A trunk big enough to sleep five …

Big cars were still in when the Pontiac Catalina left the showroom. It rode on a massage 123-inch wheelbase and had enough room inside to seat a large family.

At around 38 hundred bucks, the Catalina sedan was the least expensive big Pontiac, but it still came loaded compared to its Chevy counterpart. It came with a two-barrel, 400 cu. in. V8, good for about 255 hp, automatic transmission, variable-ratio power steering and power front disc/rear drum brakes. With mpg in the low double digits, it passes everything, except the gas station but then gas was only 39 cents a gallon. Yup, and check this out, people were freaking out at the possibility of a dollar a gallon.

RELATED Spot: Meet this car’s great grandpa, a 1950 Pontiac.

Inside, the Catalina had cloth-and-Morrokide (whatever that is) upholstery, while convertibles and station wagons featured more weather- and kid-friendly all-Morrokide seating.

RELATED Spot: Read about Pontiac’s pony car entry, the Firebird.

So what’s something like this worth now? Not a lot. I found a lot of them for sale and the ones in reasonable condition were anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000.

Be sure to check back next Friday for another one of my car spots with a little bit of history behind them. Have a great weekend.