1981 Pontiac Safari's. Ever seen a worksite like this?

[91 s-10baja]

Safari was Pontiac’s designation for Station Wagon in 1981. Offering two mid-size and two full-size Safari’s. Resized in 1977 the ‘large’ wagon, ditched its Glide-Away tailgate often referred to as the clamshell design, for a more conventional unit that opened two ways, like a door, or lowered like a pickups gate...


1981 Pontiac Safari Wagon Promo

[Krash Kadillak]

Guess what I just bought?
Yup. 1981 Bonneville Safari Don't have it yet - coming from Wisconsin.
Click on the pic for enlargement.
Safari LT FRT.jpg

[91 s-10baja]

Guess what I just bought?
Yup. 1981 Bonneville Safari Don't have it yet - coming from Wisconsin.
Click on the pic for enlargement.
Attachment 12021

that looks fresh! Congrats!

[ponchoman49]

Always have had a soft spot for the Pontiac wagons. The 1981's introduced the C3 computer control emissions system and the full size B-body cars got GM's 4 speed 200R-4 transmission as std fare on wagons tied to either the Olds 307 V8 or the 5.7 diesel. The smaller A/G body LeMans carried over the std 3.8 231 V6, the small Pontiac 4.3 265 V8 and the 301 4BBL was still offered on the wagons until they discontinued it in April of 1981. The top gas engine for sedans was the 4.3.

I remember test driving a 1981 wagon with the Olds 307 200r4 transmission. It had a trailer towing 3.23 rear gear and I was surprised how well that mill moved this large car around for the day despite only having 145 Hp on tap.

[rockyspaw]

I have a soft spot for wagons, too! The car I learned to drive in and took my road test in was a huge 1976 Grand Safari (and I passed on first attempt)!

I believe the other Safari - Astre/Sunbird - was discontinued in 1979. Nice little car for the time. I enjoyed my Vega Kammback, underpowered as it was - until it was T-boned. Wagon AND 2-door, what more could I ask for? (OK...I had a 'vette, too)

[t-rex]

Tidbit of erstwhile Pontiac wagon trivia....

In the 1970s, Pontiac had planned a wagon version of the interesting Grand Am, but canceled the idea. One of the chief reasons was strong opposition from the plant manager at the Framingham, Massachusetts plant that assembled all B-O-P A-body wagons, who claimed the plant already had its hands full producing all of GM's non-Chevrolet A-body wagons.

[rockyspaw]

^ I didn't know that. I always liked the Grand Am. I remember when one of my parent's neighbors brought home his new 1973 Grand Am - beautiful car, Maroon with white interior.

"A single Grand Am wagon was produced by Pontiac for 1973. Part of a feasibility experiment, it is now in the hands of a Michigan collector. Curiously, this car is also one of very few with a factory ram-air induction set-up, which was proposed for the Grand Am, but scrapped due to inability to pass noise regulations." A Le Mans wagon converted to Grand Am specs.

http://www.tachrev.com/GrandAm1973-75.htm

[t-rex]

The 73-75 Grand Am is ammo I use in arguments to defend American car-designing ability. Obviously Detroit could build a competent car on par with, for the most part, the imports; but nobody wanted it. It was “too American” for the stuck-up europhiliac set, and “too foreign” for the Cro-Magnon blue collar crowd that was the core of GM's constituency.

That Grand Am wagon would have been an unfairly-ignored and sadly-forgotten gem...

[Z284ever]

Guess what I just bought?
Yup. 1981 Bonneville Safari Don't have it yet - coming from Wisconsin.
Click on the pic for enlargement.
Attachment 12021

Congrats! Very nice.

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

The 73-75 Grand Am is ammo I use in arguments to defend American car-designing ability. Obviously Detroit could build a competent car on par with, for the most part, the imports; but nobody wanted it. It was “too American” for the stuck-up europhiliac set, and “too foreign” for the Cro-Magnon blue collar crowd that was the core of GM's constituency.

That Grand Am wagon would have been an unfairly-ignored and sadly-forgotten gem...

Was it really on par? It was really just a LeMans with a shaver grill and swaybars at a much higher price, to somehow inexplicably steal sales from Mercedes 450 SE's...