Enter the Super Duty Program
Almost immediately after finally getting a modern overhead-valve, over-square V-8 engine in 1955, Pontiac began experimenting with it to get more horsepower. In 1956, some Pontiac V-8s were fitted with dual four-barrel carburetor setups, and 1957 brought the introduction of the novel fuel-injection system on Bonneville convertibles, as well as the Tri-Power (three two-barrel) option available on all Pontiacs. In 1960, Pontiac developed its first Super Duty (SD) engine packages designed specifically for competition use. These weren’t warmed-over production engines only fit with additional carburetors — they were hand-assembled, heavy-duty, high-compression monsters built for serious racing.
The Pontiac 421-cid V-8, introduced in 1961, was the centerpiece of the Super Duty program that year. Rated at 405 hp by 1963 (though the real number was likely closer to 450), the Super Duty engine featured forged internal components, a high-lift cam, dual Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors, and factory long-tube headers.
Catalina + 421 Super Duty = Fast
While later muscle cars would prioritize lightweight midsize platforms, the 1963 Catalina Super Duty was unapologetically big, bad and brutal. Despite weighing in at more 3,700 pounds, Pontiac engineers found creative ways to shave off weight and increase speed on the most serious lightweight race versions.
Buyers could option their Super Duty Catalina as lightweights with aluminum front-end panels, including the hood, fenders, bumper, and radiator support. Inside, a no-frills interior, sans radio, and optional lightweight bucket seats helped further reduce mass. The “Swiss Cheese” Super Duty Catalinas even had giant holes drilled in their chassis to lighten them up further for drag racing.
Every component of the car—from the heavy-duty suspension and Borg-Warner four-speed manual transmission to the beefed-up rear end— was designed with one purpose in mind: to win. Only about 88 of these lightweights were built before General Motors, under pressure to downplay its performance image, officially ended factory racing support in early 1963. That makes the ’63 Catalina 421 SD not only rare, but one of the last true expressions of unrestricted factory racing engineering from Pontiac.
