Wagon Snippet: A Pale Blue Poncho

My earliest wagon memories (personally speaking) actually go all the way back to my friend’s 1973 Pontiac Grand Safari. Devoid of real fake wood siding – for those who care not to be technical – it featured Valencia Gold paint with two rich, brown vinyl bench seats; memory fails to recall whether or not there was a third row way out back, but a CB Radio was added.

I think my last ride in it – before it was sold to a party overseas a number of years ago – was a trip up to the Lincoln/North Woodstock areas of New Hampshire during the fall. We thought it was a good idea for the six of us to pile into it and cruise across the Kancamagus Highway – along with about 300,000 others that day. I can vividly recall the big Pontiac struggling to suck air and fuel into all eight piston chambers as we passed a tour bus in a no passing zone (going uphill, no less) and just making it as a semi appeared in front of us. Thrilling as a kid, stupid as an adult. The CB was alive with other colorful names for that stretch of blacktop at the time.

So what’s the connection to this wagon snippet segment? Check out this 1975 Pontiac Catalina wagon I spotted at Hershey back in 2008 in Artic blue (that’s their spelling on the paint chart).

Clad with wood-free body panels and stylish – if not sporty – wheels, those windows are coated with morning dew rather than crazed with age. Under that long, expansive hood sat an undisclosed version of Pontiac’s 400-cu.in. V-8 (with a two-barrel carburetor it made 170hp, or 185hp with a four-barrel) or the once-mighty 455 that made 200hp in ‘75. The seller didn’t notate it. Nor was there any mention as to its seating capacity.

Pontiac made 3,964 six-passenger Catalina wagons, and 4,992 nine-passenger versions, with factory pricing listed as $5,100 and $5,300 (roughly) respectively. The asking price at the time this photograph was taken was $8,900. I should point out that it was respectably clean in that rust was not evident. Condition #1 book values have them hovering around the $6,500 – $7,000 mark. But, as others have demonstrated before, a little over the top is worth the investment when the cost of actually restoring one of these big beauties far exceeds that figure.

Input is welcomed, especially any personal Pontiac wagon stories!