1956 Pontiac Star Chief Catalina
The Pontiac was an American automotive brand owned by General Motors. It was initially introduced to be a companion with GM's expensive Oakland line. Quickly though Pontiac would overtake the Oakland and due to its popularity completely passed by its former parent company by 1933. It established itself as one of the dominant division for GM and would eventually be slotted above Chevrolet but below Cadillac. They represented an affordable mean of transportation but with an emphasis on performance. Unfortunately due to the financial crash of 2008 the Pontiac line would be discontinued allowing GM to focus on saving the other brands it had left. The Star Chief was manufactured from 1954 to 1966 and could easily be identified by the unique "star" and "chief" themes used in their various trim designs. This beautiful 1956 is the Star Chief Catalina hardtop and has been fully restored. The car has a very unique design and is sure to stand out at car shows where you are likely going to see tri-fives but not any of these Pontiacs. It was a 5 year long project that was completed right around 2012. It was very well done and the new two tone Dark Red and White paint are the perfect combination on a car like this. These cars were loaded with stainless trim and chrome, all of which is in excellent condition and mostly all new or redone. It has long strips of trim on the rear fenders with matching trim on the hood to each side of the light up Pontiac Chief hood ornament. It is very classy which was clearly a primary goal for Pontiac at the time. It has its large original front/rear bumpers which shine beautifully. The glass on the car is all good throughout with no cracks or issues. In back the car has its original continental kit which is designed to flip up to the side when you need to get your hands on the spare or access the trunk. It has a similar design as the stock wheels which all feature the Chief profile logo on the hubcaps. The wheels are wrapped with wide white wall tires and tuck nicely under the fenders with very cool stainless skirts over the back.
Turning the tires is a small block V8 that runs great. It has been rebuilt and fitted with nice chrome Edelbrock valve covers, a 4 barrel carburetor and a Edelbrock air cleaner. It is backed by a new 4 speed manual transmission that shifts smoothly and offers the opportunity to really "drive" and feel the car as you cruise around. The car is located in Texas and has no cooling issues even under the Texas sun. This is thanks to the aftermarket Aluminum radiator that utilizes both a mechanically driven and electric fan. It sounds great through the new exhaust and rear end of the car was also rebuilt. The brake system has been all gone through and also upgraded with a CPP power brake booster and proportional valve. A power rack and pinion was added as well making this car not just a looker but a smooth driver. Underneath it is all solid and it has received new floors.
The interior was redone in a matching Red and White which is in great shape. You can tell it has been very well cared for since completed as the upholstery is in excellent condition. It features a split front bench seat with matching lap belts and it also has a bench seat with belts in the rear. It is very comfortable and spacious giving you the option to bring the whole family out for a fun car show weekend. The dash in these cars were beautifully designed and this one features fresh matching paint. It has been kept mostly stock with its original style gauges, knobs, switches, etc but an aftermarket Pioneer stereo (with remote) has been added. Speakers were installed in the kick panels/package tray and sound great. It also does have a secondary fuel gauge added below the dash in order to preserve the original gauges. The Vintage Air AC/Heat system all works properly and is the more modern R134A with a Sanden air compressor. The shifter is a Hurst mounted floor shifter as indicated by the Hurst Equipped emblem on the deck lid. The trunk is all nicely carpeted and offers plenty of storage space. This is also where you will find the relocated battery in a box.
This car is a very unique 50's icon and was well restored. It has a long life on the road ahead of it and is a sure fire head turner wherever it goes. Additional pictures are available on request including build pics and it comes with a stack of receipts plus some additional parts.
This beautiful car could be in your garage for $57,500.00!
