When the NHRA revised its rulebook for 1962, stating that only factory-installed components were legal for stock class competition, Pontiac responded by making its SD-421 a factory-installed option on Catalina and Grand Prix models. The 405hp beasts were not intended for daily transportation and carried no warranty—their sole purpose was destroying enemies.
Less than 200 SD-421 powered Catalinas and Grand Prixs were produced that model year, and each seemingly has a unique racing history. Eugene Riotte of Ardmore, Oklahoma, recently completed the restoration of this Mandalay Red Catalina. After 42 years, it was reunited with its original mechanic, and eventually its driver as well, and HPP was on hand for the momentous event.
A New ’62 Super-Duty Catalina
Lewis Sharp became an employee at Lane-Moak Pontiac in Jackson, Mississippi, when ’62 Pontiacs were still on the showroom floor. “I knew the service manager, Bud Graves, and he hired me on as a line mechanic,” says Lewis, now 72 years old. “I wasn’t into Pontiacs, but I thought the new Catalinas looked great and was excited to learn that you could get one with an SD-421 right from the factory.”
Lewis Sharp maintained and...
Lewis Sharp maintained and drove the Catalina for Lane-Moak. He purchased it in 1964 and raced it on his own budget. He sold it in 1969 and hadn’t seen it since. The two were reunited at the 2011 POCI National Convention in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Colin Lane, co-owner of Lane-Moak, liked fast cars. “There was a ’57 Corvette in our area that had a fuel- injected 283 and no one could outrun it. Mr. Lane wanted a car to beat it, so in 1962 he ordered a Super- Duty Catalina,” recalls Lewis. To ensure the Corvette’s defeat, Lane made arrangements with Pontiac to deliver the car to Nichels Engineering in Highland, Indiana, where its SD-421 was blueprinted to NHRA-legal specifications.
The Mandalay Red Catalina was produced at the Pontiac, Michigan, assembly plant on July 24, 1962, and Lane-Moak didn’t take possession until very late in the year. “I fell in love with the car,” says Lewis. “I remember it was equipped with aluminum front and rear bumpers, hood, and inner fenders, but the outer fenders were steel. It also had a unique dash-mounted tachometer with a factory wiring harness. I don’t know if it was installed by Pontiac or Nichels Engineering, but it was there the day the Catalina was delivered.”
A source of controversy, Lewis...
A source of controversy, Lewis Sharp says this dash-mounted tachometer was already installed the day the Catalina was delivered to Lane-Moak Pontiac. Eugene reinstalled it during the restoration using a reproduction wiring harness exactly like the original.
Bud Graves hired Lewis’ brother-in-law, Kirk Kirkland, to drive it, and Lewis was enlisted to maintain and repair it. “We raced mostly in Mississippi and Louisiana, and Kirk drove it for the first seven races. I drove only a few times early on and remember it being very fast. We had no problem beating the Corvette, which went on to become B/Stock champion at the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis. We probably could’ve won, but we just didn’t have the money to go.”
Lane-Moak tried ordering a ’63 Super-Duty Catalina, but General Motors’ ban against factory-backed racing prevented it. “We built our own using an ordinary ’63 Catalina two-door hardtop,” remarks Lewis. “The NHRA told us it wouldn’t be race-legal, so we continued racing the ’62 and that’s when I started driving.
At a race weight of 3,850 pounds, it generally ran the quarter-mile in the low-to-mid 12-second range. The quickest ever was 11.88 at Biloxi, Mississippi, and the fastest speed was 122 mph at Monroe, Louisiana. We even beat one of the Sox and Martin Plymouths in 1964.”
The Super-Duty 421 was factory-rated...
The Super-Duty 421 was factory-rated at 405 hp at 5,600 rpm and 425 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm in 1962. This correct-replacement SD-421 now displaces 431 ci but looks completely original.
Lane-Moak quit racing the Catalina in 1964 and Lewis purchased it for $850. “I continued racing it at the same dragstrips,” he adds. “My friend David Barker named it ‘Big Chief,’ and I had that painted on the side.
Diesi Pontiac in Opelousas, Louisiana, also raced a ’62 Super-Duty Catalina. It was Mandalay Red and had aluminum fenders. Once Diesi quit racing, I purchased the fenders and installed them on my Catalina. The paint matched perfectly so I only had to buff the finish.”
Lewis sold the Catalina in 1969 when the cost of racing became too great. “It eventually ended up in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. My son saw it sitting at a service station in the mid-’80s and wanted me to buy it back. I had spent so much money racing it over the years and made so many sacrifices to keep it on the track that I really wasn’t interested in it any longer. I figured I’d never see it again.”