Royal Bobcat Brochures & Prices
 

Here are some of the mailings I kept from 1966 & before. With all the interest on Royal Pontiac Racing lately, I thought you may like to see these.

Note that Royal would put the Bobcat kit in your GTO, including blueprinting the cylinder heads for $200. Seems crazy in today's world, but $200 in the 1960's was about half of a person's monthly earnings. Mechanics were earning less than $2.50/hr. with dealers hourly rates at about $20/hr.

How about red plastic fender liners for $27.95 or Doug's 4-tube headers for $130.?

Here is the sticker you got for joining the Royal Bobcat Racing Team!

And, a few of the trophy stickers I got with my '64 GTO after doing the Bobcat treatment. Ran a best of [email protected] mph. Not bad for a daily driver in 1965!!

Love the "guaranteed INCREASE in quarter mile times" with the air scoop. Why would anyone want that?

Hey Boneske, Neat stuff. Thanks for sharing

Good stuff!

I think it's pretty dang awesome that you still have this stuff after 54 years. And for sharing!
Thanks
Tony

Too darn cool - thanks for sharing these!! (dig the Grove stuff, too!!)

Here is my '64 at "The Grove" in '65 when I was running a Carter AFB in Unit Stock class B-4. My daily driver until 1967.

I ran a 4 bbl. sometimes, sometimes Tripower. It ran mid 13's with the AFB. Later, with a '62 Tripower, it ran 13.29 as best ET, later a 109.75 mph for best trap speed.

Car had factory 3.90 gears, HD fan, radiator, metallic brakes, Doug's 3-tube headers, and the Royal Bobcat treatment (distributor advance, polylocks, jetting, thin head gasket, etc.).

The second picture is from 1967, with Firestone 9" slicks, 4.56 gears, and a '67 400 engine with stock Quadrajet. (The original 389 was tired after 59,000 miles) Later added '66 Tripower and gained .3 seconds for a best of 12.70. I also tried a Holley 850, which ran about the same ET's, but drivability was terrible on the street with the Holley.

Those were the days--before car shows--when you could buy a used GTO for peanuts!! No one knew the GTO would become an icon as the Original Muscle Car!!

I bet if you get behind your GTO you have now, close your eyes,pop in the clutch, and rev it up it brings back memories just like yesterday!

Every time I get in, turn the key & hear the Pontiac engine, I'm back in the '60's again!! There's nothing like my GTO, driving with the AM radio on, driving with a smile remembering how it used to be!!

Thanks for sharing.
 

Very cool.

Really great stuff! Thanks for sharing!

You're not kidding. $700 in '75 for my '68 4 speed. :) Earlier cars less, almost bought a '65 4 speed ~$400. How does it go- "If I knew then what I know now"

Nice stuff BTW, thanks!

Dick - do you also have the "Royal Pontiac Story"? These were handed out at the various open house events at the dealership.

K

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1534423528

Springing off Dick's original post - here is an advertisement from around that same time.

K

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1534423718

Nice display here...

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...9&d=1534427751

Let's not overlook the OHC stuff they did...
 

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https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1820/...20941994_o.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1819/...bbef5abb_o.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1820/...18874048_o.jpg

Royal Bobcat Brochures & Prices
 

I don't believe this letter offering membership in the Royal Racing Team for $3.00 was included in any of the earlier postings.

It states your membership card should be set in with any correspondence or orders.

I have seen this thread numerous times. It has a special significance to me for a number of reasons. My dad had a 65 GTO 389 Tripower 4 speed. He bought the "mail order" Royal Bobcat kit, thin head gaskets, jets, polylocks, and a transistorized ignition IIRC. Anyway he bought it through a legendary local New Orleans Speed Shop, "Jake's Speed Shop". He beat another 65 GTO in "stock" class at LaPlace Dragway to win 1st Place in his class, and still has the trophy today. His winning time was a 12.8 w/"cheater slicks". The 65 real GTO my wife and I have started out as a 4bbl 389. From the book "The Royal Bobcat" book w/Milt Schornack, it seems like the top "Bobcat" package for 65 was a 421 Tripower in place of the 389, and we all know about the ringer 421 and Jim Wangers. Anyway our car is a Royal Bobcat Tribute car, and her goal is to best my dad's 12.8, and I'm happy to say Mr. Dick Boneske is helping us towards that goal by modifying the 3 Rochester 2bbl carbs. The car came with an October 65 date code (from what I read) cast into the 421 block, and has hand porting on the 6777 heads. Roller tipped rockers, Ram Air II exhaust manifolds, and a 4 speed. When the open 8.2 rear axle assembly blew the spider gears, that was a perfect opportunity to put in a Quick Performance 9" based rear axle assembly, UMI suspension, and a 3.80 ring and pinion gearset. We are about to add a TKO600 5 speed, and when we had the 421 rebuilt, we added a hydraulic roller cam and lifters, and billet steel timing set. A Pertronix billet aluminum distributor with Ignitor III module and Flamethrower coil light the mix, which is fed into a cylinder that has RaceTech forged aluminum pistons and Eagle H beam rods, slightly dished for a 10.1:1 CR.
I think once I get the carbs back from Dick and tune them to the 421, the 12.8 or better should be achievable.
Thanks for the great post Dick, and thanks for working on our carbs!

avman, I hope you report back to us once you get a chance to run your car through the 1/4 mile. My '64 ran 12.70's back in the late '70's with a 400, 670 heads, Engle hydraulic FTH cam, Muncie wide ratio, M/T headers, 4.56 gears. I ran some of the first Firestone "wrinkle wall" slicks, 28.5X9" wide.

The picture is from 1965 or 1966, when I the original 389 was still running. Best with that engine with '62 Tripower was [email protected]. Not bad for a daily driver in the '60's!

Mid 12's are doable with your setup. Let us know!!

Thanks for the reply Mr. Boneske! I think that by the time we get the Boneske-fied carbs back, and we make our way back to the track, that we should be there! The new 5 speed, and clutch disc and pressure plate will require a "break in" period, and that will likely happen during the spring and early summer months of cruising around and hitting the local shows and cruise events. Vintage Air, a Wraptor serpentine belt and accessory system, new Cold Case radiator, and COILOVERS completely replacing the stock suspension, along with adjustable lower UMI lift bar (control arm) brackets on the replacement rear axle housing Quick Performance is making for us (they failed to put the adjustable lower lift bar brackets on the first housing) the 5 speed with the tricked out "White Lightning" shifter, the line lock (we haven't used yet)....
All of that certainly gives us no excuse not to make 12.8 or better.
Of course I'm going to credit you with the fast time and MPH, because you DA MAN!

$100 in 1966 is equal to $793 in today's dollars, which brings the reality to the pricing seen here. Great stuff and great history as always Dick, thank you for sharing.

"Titan of the Tripower"...Mr. Dick Boneske!

You are a HOOT!!

Thanks,

Dick

That is flying! I miss racing but at one point I'm going to make time for myself.

The best time I ran with my 65 GTO was 14.09@99 mph. Automatic with 3;23 ratio and completely stock. 389/4bbl.

I'm going to get that elusive 13.99 one way or the other. :--) Great picture too!

I reviewed the Royal Pontiac Bobcat info again and there's another item that my dad used on his 65 GTO. He told me it had a "short throw shifter" and I see that is one of the offerings in the various brochures.
I am waiting on a F vacuum fitting to replace the crappy one that broke when I was removing the F fitting and rubber hoses from the upper and lower plane vacuum nipples of the cast iron 65 Tripower dual plane intake. I got the Mr Gasket brand intake manifold gaskets because they come with a metal heat x-over block off, and the Fel-Pro was said to have ports larger than the heads I have-those are 8777 heads, not 6777 as I had indicated earlier.
Anyway, Mr Boneske is sending the F fitting and .060 thick metal plates to use to block the heat x-over. There were a number of posts that said the Mr Gasket supplied plates would deteriorate fairly quickly, and I have repainted the intake so I certainly don't want to have to do this all over again. Also, the Cool Carb insulators are thin aluminum sheets with a polymer insulator, and they require the x-over to be blocked off.
The weather looks good for this weekend, so I plan on having the "BONESKE-FIED" Rochesters installed and ready for some test flogging!

Kinda cool JW GeeTo memo via Bill Sherman's C and D GTO paperwork ...

Jim Wangers was truly a marketing force extraordinaire!
Anyone have any updates on Mr Wanger's condition? I'm embarrased that I haven't mailed him a letter, and some hard copy pictures, which I understand was recommended by his associates to keep him mentally active.

Royal Bobcat Brochures
 

Back in the 80’s I was working in Dallas, Tx. There was a guy named Rick in the office who was a classic nerd. Somehow we got to discussing GTO’s one day and he mentioned that years earlier he sent off for a bunch of stuff from a zPontiac dealer who focused on performance models. I asked if it was Royal Pontiac but he said he did not recall. A few days later he handed me a big Manila envelope full of the same stuff Dick has posted pics of. He said he was surprised that he still had this stuff but didn’t want it anymore, so he gave it all to me. Never figured out how in the world a guy like this got interested in this kind of stuff or found his way to Royal Pontiac or managed to hang onto it for so long. What a lucky find for me !

I welcome all links to or offers to provide me with downloads of 1965 Royal Pontiac Bobcat and GTO materials like Mr Boneske posted, but in the highest resolution.
We want to put together a STORYBOARD for the wife's 65 real GTO, Royal Bobcat Tribute car. Stuff like the pertinent price sheets are ideal to tell the story of what our GTO represents: The ultimate "Royal Bobcat" treatment, a performance purpose built 1965 421 between the fenders, under the fresh air equipped hood of our 65 GTO!
I've included some pix of our GTO, and the replacement Quick Performance rear axle housing that has the UMI adjustable lower lift bar (aka lower control arms) brackets and the Global West coilover conversion brackets attached, almost ready to go to powder coat.

Nice!

K

Royal bobcat sales brochure
 

I can't find any information about a original Royal bobcat sales brochure that has the fold-out poster of the ram air two drag car Firebird

Royal bobcat sales brochure
 

I can't find any information about a original Royal bobcat sales brochure that has the fold-out poster of the ram air two drag car Firebird