We’ve got another great Hot Rod Hoarder drag car feature right here and it is a special one. While everyone thinks that the current factory race cars are amazing, and they are from a performance perspective, the engineers who put out the factory drag cars of the 1960’s were an amazing lot. They did things to cars that would NEVER have been allowed past the bean counters today or then if it hadn’t been for dedicated racers in the company who helped sell the programs. And by sell, I mean hide in some cases, stretch the truth in others, and more. It was an awesome time, and this car here is one of the most extreme. Check out the feature below and we’ll let Tommy tell you why this one is so special.
Video Description:
The factory nearly destroyed the frames of these SWISS CHEESE Pontiacs by drilling more than 120 giant holes to reduce weight. This modification, along with aluminum body panels, a HOT 421ci Super Duty engine, plexiglass windows and other trick components gave these 1963 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty “Swiss Cheese” cars an advantage on the drag strip, against other factory drag cars, like the Z-11 Impala, 427 Fords and Max Wedge Mopars.
We’re digging into the history of the 1963 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty (nickname Swiss Cheese), and specifically looking at the history of the most famous example, which was raced by Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick. We’ll also show what happened to the car after Arnie Beswick moved on into the match racing and funny car world. The car has recently changed hands and is in a private collection in South Georgia, but we got a chance to see it up close and personal at the Savoy Auto Museum, during the amazing FACTORY DRAG CAR exhibit.
This car, and several others were a spectacular display of the intense fight amongst the big three American auto manufacturers during the early 1960’s. Pontiac only built 14 of these VERY special Catalinas before General Motors pulled the plug on the factory racing program in January of 1963. Only a few still exist, and the Arnie Beswick car is by far the most famous and recognizable, due to its race wins and famous owner.
Thank you to Dean Fait for helping me document the history of this iconic and historic Pontiac drag car. Dean wrote an amazing book about Arnie Beswick’s racing career…check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Arnie-Farmer-B…
