Just Cool Cars: 1966 Pontiac 2+2 is sleek, powerful
BURBANK, Calif. -- Growing up in Michigan, Paul Jamieson fell hard for a Pontiac that he could only describe as "the GTO's big brother."
A friend's father owned one, a 1966 Pontiac 2+2, the performance version of the full-size Catalina that is a huge car with a massive engine.
"It was one of my dream cars when I was a kid," he explained at a weekly car gathering in Burbank at a Bob's Big Boy restaurant. "It's just one of my all-time favorites."
Easy to see why. It is sporty, a two-door with bucket seats and rakish lines. And it is powerful. A 421-cubic-inch V-8 produced more than 300 horsepower. Jamieson says his car is good for 376 horsepower, aided by three two-barrel carburetors perched on the top of the giant engine.
The 2+2 made its debut in 1964. It was priced $418 higher than the full-size family car, Hemmings Motor News reported.
Jamieson says Pontiac only made about 6,000 2+2s, of which fewer than 1,000 were convertibles and less than 200 had the four-speed transmission.
So it's not only beautiful, but rare -- a standout among the 21 cars he owns.