Hemmings find of the day: 1959 Pontiac Bonneville Custom Safari

[Stéphane Dumas]

From Hemmings blog
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...custom-safari/

[marinerbc]

That's sweet.

But if it were a '61 Bubble Top Catalina...

All of a sudden I HAVE to find one. Fell in love with them...don't understand why.



Want.

[davidlane]

Understandable, it's a great looking car!

[ljtyphoon]

Nice wagon! Same model Mickey Thompson towed Challenger to Bonneville with. Challenger weighted over 4 tons by itself, so with trailer and other payload this thing must have been pulling 6 tons. Good thing it had a 389.... try that with your Chevy powered 59 wagon with a powerglide!
LJ

[balthazar]

HPP stated the 'stat board' displayed with the Challenger I back in the day said it weighed 4650. 4 tons is 8000 lbs!

[ljtyphoon]

HPP stated the 'stat board' displayed with the Challenger I back in the day said it weighed 4650. 4 tons is 8000 lbs!

One source says it weighed 5600 lbs before they supercharged it, and on the video of the run, after they had added the 4 blowers, it says it weighed close to 7000 lbs. Not sure where I saw 8000 lbs maybe that was wet weight after the not so small Thompson ate a big meal. Regardless in the video when that Safari was towing it, with multiple passengers, on what I assume was not a very light trailer, it looks like it was a hell of a load for a passenger car.
P.S. I just looked at the video from 1960 and they had a 1960 Bonneville Safari instead of the 59 from the year before. That is the video that makes reference to the 7000 lb figure, and 750 HP per engine, after adding the GMC blowers. They show 4 passengers in the Safari when towing and then they used it as a push vehicle to get Challenger started by getting it up to 80 MPH.
LJ

[balthazar]

I believe yes; that was the naturally aspirated weight.
http://www.highperformancepontiac.co.../photo_02.html

However, I still don't see adding the 4 blowers (and associated hardware/plumbing) raising the weight a monstrous 2000 lbs.
From what I can gather, a 6-71 blower packed for shipping is less than 150 lbs. I'd like to know the definite answer on this.

I've seen the '60 Safari pic, but pushing a rolling weight would not be that amazing a feat, IMO.
I've physically pushed my truck in my flat driveway, and it weighs right about 6800 lbs. It's not lifting; it's rolling.

[ljtyphoon]

I believe yes; that was the naturally aspirated weight.
http://www.highperformancepontiac.co.../photo_02.html

However, I still don't see adding the 4 blowers (and associated hardware/plumbing) raising the weight a monstrous 2000 lbs.
From what I can gather, a 6-71 blower packed for shipping is less than 150 lbs. I'd like to know the definite answer on this.

I've seen the '60 Safari pic, but pushing a rolling weight would not be that amazing a feat, IMO.
I've physically pushed my truck in my flat driveway, and it weighs right about 6800 lbs. It's not lifting; it's rolling.

No matter what the weight was, (probably close to 4 or 5 tons not including 4 passengers and other payload) it was probably a much better tow vehicle then any of the comparable station wagon's of that timeframe! The Pontiac's with their 389's, Hydromatic transmisions, 'Wide Track' stance and finned aluminum wheels made them far superior to any Chevy for sure.
LJ