Before crossovers were all the rage, station wagons were the go-to choice when it came to moving people and things from A to B. The body style obviously sought to max out usable interior room, and few models followed through on that promise quite like the behemoth Pontiac Grand Safari. Produced between 1971 and 1978, these ground-pounding five-doors could swallow just about anything a family could throw at it, making it an ideal pick for suburban households looking to get away for the weekend. Now, the well-kept example featured here is up for sale at Classic Auto Mall.
Hailing from the positively gargantuan 1976 model year (the 1977 Pontiac Grand Safari was downsized by about a foot compared to preceding models), this impressive slab of four-wheeled Americana measures in with a 127-inch wheelbase and 231-inch overall length. It also weighs in at a stout 5,300 pounds.
Nevertheless, all that weight and size made loading up the family and cargo a breeze, especially with the high-tech “Clamshell” rear tailgate, which features power-operated glass that slides up into the roof, while the tailgate drops under the cargo floor. It’s a neat trick, especially for the mid-‘70s, and it looks pretty cool as well.
This particular Pontiac Grand Safari is covered in two-tone paint, which includes a Bavarian Creme top and Buckskin Tan lower section. According to the vehicle’s listing description at Classic Auto Mall, the paint is a one-off factory job that was added “due to owner’s wife not liking the order as it came from the factory and wanted it reversed.”
The interior is well-preserved, given the owners had no children, and simply used the car to tow their other classic vehicle to and from shows. Nevertheless, there’s seating for up to nine passengers.
As for the engine, this 1976 Pontiac Grand Safari is fitted with the top-of-the-line 455 cubic-inch V8, and comes with complementary bits like heavy-duty electrical components and a heavy-duty radiator. The ‘eight is connected to a TH400 three-speed automatic transmission.
The 1976 Pontiac Grand Safari epitomizes that old school approach to making vehicles – lots of metal, lots of engine, and, well, lots of everything, really. Now, it’s up for sale at Classic Auto Mall for $35,500.
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Source: Classic Auto Mall
Comments
Those were the days!
They could fit a 4′ x 8′ sheet of drywall in back. I carried many loads from lumber yard so I know. With tailgate closed!
69 Vista Cruiser!
Not only they were big but drove smooth and quiet but on a good day maybe 15 mpg. The front seats were like a couch where the seat went to the back or your knees for an incredible support where you could drive for hours without cruise control. The clamshell was GM’s attempt to compete with the Ford three way tailgate that was ahead of its time and very popular.
I was at a Chevrolet function in1976 for the new 1977 Chevrolet release for car dealers and salesman. When it was announced that GM had the three way tailgate on the new wagons, all the old timers cheered. I did have a1979 Impala wagon and the three way was nice.
The Safari was huge, but the Buick Estate Wagon, based on the Electra 225, was even larger! Unfortunately, Americans are drinking the SUV Kool Aid, and besides wagons, there are hardly any American sedans left on the market.
My car gas light came on by me looking at the pics…..
lol. For sure!
I grew up with a 1972 Buick Estate 9 passenger wagon. My Dad did haul full sheets of plywood in it. 455 would cruise effectively all day. Still a fan.
For some strange reason, I’ve never been a Pontiac guy. Actually, nobody in my family really was although we were a huge GM family. I love older cars and the 70/80’s for sure. This one just looks cool, but not something I’d desire to buy. But at the price they are asking, does it matter? $35 grand for that?
How could any GM person not love Pontiac. In the 1960s they were the division the others tried to emulate and keep up with. Without Pontiac leading the way with the GTO, there would be no Oldsmobile 442 or arguably any muscle car. Without Pontiac’s 1969 Grand Prix, there would be no Cutlass Supreme or Monte Carlo and the 70’s personal luxury car craze may have never happened. They dropped the ball a bit in the 70’s as they became a bit lost without their performance mantra but they regained it in the 1980s with cars like the 6000 STE, Fiero, and Grand Am. Pontiac took GM’s prosaic platforms and injected performance into them and created pretty decent driver’s cars and hyped them with their top-notch ‘We Build Excitement’ branding. The other divisions scrambled to keep up. Pontiac in the 1960s and the 1980s was on fire and kept the rest of GM house on its heels.
@Ci2Eye: Don’t take that so personally. It’s my opinion. I’ve never cared for Pontiacs. I wouldn’t think twice if you commented on an old Buick article and your opinion was that you didn’t really care for the Buick brand.
I think people on here take things a little too personal. I often comment and many of my comments even say “it’s my opinion” or “IMO”. That’s all it is. We all have them and our comments, weather we state it or not, often reflect our opinions. But then I also understand that most people on here are all about performance, and that shows very much in the comments. I’ve learned you don’t dare say anything slightly negative about Cadillac’s V-series models or comment on how Cadillac has gone way too far on the performance side. People on here will throw the rope over the tree branch getting ready for your lynching. And god forbid anyone leave a comment that doesn’t support a 52″ big screen glued to the dash so people can do everything but drive!
Yes, I’m being slightly dramatic. But my point simply is: This is a site for enthusiast from every walk of life. Not all of us like performance Cadillac’s. Not all of us like isolated, super quiet rides. Not all of us like huge screens stuck to the dash. Not all of us like Buick. And yes, not all of us like Pontiac. That’s ok. We are allowed our opinion and I feel that each of our opinions makes this a better site to read.
Hey Dan,
I appreciate the response. I wasn’t personally offended and actually my comments weren’t entirely directed to you. It was making the case for Pontiac and somewhat reminding folks of the leadership role Pontiac once provided at GM. I get it though that not everyone would’ve appreciated the way Pontiac chose to lead; meaning by chasing the youth market with performance cars. Obviously that wouldn’t be for everyone.
During Pontiac’s two periods where they really were pushing GM, they became the #3 best selling car brand in the U.S. behind Chevrolet and Ford. They did it in the 60s and repeated it in the 80s so while their niche clearly wasn’t for everyone, they were successful and did contribute significantly to GM’s bottom line.
Personally I think a performance oriented division was good for GM even if they had to break a few corporate rules and employ a few tricks on the GM Board to make their magic happen.
No worries.
Funny thing, after thinking about it, one of my favorite cars ever was the Gran Prix! I actually loved the mid-late 70’s GP along with the ’83-85 models. I totally forgot about those! And although I really loved those, I never ended up with one. Also, I recalled that one of my brothers did have a 1977 GP in dark brown with the 1/4 tan top and tan suede-like cloth interior with the swiveling bucket seats. I wanted one just like that.
Love these old cars but sadly the dreadful times we now live in would make it all but impossible to afford the fuel for one and certain parts would be very scarce. I would much prefer the 77 onward downsized B-body version with a smooth running 301 4BBL that could easily go well over 20 MPG on the highway but it would need the rally wheels, gauge package, suspension upgrade and none of that gaudy woodgrain!
I bet a lot of people driving Suburbans and Expeditions today would call this thing a boat 😉
I like the satin chrome seat belts with the GM logo.
U.S. fuel economy regulations pretty much did away with products like this but the marketplace never stopped needing large wagons so the automakers simply shifted those buyers to, in GM’s case, the Tahoe and Suburban. Effectively the large V-8 Caprice Estate (or Pontiac Safari) wagon is still around but it’s called a Tahoe now and it’s body-on-frame underpinnings and Chevy small block engine are now truck-based.
It would be interesting to know that if CAFE standards had never been implemented whether the whole pickups-as-commuter vehicles and SUV craze would’ve ever happened. I think there is a certain element of the population that wants a large vehicle and with the absence of large cars, they simply migrated to trucks and this fueled the rise of large SUVs.
What made 70s cars so obese was up until the 50s cars were primarily used in cites, some farm areas, rarely to cross the country (locomotives and prop-airliners were the way to go). The late 50s/60s came then White Flight, the Baby Boom, suburban communities, the interstate and profits made American cars Jurassic and inefficient. The SUV/truck crazy is a continuation of America’s need for larger vehicles, on a positive point cars are now a reasonable size again.
Guestt, up to the 1977 with the “New” Chevrolet (GM’s B-body) all USA car manufactures marketed that larger was always better. Henry Ford II once said according to Lee Iacocca’s book, “mini cars, mini profits”.
With EPA increasing restrictions every year and the price of oil always going up, the buyers were demanding better MPG. Since Japanese and European manufacturers already had smaller vehicles, they were taking a lot of business away from Chrysler, GM and Ford.
I’d Already accounted the 73/79′ fuel crunch and the Japanese invasion though I didn’t write it in. The truck/SUV craze was already started to take off in the 70’s rather than the 90’s with the van craze after the 70’s van redesigns of Chevy, Chrysler and Ford, dying big-block engines, the Blazer/ Bronco/Ramcharger sales taking off and pick up trucks being optioned and used as exclusive personal vehicles rather than work.
I’d mentioned a while ago once the 73′ Suburban debuted with 4-doors, car-like interior and features it was a matter of time before the end of the large wagon at GM.
There are so many of these wagons gone as not only are they difficult to restore since there is so few parts. But many were used up in DEMO Derby. These Wagons were the preferred car for many county fair demo derby drivers.
Today many look for the old full size Chrysler unibody cars as they hold up well if they are not rusted out.
A friend of mine has a wagon like this. It is loaded even with a padded roof that is rare. Nice car and not one you will see another at a Pontiac show. I am glad a few have preserved them.
We had a 72 Chevy Kingswood. The clamshell was cool although ours did not have the power tailgate. Rode like a dream although not very quick with the standard 350 engine. Although we had 6 kids my Dad only got the 6 passenger because he wanted the larger storage area in the back. Worked out ok as I liked stretching out in that large back area playing with Matchbox cars or playing cards with my brother. Since it was soooo heavy it was one of the best snow cars I have seen. I was the last to have it in my family and made a great winter car!
We had this wagon when I was a kid. The only difference was the rims. It had slat rims. Like sunbeams around the sun. Different but pretty cool. I spent many hours looking out the back at traffic. Shot a few spit wads at cars too. Thankfully no rear enders.