Car shows are cool, but a chance meeting with a neat vehicle on the street adds a level of excitement that a show can’t match. That’s what’s cool about living somewhere outside the Rust Belt — incredible finds can be had just by driving down the street. In this case, the find was a 1964 Pontiac Catalina Safari in a nearby strip mall.
The full-size 1964 Pontiac was in its third year of its generation, and its second year featuring vertical headlights. Notable were the fuller front and rear ends consisting of oval headlight bezels and large boomerang-esque taillights, respectively. Along the sides, the big Ponchos featured little adornment. And since Pontiac was not granted a unique model like the Riviera, it created its own distinctive personal-luxury coupe with the classy Grand Prix, whose strength lied by bucking convention (though unique styling features certainly didn’t hurt).
Catalina continued to play the entry-level role in the standard Pontiac series. It also offered the largest array of body styles among Pontiac’s big-car series: two- and four-door sedans, two- and four-door hardtops, and a convertible. For the two-door hardtop and convertible, a new 2+2 package offered a sporty interior with buckets and console. There also were two Catalina wagons called Safari, one holding six passengers and the other capable of carrying nine.
Like all Pontiacs, the Catalina Safari’s standard engine was a 389, though the state of tune is what distinguished the Catalina from pricier models: 235 horsepower with the standard three-speed manual, or 267 horsepower if Hydra-Matic automatic transmission was opted; the latter required premium fuel, though the 230-horsepower Trophy 389E was available for those who wanted regular fuel and an automatic.
Of course, the rate of attrition for station wagons tends to be higher than coupes and sedans, so stumbling upon an old long-roof like this Catalina Safari is a rare opportunity despite over 33,000 being built. But what makes this Alamo Beige Pontiac truly special is what’s inside: a four-speed shifter. How unusual in a wagon! Plus, if you wanted a four-speed in a Catalina Safari, you needed to step up to the 306-horsepower 389 four-barrel. If you desired even more horsepower, you could opt for the 330-horse 390 Tri-Power or one of the 421s with up to 370 horsepower. Due to the lack of 421 badging, this wagon likely has one of those two 389s. Imagine a Tri-Power wagon with a four-speed!
It just goes to show that it always pays to check out the interior of a car because you never know if it will be more special than what initial appearances suggest. Of course, there’s no way for me to know whether it’s a factory four-speed wagon without speaking to the owner, but Pontiac did produce a handful of vehicles like this back in an era when it was available.
Source: www.classiccars.com