Car Spot: 2nd Gen Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon

A remnant for when station wagons roamed the USA.

My wife and I were out last night and experienced what’s known as Lake Effect here in Southeastern Wisconsin. Snow wasn’t forecast, but we got a light dusting. As this area is known to put down copious amounts of salt, we were surprised to see this classic Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon in the parking lot before we sat down to eat. This reminded us of a time when every family we knew owned a four-door sedan along with a station wagon.

The example is a 2nd-gen Pontiac Wagon, either a 77 or 78. For many years, this was the largest car Pontiac produced, but in 77 was redesigned and downsized, reducing the wheelbase from 127 inches to 115.9 inches. Using the GM B-body chassis, the model line became the station wagon counterpart to the Pontiac Bonneville sedan. It joined the Buick Estate and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, and Chevrolet Impala/Caprice station wagons in the GM lineup.

One of the really cool things they discontinued was the “Glide-Away” tailgate, replaced by a three-way configuration similar to AMC, Chrysler, and Ford. Still a hefty car tipping the scales at just over 4,000 pounds, the 301 cubic-inch V8 became standard, with an Oldsmobile-supplied 403 V8 as an option amd for 1978, a Pontiac 350 V8 became an additional option. With a base price of $5,772, it was a lot of car for the money at the time.

But as we all know, SUVs and minivans became the thing, and manufacturers started to chase that prize, the wagons fell by the wayside. The last Pontiac wagon produced was the 6000 Safari in 1991 and was replaced by the Pontiac Trans Sport minivan. Remember the Dustbuster?

When researching pricing on these, I was surprised to see that a decent one will sell for around $25,000, but have you looked at what an SUV or minivan will cost these days? Plus, they’re nowhere as cool as a station wagon.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest and rare winter spot. Come back next Sunday for another one of my finds, along with some of its history. Have a great week.