The Pontiac 389 came immediately after the Pontiac 370 from further up the list. It made its debut in 1959. Along with the 370, it is consistently cited as a contributor to the start of the 1960s era of American muscle cars. As one can imagine, the 389 was quite a beefy engine. As the name implies, it was a 389 cubic-inch engine, which was a modest bump from the 370 cubic inches of the prior generation. It could also drive smoothly, unlike some of Pontiac’s more race-oriented engines, making it great for street use and racing.
At the peak of its power, the Pontiac 389 was capable of 368 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. However, the power varied throughout the engine’s production lifecycle. Between all the variants, horsepower figures are cited as 215, 230, 267, 281, 315, and 348 horsepower. The most powerful, with 368 horsepower, was the Pontiac 389 Super Duty. It most famously won seven of 44 races in the 1960 NASCAR season. As is apropos for 1950s Pontiac engines, the most powerful variants were exclusively used as race engines.
In all, the 389 had a production run spanning eight years. It was used in every Pontiac car sold in 1960. Variants were also sold in the Catalina, Ventura, Star Chief, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Tempest, and GTO. The engine’s big power, long production run, and NASCAR success helped cement it as one of Pontiac’s most important engines.
