In the mid-Seventies, Pontiac's wagons were positively enormous cars. For 1975, you could get the Safari, based on the Catalina sedan, and the Grand Safari, which was derived from the plusher Grand Ville Brougham and distinguished by its woodgrain flanks and deluxe interior appointments.
Both rode on 127" wheelbases, and cast shadows over 19 feet long on pavement that groaned under their 5100-plus pound curb weights. This Pinemist green Grand Safari has rectangular sealed-beam headlamps, first allowed in the US for '75, and the Grand Safari model was discontinued for '76, so that narrows down the date range pretty well.
With a station wagon of this length, unloading the 105.7 cubic foot cargo bay in a small garage or other confined space could be tricky, so GM engineered a clever two-piece power-operated clamshell tailgate arrangement. The upper glass half and the lower metal tailgate would slide into the roof and floor, respectively, at the touch of a switch.
Under the hood, the base motor was 185 horsepower 400 cubic inch small journal Pontiac V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor. Optionally, a buyer who needed more towing oomph could spring for a large journal 455 4-barrel, boasting 200 SAE net horsepower and 315 lb-ft of trailer-yanking torque.
After the '76 model year, Pontiac's big wagons got downsized, and a 1977 Pontiac Grand Safari rode on a 115.9"wheelbase, shared with the Chevy Impala/Caprice B-bodies. No longer needed, the complex, bulky, and heavy Glide-Away tailgate was axed, along with fourteen inches of overall length and half a ton of curb weight.
This one was photographed in June of 2023 using a Nikon D700 and 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G zoom lens.
