In 1955-57, the Pontiac Chieftain used the same platform as the “Tri-Five” Chevies, though the sales numbers were less. In 1957, the Super Chief was introduced as a top trim level on the Chieftain, making it roughly equal to the Chevy Bel Air. This Super Chief is a 4-door station wagon that has loads of patina, but also a locked-up engine from being dormant for some time. Located in Everest, Kansas, this super cool project is available here on eBay where the current bid is $3,400, the reserve is unmet, and the seller hints that the reserve is north of $7,500.
The Chieftain was the “everyman’s” car at Pontiac and enjoyed a decade-long run from 1949 to 1958 (my folks owned a ’58 back in the 1960s). Because it shared its platform with Chevrolet, some of its design cues tended to follow. So, when the Chevies were mildly restyled for 1957, the Pontiacs acquired a “Star Flight” look with missile-shaped trim on the sides and other pointed extremities. The Super Chief was treated to an increase in engine size to 347 cubic inches with at least 290 hp.
1957 was the last year for Pontiac’s version of the Chevy Nomad, called the Safari. But it was now dubbed the Custom Safari so that other Pontiac wagons could use the Safari tagline, too. More than 14,000 copies of the Super Chief 4-door Safari station wagon were built, including the seller’s patina-laden example. While I’m not a huge patina fan myself, it does present well with the “pinkish” paint on this wagon that is largely rust-free-but not entirely.
Who knows when this transport last ran, but it seems to roll around well enough, at least for glamour shots. This might be an opportunity to go with an LS swap if originality isn’t your goal. Even if you leave the paint alone, you’ll want to fix the rust on the roof and front floor pans to keep things from getting worse. Also, the interior is bad enough to warrant at least a partial makeover. While maybe not as cool as a “Nomad”, this wagon should garner plenty of looks at Cars & Coffee, once you get it sorted out mechanically.
Is anyone else having problems? I cant get the write ups or photos on any of the cars listed.
None here either. Glitch somewhere.
Im hoping someone in charge sees this.
It should be fixed now. Let us know if it happens again. Thanks!
Sorry. Still cant see anything.
I’m not sure about anyone else but I still cant see anything.
Im sadly going through Barn Ginds withdrawal here. Lol
I’m still having issues, have logged out and in a couple times. Anything else I need to try?
Jesse is there a way you guys can move the “Report comment” button over more? It’s too close to thumbs up, for us bigger guys it’s near impossible to give thumbs up when on my cell without hitting it. I’m now only able to read/respond when home on tablet.
Can’t see any pictures here either
Try refreshing the page. Your browser is caching the problem page.
I tried again. Rebooted my phone too. If i log out I can see everything. If i log in I can see anything. ILL Keep trying
Thanks. I tried but didnt work.
Weird thing is, if I log out i van see this one.
When I log in I cant. I tried clearing the cache on my browser too but no dice. Ill try logging out again and restaring my phone.
Mines working now. Hope it is for everyone else. Thank you for fixing it and the responses and help Jesse.
“In 1957, the Super Chief was introduced as a top trim level on the Chieftain, making it roughly equal to the Chevy Bel Air.”
The ’57 Super Chief wasn’t a Chieftain trim level, but its own series on the same wheelbase (122″) as the Chieftain. Essentially it was a new name for what had been the 870 Series Chieftain, which was the higher trim level in the Chieftain series. For ’57 the Super Chief was slotted between the Chieftain and the Star Chief, the latter built on the longer 124-inch wheelbase.
I like this car all done it would be a beautiful car. I am not a patina fan either and believe cars like this deserve a nice paint job. From what I see it’s gonna take a lot of time and money to make it nice once again. I think the price the seller is asking is a bit ambitious for all the work it needs. This is not a nomad it’s just a plain family hauler/station wagon. Just my opinion. GLWTA
I remrmber these very well when they were new, and I have seen a really nice light blue one in higher trim level around here occasionally. It is sad for me to see one in this condition. I associate that delapidation with some cars from the ‘teens, twenties, and early thrities, but not autos late enough to have been “new” when I was younger. I somehow expect cars to still look and present as they did before 1960. I recollect in 1954 encountering a fading 1941 Dodge with rust around its rear fender so bad, that a large portion of it flopped around free of secure attachment to the body and threatened to fall off any minute and hit our 1951 Packard. But things as they were on the roads in the postwar years still seem “normal” to me, and it comes hard to conceive that we are 70-odd years later. Guess I’ll go and listen to the 78s I have of popular tunes you never hear on the radio anymore — at least I have the records. “Dear Hearts and Gentle People”, anyone?
My sister and I had our fingers eaten multiple times as kids by the doors in one of these. I think it usually involved one of our parents closing the front door while we were pulling ourselves out of the back. I also think we rolled it down the driveway while fooling around in it and pulling it out of gear. My parents would also take it with us to the drive in where they would try to get us to sleep in the back while they watched movies. Lots of memories with this find.
It’s hard to believe that by 1957, Pontiac hadn’t moved the master cylinder to the firewall and used a suspended brake pedal. All the other General Motors lines had made the switch by then.
I don’t think it’s worth a dime over 4000.00 There’s only so much you can pay for a car that needs total restoration.
My first car was a ’57 Pontiac Star Chief. This Safari appears to have a very solid body for its age, and so it should be able to be brought back to its glory days if given the proper restoration, and would really be a collector if it is. — The interior could be easily brought back to stellar. The seats of the ’57’s were such they could be easily re-padded and covered without a lot of trouble. The carpet is no-brainer as long as the floorboards are intact, and the dash appears to be in very good shape. The engine bay appears to need a complete overhaul, but there again – these cars were made to make it easy to pull and replace the engine without a lot of trouble. Once the hood was removed, the engine and transmission together would come out easily after being disconnected from the frame and linkage and go back in just as easily. So, hopefully this Safari gets a new owner that will bring it all back to its former beauty and very practical functionality.