetor. The top-rated 421 HO engine with 3-two barrel carbs was rated at 376hp. That's a powerful punch and reason enough for Lewis to search for more than two years to find a suitable 2+2. Pontiac built 11,521 Catalina 2+2s in 1965. Lewis bought his heavily-optioned 2+2 about a year ago. Lewis adds, 'They just didn't make that many and only a few have survived. Mine is in a constant state of restoration.' Lewis plans to continue cruising and showing his 2+2. He works on the big Cat when his budget will allow. 'Most of the mechanical work is complete, body work and interior work will be next, as soon as I win the lottery,' says Lewis.
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Option list for Lewis' 1965 Catalina 2+2
PRODUCED THE 4TH WEEK OF MAY, 1965 IN PONTIAC MICHIGAN
VIN NUMBER - 252375C143280
OPTIONS:
2+2 PACKAGE-INCLUDED 421C.I. ENGINE, BUCKET SEATS, HEAVY DUTY SUSPENSION, 2+2 BADGES
SOFT-RAY-GLASS, TINTED ALL WINDOWS
TWO SPEED WINDSHIELD WIPER WITH WASHER
4 SPEED Syncromesh Transmission
TRI-POWER-THREE 2 BARREL CARBURATORS
CONSOLE
TACHOMETER
REAR POWER ANTENNA
REAR DEFOGER
PUSH BUTTON RADIO
POWER WINDOWS
POWER BRAKES
POWER STEERING
TILT WHEEL
DELUXE STEERING WHEEL
DUAL HORNS
POWER TRUNK RELEASE
8 LUG ALUNINUM WHEELS
LIGHT GROUP-MAP AND DOME LIGHTS, CONSOLE, GLOVE BOX, CONSOLE, ASHTRAY AND REEL OUT TRUNK LIGHT
DAY/LIGHT REARVIEW MIRROR
REMOTE CONTROL OUTSIDE MIRROR
PARKING BRAKE WARNING LAMP
RALLY GAUGES
FLOOR MATS
DOOR EDGE GUARDS
BACKUP LIGHTS
PADDED DASH
ELECTRIC CLOCK
SAFE-T-TRACK DIFFERENTIAL