[Keith Seymore]

Early Bobcats & Super Dutys:

"In this late 1961 early 1962 time frame is when everything began to fall into place for Jim Wangers, Frank Rediker and Royal for the Royal Bobcat package. Wangers came up with a B-O-B from a Bonneville and a C-A-T from a Catalina, a special paint scheme and Frank had a tune-up to raise the horsepower from 348 to 370. The Royal Bobcat had officially arrived and it was one sharp looking automobile.

"This was the summer when I was trying to decide which way to go. Ford said a car would be available and by now my car was 2 years old and becoming very dated. None of the promises they had made were kept.

"When the '63's came out Ford had lightweight cars but they just went to the big name people at the start of the year and again the same promise: '...wait until the middle of the year'. Chevrolets were very limited and went to 'name' drivers only and an off the floor 409 left a little to be desired. So if you wanted to have a competitive car for 1963 it came down to going to your local Dodge/Plymouth dealer or Pontiac was building and selling Super Duty's.

"Pontiac was giving the Swiss Cheese Catalinas and the Tempest Super Duty's to their 'name' drivers but the Super Duty engine was available to everyone in a steel Catalina. Pontiac built a lot of combinations in '63: I saw cars with an aluminum hood only, with an aluminum front bumper and one car with an aluminum front clip but steel inner fenders. There were also Grand Prix's mixed in with Super Duty engines."