Owning a classic Station Wagon often means accepting a compromise between practicality and performance. However, this 1967 Pontiac Executive Safari demonstrates that need not always be the case. It is a solid vehicle requiring a light cosmetic restoration to present at its best. It has room to seat six, but its mechanical specifications make it a genuine muscle wagon. Its most pressing need is a new home, with the seller listing it here on Craigslist in Prospect Heights, Illinois. They set their price at $13,500, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Tony P for spotting this beauty.
The photos and listing text suggest this Pontiac may have received some custom touches, although it appears the time is right for a refresh. The Blue paint gracing its flanks doesn’t appear on the 1967 Pontiac color charts, although it is very similar to Lombard Blue in some light. The Wagon features a Grand Prix front end with concealed headlights. The vehicle is generally presentable, with the panels sporting a few minor and repairable dings and dents. There is no evidence of rust, and while we receive no underside shots, the lack of carpet in the single interior image allows an unobstructed view of the floor. There are no signs of steel penetration, which is a positive sign. The glass looks good, but some trim pieces require restoration or replacement. Most might respond positively to a high-quality polish, although the immaculate state of the eight-lug wheels might make it hard to accept anything but perfection from that aspect of this Wagon.
This Pontiac’s drivetrain configuration guarantees it could spring a surprise at a “Traffic Light Grand Prix.” The engine bay houses a 400ci V8, with the listing confirming it is the optional unit providing 333hp and 445 ft/lbs of torque. That power feeds to the road via a four-speed manual transmission, with the buyer also receiving power steering and power brakes. The Safari tips the scales at 4,554 lbs, but the V8 should launch it through the ¼-mile in 15.8 seconds. That isn’t outstanding by modern standards, but you would pay significantly more than this seller’s asking price for a new Station Wagon offering equivalent space and performance. The seller provides no information on how this beauty runs or drives. However, they appear approachable and may be willing to answer questions.
This Wagon’s weak point is its interior because it looks pretty tired. The seller fitted bucket seats, but their covers don’t match the existing upholstery. They include the original but worn bench for those preferring a six-seat configuration. The dash looks tired, the pad is badly cracked, and there is no carpet. A total retrim seems the only solution, but locating complete kits could prove challenging. The new owner may need to compromise on originality by handing everything to an upholsterer who might be able to replicate the factory appearance. However, I have seen people with respectable sewing skills follow the DIY approach successfully. The radio is missing, but air conditioning should make life inside this Wagon pleasant on hot days.
This 1967 Pontiac Executive Safari won’t threaten genuine muscle cars, but it offers a wonderful mix of performance and practicality. If it is as rust-free as the photos suggest, it is a prime candidate for restoration in a home workshop. The interior could pose the most significant challenge, but even that doesn’t appear insurmountable. The price is relatively affordable, and the overall condition means the buyer could enjoy the Wagon immediately, addressing its shortcomings as time and circumstances allow. If a Station Wagon has been on your Wish List, is this Pontiac one you might consider pursuing further?
This thing is awesome! Coolest wagon I’ve seen in a while.
jnard90… 😎 you got that right.
Top powertrain, Pontiac wasn’t messing around with this 4500lb beast either. 3.42 gear ⚙️ standard equipment, 3.55, 3.73 available as options. Fantastic automobile.
3.42, 3.55, 3.73 gears were NOT standard equipment with a 4spd and A.C. It would be a 3.23 at best most likely a 3.08.
This particular car came from the factory with a 400 2 barrel, automatic, and 2.56 non posi. I put the 4 barrel, 4 speed and 3 23 non posi in it 20 years ago.
That paint job, the color of pool paint, looks to be an Earl Sheib job, or maybe Maaco at best. Considering it will need to be stripped and refinished, the price is a bit hefty. Whether someone wants to buy it and drive it as is, or refinish it, that price needs to come down by several thousand, in my opinion.
Foolish. It’s already presentable, just drive it. Not every vehicle has to be restored to concours correct perfection to be enjoyed as a driver.
And GOOD LUCK finding another one for less. Not gonna happen unless you have a time machine. ESPECIALLY when you factor in the value of the dollar and what it gets you today.
Sorry old timers, you’re still not being realistic about real world classic car values today. They have gone up, and will keep going up as the years go on.
I thought that fugly shade of blue would appeal to a “real” enthusiast.
My comments always seem to appeal to the easily offended peanut gallery 😉
Prices are actually down factually. You and some sellers don’t want to see it.
There’s always someone who thinks it’s not worth it. Just wondering how many 4 speed wagons have you seen. Especially ones that are drivable right now. Sure it’s going to cost you to redo it but you’ll have the only one around. Shame I’m not in the position to buy it. In a heartbeat I would.
With practical upgrades, like floor treatment and stereo, a fun daily to cruise or haul depending on mood. Average car payment today will buy a whole lot of gasoline, and staying out of the secondaries should get you 15 mpg, riding around in Pontiac style.
I dig it! We used to car camp in a safari wagon. It was much more comfortable than some SUVs. I would hook it is with some presentable carpet and use the heck out of it. Price is right, I like the Grand Prix nose and 8 lugs on it. What’s not to like? Good find!
A cool build. Might be a tough sell for a purist. Looking at it a Grand Prix donated many items. If memory serves, hideaways were only GP. I saw no mention of PHS documentation. On the plus side, It looks straight and solid. I am not sure why they always add bucket seats to these big rides. Bench with a stick in these is quite nice as I own one, a 65. I theorize that is due to the type of shifter in it. Color takes a bit to get use to. All and all a good beginning. There might be a little haggling to be had on the sticker price. 8 lugs, stick shifts, rust free straight bodies, along with the hideaways weren’t cheap even years back.
Oh, come on now, Sherman, set the wayback machine for 1967, and tell me, how many 4 speed wagons did you EVER see? None, that’s how many. Today, watching the carnival of auctions, every freakin’ car has a 4 speed. Very few exceptions. I see a Mustang or a Challenger with an automatic, the alleged bids are HALF of a similar 4 speed. Why is that? Do people really get a kick out of rowing through the gears at the more than 300,000 stoplights in America? Is it more manly to grab that shifter all day long? And then, the icing on the cake, is the most unlikely cars. We’ve seemed to cross a line where nothing is sacred, and 4 speed wagons just didn’t exist. Closest was a 3 speed column shift, that clearly this started out as. Naturally this post is biased from someone who shifted gears like a billion times, but keep the 4 speeds where they do some good, not a Poncho wagon. I’ve said many times, I feel the stick is going to detract from whoever would want a vintage wagon in the 1st place. Oh I wish my Jeep was an automatic,,,,
First, Pontiac wagons (and Chevy’s) could get a 4 speed in the 60’s. For Pontiac, a 428 4 speed was possible, and Chevy’s could get a 427 4 speed in a wagon.
Second, I love shifting a 4 speed behind my V-8, even in traffic. My daily driver is now a 6 speed manual, the best anti-theft system in today’s world.
Both my kids can drive a stick shift, and they too enjoy it over the mind numbing automatics
My mother drove a 1970 Impala with a 350 4 speed as a daily driver for many years in traffic and never complained, she loved it.
To each his or her own
A ’67 Ford Country Squire wagon with the 428 and a factory 4-speed has been featured on Hagerty, The Drive and other sites.
there was many 4 speed wagons built by pontiac even 4 dr 421 4 speeds seen both in person with phs….what did you want when you bought it what boxed did you check and how much money was you willing to fork over was the only thing stopping some rare cars being built….listen to the pontiac podcast on spodify one episode talks about a phs on a car still unable to be located a 62 bonne 4 dr hardtop 421 tripower 4 speed factory ordered and build…..so they could be had….if you ordered it….not all of em was off the show room buys
Seen this car before.
1967 Pontiac Parisienne Safari (Canadian Pontiac)
It could be legit or could be tribute to the Canadian version which was not available in the US.
Love this wagon! You’re right there were no 4-speed wagons, or very few is that an automatic shifter column? Why is the clutch pedal so far to the left? Either way it looks like a fun Cruiser.
I had a 67 executive with a 428/4 speed. Not a wagon, though. Great car. Thank you…
I agree with PrinceofPrussia on this one. I’m inclined to believe that ‘Ol Earl’ came back from his grave and painted this one? I also believe it lacks the quality to be a Maaco paint job?
There’s a phase in the used car business, ” There’s an ass for every seat “.
So, someone will buy it regardless of how it looks? I’m personally not impressed and I don’t think it has anything to do with my age? It’s baffling why someone wouldn’t just paint it the original color? It’s much more trouble to change a color than to keep it original. If they would have selected an awesome pearl tri color paint job, then I could relate to a color change.
It’s awesome that folks are fixing up these old vehicles and putting them back on the road. I see more old vehicles today that ever before.
Good luck to the seller and also the buyer. I hope both parties are happy when this ends.
Just my opinion!
Maaco is no better than Earl Scheib was. They are/were both a complete joke.
Old Earl would do the interior for free, though. Just leave the windows down.
Yes, you can see the column shift lever nub on the steering column. So it is a transplanted 4-speed. Engine may have been transplanted too. Seller never says either item is original to the car.
As if the shifter wasn’t enough of a dead giveaway that this is a hokey, manual-transmission transplant, perhaps the emblems from three different models on one car will be a clue.
Are you all really this naive? This thing is a turd.
I owned a 63 buick Le sabre wagon with a factory 4 speed back in 1991.
Is it possible that this is a Canadian 1967 Pontiac Grande Parisienne Safari wagon with an American Pontiac 400 V8?
The shifter looks like it belongs in a truck. It makes me wonder if it was originally an automatic.
Yeah, a Mack truck at that!
Just my oponion!
nope its a correct hurst shifter…same as the one in my 66 grand prix….
i stand corrected looking closer at the pics you guys are right it is not the correct shifter…..i just happened to glance over the pics….my mistake….
I wonder if the Grand Prix nose job was inspired by the Canadian-market Grande Parisienne, which was also available as a wagon for both the 1967 and 1968 model years. The Grande Parisienne may have been a Chevy under the skin, but its Grand Prix nose and up level interior really added some class to those 2 and 4 door hardtop(and wagon) Canadian Pontiacs.
If memory serves me, the shifter handle is attached to the mechanism with two bolts through the flattened end. The handle looks to me like is it installed backwards. The sharp bend would clear a bench seat.
The My Three Sons car. Steven Douglas was the driver.
Lighten up people! Who says it has to be original, rare, valuable or well done? A guy in my town has a 58 Pontiac wagon that looks like a junkyard refugee, but hides a nice 428 and vintage air system. It’s his daily. He’s also got a 66 tempest wagon with rallye wheels and 67 GTO sheet metal up front and a mint 67 GTO ragtop. Which one does he never drive? The GTO of course.
It’s a hobby. The person who built this is a hobbyist. The garage photo shows a vintage convertible next to this vehicle. So they built what they wanted and want to move on. It’s not necessarily a bad car, just not for everyone. Try and find a tri-five Chevy with a four speed that doesn’t have the knuckle for the column shifter on the steering column. Then try and buy a manual column for a 67 Pontiac.
Heck, I completely restored a tempest four door OHC 6 back when they were throwaways. I didn’t get my money out of it but had a lot of fun. Meanwhile everyone said it was stupid, silly a waste…
meanwhile they were driving Novas with 4” extended shackles in the back and giant oversized 60 series cheap tires on Cragars. Stock 350s with 750 CFM Holley double pumpers and glass packs. They were having fun too..
This guy gets it!
its also missing the hvac controls
Never seen one before. At least not a GP model.
Quite a hodge podge we have here. Is it unique? Yup. Would you like to beat around in it? Probably. Nice rig to pull up to the auto parts or home improvement store. Just don’t ask for a cross reference from anyone younger than a boomer. This was the car you dreamed of in study hall knowing mom was going to pick you up in a garden variety Safari. With maybe the three speed Howard talked about. Should have finished it up with the pistol grip they were going for.
Somebody had fun screwing this together, It is what it is, something that’s fun to drive. Of course it’s not factory ! no one said it was, he not hiding the automatic shifter hub or the dash panel indicator for the transmission. Some one just built something he wanted. Think about the parts and cost of building this car today. A stock and solid old wagon ain’t cheap in today’s world just to start with.
I like it. The price isn’t terrible. The car is unusual and would definitely draw some attention at a Cars and Coffee. As far as the four speed, I love that. I’ve had quite a few four and 5 speed sticks and don’t remember ever thinking that shifting was a lot of work.
Yeah I’d say quit your crying about the shifting, I’m in the camp that prefers selecting the appropriate gear that I can see with my eyes and intuition the vehicle needs to be in. And although the computer systems they are installing in cars these days help the car know what gear it needs to be in, there’s still no substitute for the eyes and cognitive thinking of the driver looking forward. I’d happily row thru the gears in this lovely old land yacht, and not give two shots whether or not every piece was original. I say again, how many of these guys do you see rolling around these days? I’m just glad the seller hasn’t developed BJ-itus and wants 50 grand for it! Talk about a grocery getter!
It’s a toy that’s someone stopped building. Look at the colum and that wasn’t something Pontiac built. That’s not even a top shelf shifter. Not saying it wouldn’t be a fun driver. There is a lot of mass there to get moving, I have driven a 68 4 speed 2+2 drop top, it was no lightweight and it took a while to get it in motion. It has a way to go but still it’s about smiles per mile.
I really like the direction hes taken this wagon in. I like the GP hidden headlights and nose and Grand Prix script on the sides. Love that its a 4 speed. And lets face it has anyone, anywhere, ever seen a mid 60s Pontiac that Didn’t look good with 8 lugs? I admire the fact that they built what they wanted, and lets face it, a lot of us here would love to have a big block 4 speed wagon. I hope it goes to a good home, and maybe someone can dig up a Grand Prix center console and make it work with bucket seats. Heck I even like the shifter, although truth be told Ive been a truck driver for 3 decades now. I like it!!!!
This would be a fun cruiser!! Nothing better than a big V8 manual driver!! Shifting………..”Boys just wanna hav fun”!!!