Pontiac · 1955–1989

Pontiac Safari

The Pontiac Safari is a line of station wagons that was produced by Pontiac from 1955 to 1989. Initially introduced as the Pontiac counterpart of the two-door Chevrolet Nomad, the division adopted the nameplate across its full-size wagon range in 1957. Through its production, the Safari was positioned between Chevrolet full-size station wagons and below its Buick and Oldsmobile counterparts. During the mid-1960s, the Safari added simulated woodgrain trim to the exterior, becoming a feature associated with the model line. The name "safari" is derived from the Swahili word safari, which means journey, originally from the Arabic سفر (safar) meaning a journey; the verb for "to travel" in Swahili is kusafiri. As General Motors expanded into the intermediate, compact, and subcompact segments, the Safari nameplate saw a similar usage as the Estate (Buick, Chevrolet) and Cruiser (Oldsmobile) nameplates, denoting the highest-trim station wagon in each model range. After 1989, Pontiac became the first GM division to discontinue its full-size wagons; along with model overlap between its divisional counterparts, demand for full-size wagons had been overtaken by minivans. For 1990, the Pontiac Trans Sport was introduced as the first Pontiac minivan. After 1991, Pontiac ended its use of the Safari nameplate (and production of station wagons) entirely; the GMC Safari continued through the 2005 model year.

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Predecessor: Pontiac Parisienne

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1955–1957 (A-body)

The first-generation Pontiac Safari was developed as a divisional counterpart of the Chevrolet Nomad. The two-door sport wagon began life as a 1954 Motorama concept car derived from the Chevrolet Corvette. To decrease tooling and production costs, the design was shifted to the full-size A-body chassis (from the Corvette) to increase its sales potential; to further decrease overall design costs, the Pontiac Safari was created to share the design across two divisions. Sharing its 122-inch wheelbase A-body chassis with the Nomad (derived from the Chevrolet Bel Air), the Safari shared its exterior bodywork with the Pontiac Chieftain. Though using the shorter-wheelbase A-body chassis, Pontiac considered the Safari part of the B-body Pontiac Star Chief series, officially designating it as the Star Chief Custom Safari (Series 27). 1955. Introduced on January 31, 1955, the Pontiac Safari served as the flagship Pontiac station wagon; at $2,962 ($35,599 in 2025 dollars ), it also was the most expensive Pontiac model line before optional equipment was added using the GM "A" platform. To distinguish the model from the Nomad, the Safari was fitted with a Pontiac Chieftain front fascia and model-specific rear taillamps, styled by Pontiac stylist Paul Gillan (who received a U.S. patent for the front fascia design). In contrast with a standard two-door 860 "Colony" station wagon (also derived from the Chieftain), the Safari was styled with coupe-style front doors, forward-raked B-pillars (with windows wrapping around from pillar to pillar); along with extra chrome trim (fitted to the tailgate), the rear seat windows slid open. In line with the Nomad being derived from the top-trim Bel Air, the interior of the Safari was shared with Star Chief sedans. The Safari was fitted with a 28

1957–1989 (B-body)

For 1958, GM ended production of its two-door sport wagons, as the slow-selling Nomad and Safari had both served as the most expensive cars sold by Chevrolet and Pontiac. While the two-door sport wagons had been retired (as consumer tastes had largely shifted away from two-door wagons), both nameplates saw further use, with both divisions again using them for redesigned station wagons. Following its adoption by the B-body chassis during 1957, Pontiac returned the Safari for 1958, using the nameplate as a secondary series designation. 1958–1965. For 1958, Pontiac offered a Safari for the Chieftain and Star Chief ranges. The Transcontinental wagon returned, taking the Star Chief Custom Safari nameplate of the previous two-door wagon (the Bonneville remained a hardtop/convertible). For 1959, Pontiac revised its model range, introducing the Catalina Safari and Bonneville Safari (the Star Chief remained, becoming sedan-only). The Bonneville was offered with two rows of seating; the Catalina was offered with either two or three rows of seats. Following a slight downsizing for 1961, the Safari returned as part of the Catalina and Bonneville series, with the 9-passenger option remaining exclusive to Catalina Safaris. For 1965, full-size Pontiacs underwent a redesign, with the Safari again returning as a part of the Catalina and Bonneville series. For the exterior, a vinyl roof was introduced as an option. 1966–1970. For 1966, the Safari nameplate was dropped by Pontiac, as its B-body station wagons (Catalina and Bonneville) deleted the secondary series designation. For 1967, the Safari nameplate returned for the newly introduced Pontiac Executive full-size station wagon (replacing the Star Chief) and the top level Bonneville Safari, with the term "Safari" used to identify ex

Other uses of name

Alongside its use by the Pontiac B-body station wagon range (including the Chieftain, Star Chief, Catalina, Executive, Bonneville, and Parisienne), Pontiac expanded the use of the Safari nameplate beyond its full-size model range for 1961 as it introduced a Tempest Safari compact station wagon. Along with their full-size namesakes, smaller Safari wagons (from the mid-1960s onward) adopted external woodgrain trim as a distinguishing feature. Grand Safari (1971–1978). For 1971, the Pontiac Grand Safari was introduced, serving as the station wagon of the Pontiac Grand Ville. Slotted above the Catalina-based Safari, the model line was distinguished by its exterior woodgrain trim (a few examples were produced with it deleted). The counterpart of the Buick Estate and the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, the first-generation Grand Safari would be the largest vehicle ever sold by Pontiac. For 1977, the Grand Safari was downsized alongside the rest of the B-body model line. As Pontiac discontinued the Grand Ville, the Grand Safari now served as the Bonneville station wagon. In an effort to reduce branding confusion, Pontiac renamed the model line as the Bonneville Safari for 1979 (effectively returning to the name of its 1970 predecessor). Sunbird Safari (1987–1988). For 1987, the Pontiac Sunbird station wagon was renamed the Sunbird Safari. In contrast to full-size and mid-size Safaris, the Sunbird Safari was not offered with exterior woodgrain trim. Coinciding with the mid-1988 update of the model line, Pontiac dropped the Safari name from the Sunbird station wagon. 6000 Safari (1987–1991). For 1984, Pontiac introduced a station wagon bodystyle for the Pontiac 6000, replacing the previous Bonneville G station wagon as its mid-size offering. In 6000 LE trim, the model line was of

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Specifications

name: Pontiac Safari
Manufacturer: Pontiac (General Motors)
Production: 1955–1989
Model years: 1955–1989 (except 1982–1986)
Body style: 3-door station wagon (1955–1957), 5-door station wagon (1958–1989)
Class: Full-size
Successor: Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari, Pontiac Trans Sport