What Engine Came In The 1972 Pontiac Catalina & How Much Horsepower Did It Have?

The 1972 Pontiac Catalina represented the fifth generation (1971 through 1976 models) of a nameplate that started out as a trim option on various Pontiac models from 1950 to 1958. Getting its name from the island located off the coast of southern California, the Catalina replaced the Chieftan and Super Chief models in 1959. It went on to become a full-size muscle car by 1965, before making the transition to the least expensive, but still well-equipped full-size Pontiac in the early 1970s. 

The engines that powered the 1972 Pontiac Catalina were full-size as well. The base engine was a 400 cubic-inch V8 with a two-barrel carburetor and single exhaust that put out 175 net horsepower. Buyers could also boost the output to 200 net horsepower by adding the optional dual exhaust.

There was also a 455 cubic-inch, four-barrel carb engine upgrade, which came in a few different flavors. The L66 came in two versions, providing either 185 net horsepower (single exhaust) or 200 net horsepower (dual exhaust). The final step up was the L75, also available in the Pontiac GTO, which had a 250 net horsepower rating, but put out a very respectable 375 lb-ft of torque.

[Image by Greg Gjerdingen via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

The engines in the 1972 Pontiac Catalina were large, but they were subjected to the double whammy experienced by all brands at that time. On one hand, increasingly tight emissions control legislation and fuel economy demands were sapping the power of all automakers' engines across the board. 

To make things worse, California passed a bill requiring manufacturers selling cars in the state to post "net" horsepower (with the engine connected to all accessories and emissions equipment it would have in the vehicle) and not "gross" horsepower (optimized for max performance with no accessories, air cleaner, fan, or emissions controls). These new net figures were mandated in all California marketing materials starting in the 1972 model year. To simplify the administration of this new California law, vehicle manufacturers switched to net horsepower nationwide. This made their cars look a lot less powerful to consumers, and made marketing a car's performance basically pointless.

Values of 1972 Pontiac Catalinas are difficult to pin down because so few of them have come to market. A recent check on Classic.com showed only three 1972 Catalinas in the past three years. Two of the three are the very rare convertibles (only 2,399 made out of 228,262 Catalinas in 1972), which are the most likely body style to have been preserved and not driven into the ground over the past 50+ years. One of these convertibles sold for $5,800, while the other went for $10,500.

[Image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]