When it comes to classic cruisers that ooze style and practicality, it’s hard to beat a 1960s or 1970s land yacht wagon. These behemoths were highly detailed machines despite the acres of Detroit steel required to build them, and nothing has really been made since that time that comes close to emulating the presence that longroof models from the Big 3 had when they dominated American roadways. This 1967 Pontiac Executive Safari Wagon was previously listed on Barn Finds, but the seller was unable to sell it due to COVID concerns. The Pontiac is back up for grabs and listed here on Barn Finds Classifieds with a price of $25,000.
We’re glad to see this big boy back up for grabs, as it looks like an impressive survivor from stem to stern. The seller reports that Adam Clarke’s previous assessment of this Pontiac being a clean survivor was accurate, with attractive Montego Cream paint over a black interior setting it off even more than its impressive chrome snout already does. Pontiac didn’t build many Executives in Safari form, with Adam noting that of the nearly 40,000 Executives made, just under 6,000 were of the longroof variety. The name “Safari” is wonderful, a reminder that model names didn’t have to be a series of numbers and letters – heck, they may even inspire you to take a road trip.
And that’s just what this Safari station wagon inspires, especially with its acres of space inside. This is just a handsome car from every angle, and the black interior is in exceptional condition for a car that hasn’t been restored. The seller notes that this is a highly original vehicle, so we’re looking at what is likely the factory seat upholstery, a truly amazing feat for a vehicle designed to cram as many warm bodies inside as possible. The woodgrain dash is a great look, even if it’s possibly fake, as it remains in nice, uncracked condition. The accelerator and brake pedals even get in on the action, with a strip of brushed aluminum (or similar material) outlining the edges. Also – can we bring knobs like these back into interior control design?
The engine is the trusty 400 cui V8, pushing out a respectable 265 b.h.p. That’s a healthy number for a vehicle of this size, and while its performance may feel muted due to curb weight and overall mass, it’ll still get out of its own way. The engine bay is nicely detailed, and while the Safari wagon hasn’t been restored, there’s really no glaring reason to take it down that path. Survivors like these can simply be maintained and enjoyed, without the need to ponder things like a glass-out respray. With air conditioning, an AM/FM radio, and power rear window, what more do you need – other than some passengers?
Wow, these were nice cars. My dad bought a gold one new in 67. You could pack six kids, two adults, one big dog, travel anywhere and still have room to spare.
Casting zero aspersions against this car (it’s beautiful), but the designer’s decision to leave the piece of fender in front of the front tire “un-woodgrained” seems awkward to my eye.
Kinda reminds me of the ’66 full-size Dodge fender.
I agreed with you but then started wondering if that was factory. Apparently that’s how Pontiac made them:
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Pontiac/1967%20Pontiac/1967%20Pontiac%20Full%20Line%20Brochure-01/1967%20Pontiac%20Full%20Line-46-47.html
I didn’t even notice, but ya, you’re right.
Most of the original woodies of the 30s-50s had no wood at all on the front fenders.
For that matter a lot of ’50s/60s Di-Noc “woodies” had a sweepspear effect like this one’s. It was on its’ way out – Ford moved away from it after ’63 – but GM was just getting back into woodgrain in ’66-7.
Nice rig for sure. And I agree with your knob comment Jeff.
My friends parents had one of these when I was 16.
Big boat we stuffed with kids, one of the best thing of it was the reverb unit with the am radio.
When the switch was on we would punch the dash and it would make that crashing spring noise, which was hilarious/cool to stoned teenagers like us
Ah the simple pleasures!!
E-brake works fine apparently
Had a white over green vinyl 68 Catalina long roof survivor, factory tinted windows, pwr rear window, ps, pb am/fm, factory climate control hvac, 400 2bbl 265hp TH400, ran on regular, quiet, comfortable ride cruising, plenty of getup and go. Drove like a Caddy. Cheap cost, I sold it a couple of years later. Last I remember it was up in Rhode Island.
These were about the nicest wagon one could buy back then, with the exception of the Olds Vista Cruiser, or Buick Estate. Can recall my grandparents buying one of these new that year.
At age 10 this was not the car I would have bought, but within 5 minutes of picking it up at the dealer can remember thinking this is a nice car. Everything about it said well built, and it rode fantastic. The Pontiac “Wide Track” was more than a marketing ploy, the cars truly handled and rode nicer than their GM counterparts.
Think that being stuck in neutral for a year now is really affecting me, because I really want this car. A beautiful, well maintained example of another time and life. My thanks to those who owned and maintained this one, you made my day.
Beautiful wagon. Sadly, I think the price is high…but if one considers what $25K would buy in a new car, it’s reasonable. Then again, this isn’t competing with new cars. If it were priced about $10k lower, it’d be gone quickly.
It is always so tempting to describe this one and others like it as big, land yachts, etc. But back in the day when this car and others like it ruled the roads, it was not considered “big”.
It was just a car.
The wooden dash was REAL wood. Pontiac used real wood in 1960, no wood in ‘61, but used real wood thereafter.
You make the statement that the Big 3 have not made big land yatch’s since “THE DAY” just take a look at the BIG BEHEMOTH 4 door pick ups they are cranking out every day. Half the people that drive them can not even park them properly at the local supermarket with out them sticking out in the driving lane.
Hmmm trying to submit my info to contact the owner and I keep getting an error! Hoe do I get through?
Dad bought as new blue one with a 428. I remember the family vacations in the back with all the seats down and sleeping bags unrolled. It was replaced by a Bonneville wagon in ’69
Knobs on the dash – they are gone for a reason. I was 16, driving in an urban part of a Philly suburb (Upper Darby) when a woman in a mid 50’s Mercury pulled in front of me, so I had to stop. She said, “Can you drive this car?”, her toddler was screaming and bleeding from his forehead. I said “yes”, she said, “park yours, and get in and drive us to the hospital”. He had hit his head on the dash board and had made a dent in his forehead from a knob. Long before cell phones, 911, or much in the way of car seats for kids. So I drove and ended up at a hospital and took a bus back to my car.
And, I had the Bonneville version of this, a ’67, more power, as I remember it, very little ground clearance, put bigger Chevy wheels and tires on it to get a little more height, cross brace that holds up the rear of the transmisson broke due to metal fatique, not rust, in Bangor Maine on vacation one day, apparently not an uncommon occurance with these GM creatures. But 8 kids and me, all in seat belts, to kids hockey games, etc., ran well, engine and transmission were both just fine at 180,000 miles when the rust got it, fenders, floors, but frame was OK but for 1/4 of the price of body work got a ’69 Ford wagon with only 50,000 miles which got me through another few years, basically trouble free.
Nice wagon but in the one picture showing the drivers side rear roof area it looks like somethings going on under that vinyl roof and with a roof that big it could lead to a lot of problems & expense. I’d love to own it tho.
My parents had one in a teal green color. 3 seats. I got my drivers license in it. Ours had the 4bbl. 400 an daul exhaust on it! Dad used to say, passes everything but the gas stations. Of course the car hardly saw under 80 on a trip.
About 25 years ago, a neighbor gave me a ’67 Pontiac Executive wagon. I think it had every option available at that time except possibly an 8 track player. It was black inside and out, 400 with a 400 turbo hydro, front disc brakes with 4 piston calipers, locking differential, tilt, AC, cruise, power windows and locks, AM/FM stereo, power seats, 9 passenger. So naturally I parted it out. Even cut the roof off with thoughts of making a tonneau cover for my black ’66 ElCamino ( looked really cool on it, especially with the roof rack still attached) but was so heavy you needed an engine lift to raise it. I sold off some of the stuff, but still have a ’67 Executive corner in my barn with a big pile of Pontiac parts.
From 10 years, I own a fully original (except one repaint about 25 years ago) ’67 Executive Safari, 2 seats, 6 passengers, Black Morokide vinyl interior and outside Montreux Blue metallic with woodgrain (of course!). She’s equipped with a 400 2bbl 290hp with a TH400 and heavily loaded including several unusual options. She has been built in the assembly plant of South Gate and sold new by Bryant Pontiac in West Covina. After 44 years in Los Angeles, she has joined my collection. She’s a terrific cruiser (thanks to the Wide Track) and still used regulary for family trips or holidays travels with wife, kids, doggy and luggages. Wherever we go, mostly everybody has something to share about his/her personnal memories and a Station Wagon.
Even if the advertised price seems high, you must consider how rare are those sixities wagons in excellent original conditions. Very few of them survived untill today.
Yeah those late sixties wagons were big, but in 1971, they grew a bit larger still-I had a 1973 catalina 9 pass wagon 455, turbo 400. One time, a friend got in on the passenger side and noticed a second dome lite- about 4 feet to the
rear of the main one and said”I thought you said you were getting the big one”.
Even had my Volvo-driving Dad looked forward to driving to the lumber yard
to get 4×8 sheets of plywood or whatever.
beautiful machine at $10-12 grand max.
so nice to see wagons finally getting the respect they deserve for a long time they were the red-headed stepchildren of the automotive world!
First that big black Cadillac brougham and now this gorgeous sled.
Seems a barn finds day tailored just for me.
Dad took the family along to test drive a 1967 Pontiac Executive Safari, in almost the exact color of this car. Salesman failed to put fuel in the tank, and the car ran out of gas in front of the Chrysler-Plymouth dealer in Rockville, MD. We all walked into the C-P showroom, and dad used their phone to call the Pontiac salesman and tell him where to pick up the car.
A few hours later & dad ended up ordering a tan 1967 Plymouth Fury II wagon, a well-optioned car. About 20 years later I spotted a tan Fury II wagon in a junkyard in Culpepper VA, and on close inspection, realized it was the very car dad had bought new. On opening the car’s hood, I found the original MoPaR Certi-card with the family name on it, and I’ve still got it!
Lol! Great story Bill! Glad you snagged a souvenir.
To: Bill C What a great story!! Do you recall how many years your family had the Fury II wagon? Any other stories you can relay about the car?
George,
Dad traded the Fury in on a 1973 Pontiac Catalina 2-door hardtop, also light beige color [Dad always bought tan or beige cars because he said they didn’t show dirt!]
Sometimes car guys will ask why dad didn’t order a Fury III wagon, and here’s the answer: the fury II had a thin chrome trim strip down the center of the body sides, the Fury III had one along the top edge of the body sides. He wanted that chrome strip for protection from door nicks.
We all hated that Pontiac, especially mom, because the doors weighed about 500 pounds each. Our driveway sloped towards the street, so if you pulled the car in, the doors were damn near impossible to open while sitting in the seat. If you backed the car in, the doors were harder to close.
The Plymouth was very reliable, the Pontiac was anything but. And shortly after he bought that car with the big 400 engine, the first gas shortage hit. In 1975 dad traded the Pontiac in on a new slant 6 Dodge Dart sedan, but this time mom got to pick the color: Maroon with a white vinyl top. They kept the Dart until 1985 when they traded it in on a new Volvo 240 sedan.
Years later dad said he should have kept the Plymouth, but with both kids grown, he said they didn’t need a big wagon anymore.
Around 1970 I was in a junkyard where I found a wrecked 1967 Sport Fury. It had an AM/FM Stereo radio & speakers that I bought for $15. I put it all into the wagon, but both mom and dad still only used the AM band!
Our neighbors always were trying to stay up with the Jonses, so when we bought the wagon, they immediately bought a new Chrysler New Yorker!
Bill: Thank you for sharing the stories about the cars in your family. I’ll bet that 1975 Dodge Dart sedan in Maroon did not show the dirt. Try to find an AM/FM Stereo radio and speakers today for $15.00 . Stay safe!!!!