Born a Catalina, this Pontiac took on Bonneville trim to match a previous owner’s other Bonneville. The 1963 Pontiac Catalina Safari in Kirkland, Washington may not have languished in a barn, but it’s too classy to pass up. The gorgeous blue paint is backed up by a nearly perfect interior. The listing here on eBay describes a driver that does everything an automobile should. The Pontiac collector owner aims to thin the herd to finance a restoration, and their loss could be your gain. At least seven bidders have chimed in to elevate the car’s market value beyond $12,000, and you can bet it won’t stop there.
High style graced the Pontiac dashboard in 1963, with plenty of shiny bits on display. Aftermarket gauges bring extra telemetry to the cockpit. Undercarriage pictures show a classic in good condition.
The Safari (wagon) came in both Catalina and Bonneville trim, so this is more of a clone than a “one of none.” Either could carry a sheet of plywood flat in the load floor with the rear seat(s) folded flat, a feat that few pickup trucks sold today can accomplish. The paint dates back a decade or more but shows rich color and reflectivity. The seller describes some wear on the trim under close inspection, but it looks fabulous in the pictures. Note how the bumper and tail light join visually as an end-cap on the wagon’s quarter panel. General Motors styling of this time period is hard to beat, especially in the upscale lines.
The Bonneville would have come standard with a four-barrel 389, but this two-barrel 389 came by default in the Catalina lineup including the Safari, according to brochure pages at lov2xlr8. Check out that nifty under-hood work light!
I own a car with a very similar paint and upholstery colors, and this combination is classy for sure. Not everyone digs the more ’60s-specific color schemes like all green or all gold, but this look stands the test of time, looking as sharp and contemporary today as it did during the Kennedy era. Take a minute and share your station wagon memories in the comments below!
Cool car. All it’s missing is the 8 bolt wheels and tri-power.
and AC.
Nice car,but I don’t care for the fender mirrors
or the roof rack.
Why did they mount mirrors on the front fenders
like that?
Just to piss you off thats why….
It was common in the UK and Japan (the latter well into the early ’80s) for them to be mounted even farther forward, ahead of the front wheelwells. On much smaller cars of course.
In Japan, it was by law. The mirrors had to be visible in the area cleaned by the wipers, so they were located at the ends of the fenders.
You’re right. The fender mirrors are way too close to the door. should be more JDM style up by the headlights.
The fender mirrors are in the factory position for the power mirror options that year. The roof rack appears to be a ’65ish. Factory ’63 luggage racks are very hard to find. It was a $95 option on a $3,300 car. Can’t imagine too many were optioned out like that.
Fender-mounted mirrors eliminate blind spots.
That’s the location of Pontiac’s remote mirror from 61-64. The right hand is a matching manual. My 62 GP was the same. Olds used fender mount remotes in 63/64. Manual side mirrors were door mounted. And, BTW, they’re awful to see out of stuck so far out, even when adjusted properly.
Those were the optional remote control mirrors, I think. The tiny joysticks were on the dashboard. My ’64 Catalina had them too.
To heck with getting a pickup. I want one of these. That would make for a classy Home Depot runner. This one is a hot too nice for that, though.
Dang, my big thumbs. I meant to say; this one is a bit too nice.
I’m still making memories in my 67 Olds Vista Cruiser. I rune to Lowe’s with it sometimes if my 69 C-10 is down.
Can’t you just picture a den mother picking up the boxes of girl scout cookies back in the day in her mom-mobile? Ahhh…. life before the mini-van. At the time, in some places, she would have still been wearing her hat and a pair of white gloves and a patent leather purse on her arm.
If my cub scout den mother had picked up my girl scout cookies, I would have been as screwed up as todays kids.
Your lucky. I got kicked out of the cub scouts. Said I was too mean. All I wanted to do was eat brownies.
1963 Catalina. My Paw-Paw had one. The greatest man in my life. RIP.
A lot of cars from the later 50’s mid 60’s mounted them on the fenders.Learned to drive in a 1959 Ford Galaxie and if they are adjusted properly they work great.Can look thru the windshield and use them.
My neighbor’s station wagons in the late ’70’s didn’t look anything like this. They only impressed me for the number of cigarettes in the ashtray. This is sweet.
The ‘Bonnie-conversion’ here doesn’t extend further than adding the Bonnie’s exterior moldings. The Bonnie package would be much more than that; a 303hp base engine,plusher (vinyl still) interior, the SuperHydramatic in place of the Cat’s Roto ++. The clear steering wheel in this one looks almost in remarkable condition for its age, they’re usually yellow with rusty rim and severely cracked.
I think one would be hard pressed to locate a similarly non-molested early 60s Safari in the nearest future so if you want one you have to join the bidders
A fake Bonneville wagon, but Catalina interior. No thanks. I’d love a `63 Bonneville wagon, but one that left the factory as a Bonneville. Not a wanna-be.
Girl friend’s father had the Bonneville, pulled a two horse trailer with ease. Over grass at horse shows and on the highway. All it lacked was ground clearance. And without the horses it would fly!
I would love to buy this car, but I hate auctions. So, I will have to pass.
What? No A/C? I’m picturing a long- roof full of kids under that glass enclosed hot plate cursing the old man. Good for the state of Washington, I guess. But not here in Fla-da! 😂
Beautiful car. Love to own this one.
I have four Catalina Safaris and frankly I like them better than the Bonneville trim. The Bonneville does have a nicer interior and better transmission but I would be replacing the transmission anyway. The full length body moulding is tough to find in any condition and nothing fits those rear quarters except another wagon. I sent the seller a couple questions with no response. Looking at the color combo, I believe this was a white car to begin with. All of these wagons have body colored firewall under the hood and this one is painted black. Maybe it was a black car, but that fawn interior was usually in white cars. Paint on the quarters looks a little wavy but maybe just bad pictures. I think we are pretty close to what it is worth.
I just checked the paint code and it was delivered new in Yuma Beige with the same color top. That is a great color combo with the fawn interior. Its a real bummer that you will need to spend $10,000 to repaint the right color or at least $5,000 to convert to a blue interior. Finding the body trim will be the real trick though.
What? No A/C? I can picture a long-roof full of sweaty kids under that glass-enclosed steel griddle, cursing the old man. A nice ride in Washington – but not here in Fla-da!😂
However, the dash shows an AC vent in the center, but nothing under the hood.
My aunt and uncle next door had a ’63 Catalina in light blue metallic with an even lighter blue interior. All us kids would pile into the wagon, parents up front and go for a day at the lake. Such good memories.
I’ve always liked dashboards from Pontiac in the ’60s. The heater controls that look like a radio, so cool.
the Ford Flex is the only newer car that can haul a full sheet of drywall or plywood with the rear seat down now days.
Agreed – we love our Flex.
Oh Wow, funny you would say that, I have a ’63 Bonneville Safari from LA, in its original black with a white top & red interior, and 2 TWO ’09 Ford Flex’s, 1 Limited & 1 SEL, both cinnamon w/white tops………..Gary
I am the one who bought it. Engine was toast, so I replaced the original 389 2bbl with an HO 421. I would have posted a pic but I am not a member.