It’s truly amazing the numerous models that sprang from General Motors’ B-body platform, and not just for a few years. B-bodies continued into the early 90s with the last of the great rear-drive land yacht wagons, and I’m always amazed when yet another iteration pops up, like this 1978 Pontiac Catalina Safari wagon. This one is packing the 400 V8, an engine banned by the state of California for its inability to adhere to stringent emissions requirements. Find this highway-eating cruiser wagon here on craigslist with an asking price of $5,500 near Albany, New York.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Peter B. for the find. In my neighborhood, a guy has every incarnation of the B-body wagons, from the Buick to the Oldsmobile to the Chevrolet to the Pontiac. I’m not sure what it’s like to effectively own multiples of the same car apart from the nose treatment (and yes, some other cosmetic tweaks), but at least this neighbor of mine will never be lacking for storage capacity. Some of them wear the iconic wood trim on the sides, while others, such as this Pontiac here, go for the smooth look.
Speaking of smooth, this one looks pretty tasty on wheels I’d normally associate with the Trans Am. The interior is super clean, with an untorn bench seat, clean carpets, crack-free dash, nice dash woodgrain trim, and door panels that appear to have never been cut for some tacky aftermarket speakers. The floor mats aren’t OEM, but that’s no big thing. The seller notes the Catalina did not leave the factory with the desirable third-row seat, so you may have to pass on this one if you’ve got more than five passengers to haul around.
The seller says this is a one-owner car with 67,000 original miles, and that it’s been kept in a garage for at least some of that time. The interior shows none of the scars typically associated with a people-mover, but the seller does note there’s no A/C – whether that’s from the factory or simply not working is not disclosed. If you’re like my neighbor and need the variant most enthusiasts haven’t seen, I have to imagine the Pontiac-badged B-body is one of more elusive ones out there. Which would you choose?
A close look at the heater/vent control shows it left factory without air.
I believe those wheels were factory installed. I remember seeing other Pontiac wagons with the same ones. This car looks great with them.
Extremely likely. Firebird used a 5 on 4 3/4″ bolt pattern, while the big boys used a 5 on 5″ bolt pattern.
The dash is uncharacteristically bland and boring for Pontiac. Wheels look nice. The tinted wheels might save the backs of knees from burning up on the vinyl.
Odd that Pontiac still had their 400 but Buick had to make do with the Olds 403 that year instead of one of their own engines. Seems like all of BOP should all have been using the 403 in their big cars.
Pontiac 400 had more torque with a better curve than the Olds 403. All the BOP 455s departed the year before, so Buick only had their 350 left for a V8. Pontiac couldn’t keep up with demand for their 400, so it was a “Pontiac only” engine.
Considering the condition and low mileage, $5,500 seems like a decent price. I wouldn’t mind this for a daily driver on nice days, it would be a handy rig for those trips to the supermarket or the hardware store. Ii has a front bench seat so it’s a six-seater, Jeff; just as long as none of the front passengers is Jabba the Hutt.
“Five passengers” plus one driver equals six seats. I was thinking the same thing until I did the math
I would love this wagon! I don’t care about no a/c, so that wouldn’t be a deterrent for me. I would try to figure out a way to install a TransAm hood scoop, run duals on it with the split TransAm exhaust tips, and just roll it with a big, stupid grin on my face!
Remember where you want to move to with this “I don’t care about no a/c” talk. :)
I know buddy! I love heat, pretty odd for a fat guy lol.
You can’t do that to the car. It is not fair to turn it into an Arizona steam room.
Those vinyl seats will be really uncomfortable without any kind of air.
A lot of the wagons of that vintage here in Mexico were sold with no air and no heater.
I had a 1973 Country Squire and I couldn’t drive it on a hot day or a cold day, so it didn’t get much use.
This was the car.
Miguel, I have so many other things in my life right now that I can’t buy this car lol. All I was saying was what I would do to it if it were mine. Relax buddy lol. I know where I am moving to, and I realize that though I love heat, I may learn to not love it so much lol.
We will talk soon friend! Enjoy your evening!
P.S. that was a sharp looking Ford wagon. Too bad it wasn’t much good to you, but I get it. No a/c or heat? What an oddball!
Especially with those crank windows. It makes that 4/40 AC even more inconvenient..