(first posted 7/25/2018) About seven years ago I was a fresh, new CC contributor/editor and was a thrill with the state of the world. New and interesting curbside subjects were simply everywhere, and the only question was not if I would stop and photograph an unusual car, but for how long. Time has gone by and I have become jaded into not stopping all that often anymore. And why would I need to when I still sit on a stash of cars that I have never gotten around to writing up. Like this one.
I remember most of them. Actually, I was reminded of this one when we re-ran a piece on a similar sedan. I remembered exactly when I took the pictures, October of 2011 during a trip to Evansville, Indiana for a family wedding. I remember the wedding, of course, but also remember that the trip turned into a Child’s Garden of Pontiac. I have already written up three Pontiacs from that trip (here here and here), and this is the poor laggard that has sat and waited for so long for its turn at the electronic curbside. Well little Safari, your patience shall not go unrewarded.
1964 was a big car-year in my extended family. My parents bought a new Cutlass Holiday hardtop that year. A few years later my Uncle Bob bought a used ’64 Galaxie 500 four door hardtop. That same year (1967) my grandma bought a ’64 Pontiac Catalina sedan. My best friend at the time had a ’64 Avanti that lived at his house and neighbors across the street drove a silver-blue ’64 Impala convertible. You could say that 1964 was sort of my automotive home for several years, at least until 1972 kicked it from its perch.
I lived in a mostly GM-centered world then, and that world was mostly made up of Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs. Chevrolet sold a lot of cars in those years but we were not Chevrolet kind of people. Were we “too good” for Chevys? I don’t know, but in that era it was not uncommon to “move up” if you could afford to and it seems that most of the folks in my clan were able to do just that, if only a little.
In fact, this Pontiac is interesting to me in the way it was so close but so distant from the flashy Cutlass my parents chose. In the world I inhabited, 2 door hardtops were cool but wagons were dullsville. My folks had ditched a wagon when the 61 F-85 hauler got traded for the Cutlass, and so now I guess we had joined the cool crowd. Also, things like bucket seats, consoles and floor shifts were where it was at and we had them all. Wagon buyers had to, of course, do without any of those things. Because wagons were about utility and what damnfool needs bucket seats in a station wagon?
The mid 60s was also the heyday of colorful cars. A golden era, if you will. Our Cutlass was a beautiful, rich shade of dark metallic green – both in and out. Being the top model there was plenty of brightwork that popped like crazy against that deep, dark paint finish. But some colors were, well, popular for reasons I could never comprehend. This “Saddle Bronze” was something I never understood. Why, I wondered, did people feel the need to buy cars that were the color of dirt? I later learned that dirt-colored cars have their benefits, but good looks was never one of them in my eyes. A bigger mystery was why Pontiac felt the need to show both Tempest wagons in its brochure in this very (lack of) color.
And in their advertising. The next big thing that turned out to be not the next big thing? Whatever the reason, finding 1964 GM A body cars in this color is turning into one of my sub-specialties. Saddle bronze (in and out) for those who care. And for what it’s worth, Fitz & Van’s artwork was nowhere to be seen when it came to selling the Tempest in ’64. Tempest advertising was all about seeing the cars in the scenes of everyday life with everyday people. Or the best looking versions of everyday people, but whatever.
But where my folks were seeking a little sizzle and status, someone elsewhere went into a local Pontiac dealer for pure practicality. And came out with a pretty good car. A 2 bbl Pontiac 326 may not have had the flash of our “Ultra High Compression” 4 bbl Rocket 330, but then the owner probably saved a good bit of coin by getting to repeat over and over “Fill ‘er up with Reg’lur”. Although the lack of a front fender callout may indicate that this one came with the base six instead. At least it was a Pontiac built 215 cubic inch version of the smooth Chevrolet six and not the unpleasant “paint shaker” V6 that powered the skinflint versions of Olds and Buick’s versions of this car.
And GM may have been late to the world of three-gear automatics in this class of car, but its oodles of customers never seemed to care. Sure, you could get a Torqueflite or a Cruise-O-Matic but then you would have to settle for a Ford, or even worse, something from Chrysler. “Ferkryinoutloud, why would ya do that? My cousin Vern bought one. Nuthin’ but trouble.” Nope, the two speed automatic behind that 2 bbl V8 was all anyone needed. “GM builds the best cars, they would never sell us anything that wasn’t good.” Folks would eventually learn the fallacy in that logic, but real-life experience in 1964 made that a not-unreasonable proposition.
Oldsmobile and Buick buyers could get a long wheelbase “Vista” wagon which would be the cool way to tote the kids around. But the buyer of this Tempest Safari needed no such nonsense. “If the kids don’t want to ride in it, then that’s jest too bad.” “And we have a perfectly good Japanese transistor radio to sit up on the dash if you really need to listen to something.”
I thought about writing this car up as some kind of spoof on a bad Craigslist ad with a dense and dishonest seller hawking this as a GTO wagon. But I decided that I respect this car too much to make it the butt of a joke. This was the kind of good, honest car that everyday, ordinary folks trusted to take them and their families where they needed to go. But it doesn’t look like this one has done that kind of work for a very long time. And don’t bother to call the dealer, as I said up front these pictures were taken in 2011.
Pontiac’s advertising for the GTO likened that car to a tiger, a theme they developed over several years. And what a great image it was. But tigers are not for practical people. I started to think about this car as more of a housecat, but that analogy didn’t work for me. First off, I am not a cat person. Which may be why I don’t see housecats as all that useful for anything besides shooing away company. It is the rural midwestern idea of the barn cat that finally hit me. Barn cats live outside and are rarely seen around the house. Their job is to feast on the mice that like to feast on the feed for the other animals. The barn cat is not really a pet so much as it is a working member of the farm family. Where the GTO was a tiger, the Tempest wagon was all barn cat. That this particular one looks to have been hauled out of a barn makes the comparison even better. It’s even the color of a lot of barn cats I have seen.
It is easy to take these cars for granted these days as just another in the great sea of dirt-colored middle-sized cars that roamed the earth in that pre-Camryan era. But the 1964 A body cars from The General really were a segment-buster. Think about it, this segment really didn’t exist at all as late as 1961, at least in any meaningful way. Sure, Rambler and Studebaker were bumbling into a size that was neither this nor that, neither compact nor full sized. Ford picked up on that and brought out the 1962 Fairlane, but it had the bones of the smaller Falcon and seemed not all that much unlike one, despite its slightly larger dimensions. Chrysler made a bad move in making their big 1962 cars too small and would sort of turn that one into an “intermediate” as the segment would be called then, though it was really an intermediate in the way that the kid who failed 4th grade a couple of times became the biggest 4th grader in the history of the school.
General Motors designed these with a 115 inch wheelbase to slot neatly between the Chevy II and the big B body cars and suddenly found themselves setting the standard for the segment. That these A-body cars from GM would not really see any significant competition in sales until the 1972 Gran Torino tells us all we need to know.
I can only imagine the poor kid who went with his parents to the Pontiac dealer in 1964. There would undoubtedly have been a hot GTO on the showroom floor, along with a big Bonneville or Grand Prix. To ride home in this instead must have been a difficult ride home indeed. “We just bought a brand new car and you’re complainin’ about it? Didn’t see you offerin’ ta pay fer it back there.” And the parents would have been right, of course. Paul Niedermeyer has written about his early attempts to steer his father towards a Pontiac dealership. It no doubt eases his disappointment to realize that he would surely have ridden home in something more like this than in one of the popular cars with which he was smitten. I think that the gulf between a Fairlane and a Galaxie in 1962 was not so large as that between a Bonneville or GTO and one of these.
These Tempest wagons did not turn out to be the big sellers one might imagine, though. Although Pontiac moved over 120,000 Tempests that year, (plus another 80,000 LeMans and 32,000 GTOs) neither the six or V8 version of the Tempest Custom wagon made it out of the mid four digits. In fact, Tempest Custom Safaris numbered only about twice as many as Studebaker V8 Wagonaires in 1964. Compare this with the over 33,000 Catalina wagons that drove out of dealers and you can see that Pontiac wagon buyers valued that extra room and luxury. I guess there are only so many people who really need a barn cat.
So in addition to a car that was both attractive and competent, we can add that it has some degree of rarity too. And so this concludes my Great Pontiac Dig of 2011. I think we can say that this car has traveled quite a distance. From one of the most boring new car purchases of 1964 to a respected and rarely seen elder here at CC. The Tiger is the Pontiac that normally gets all the love at the car shows as people of all ages oooh and ahhh over every GTO in attendance. But barn cats deserve a little recognition too.
Further Reading:
1964 Pontiac Tempest Custom – You Bet It Hauls (Jason Shafer)
1964 Buick Special – Nothing Special (J P Cavanaugh)
1965 Pontiac LeMans – The BMW 3 Series Of Its Day (Paul Niedermeyer)
1965 Pontiac GTO – How To Create A Legend And Build A Brand (Paul Niedermeyer)
Great find JP. I’m so in the thrall of the Vistas I’ve almost forgotten there was a ‘normal’ intermediate wagon. I do like that saddle bronze – sort of urban cowboy.
I did a quick check in The Encyclopedia of American Cars and this lowest priced Pontiac wagon sold in nearly the same numbers as it’s GM equivalent at Buick, Chevy, and Olds. Folks bought the higher trim intermediate wagons in better numbers.
I have seen 1 or 2 GTO “wagons” over the years, but both were the later 60s style. Part of me realizes that a bucket seat with 4 on the floor wagon would have been a very tiny market niche, but with Detroit offering so many different combinations of options on cars in the 60s it surprises me that no one tried a sports wagon concept.
I actually like these lower trim cars of the 60s, almost as much as the higher trim version….they seem even more honest as wagons.
64 was a big year for cars in my extended family, too. My father owned a Country Squire and several uncles would buy Country Sedans. GM’s sales in the family would come in 66.
Memories!! My first (used) car upon return to CONUS in Spring ’68 was a 4 door Pontiac Tempest Custom 6 in this color scheme. Exciting? No, but in the 11 months I owned her I rolled 47000 miles on. Running constantly from MCB 29 Palms, CA into and all over the L.A. area did rack up the miles. Added my first @2200 driving from Madison, WI to MCB 29 Palms.
I paid $600 for the car with 25K miles showing. Then another $433 for a engine rebuild at Community Pontiac in Whittier, CA. Then back to rolling on miles at a almost constant 17 mpg. Totally non-excitement, dependable transportation car! BTW, I only remember washing it ONCE!! That blah color did hide dirt! DFO
Barn cat is a good analogy. Getting little love and often looking a might rough around the edges, it simply fits this Tempest wagon.
I can easily see whoever bought this car new, relatively plain as it is, felt pretty proud as it was a Pontiac, not any vanilla wafer Chevrolet.
Great write-up and I’m glad that this Pontiac is finally getting its due. I actually find this car to be very good looking–the magic of the Bill Mitchell styling era worked wonders on so many cars up and down GM’s automotive food chain. Even a basic Pontiac like this one carried some panache that made it seem worth the extra bucks over a Chevy.
I’m also intrigued by the very rusty Illinois license plate. The car looks to be relatively rust free, so wondering what the hell happened to the plate. Guessing that it came from another car (or the dump) and was affixed to this one for a “period” look, but a ratty plate on a solid car seems like a poor choice.
In photo #5 above looks like a ’60 or so Caddy poking its rear out of its spot. Somebody moved up from Chevvy just a little bit more it looks like. The Cavanaughs look quite pleased with their Olds just the same.
Is that about a ’72 Le Mans / GTO nose to nose in the second to last photo?
Great article!
That picture was taken at a small motel in Wisconsin (I think) during a 1965 trip that concluded in California. I think my mother may have been regretting the lack of a/c by the time we arrived.
The car in that second to last shot was a 1971 T-37 that was written up here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1971-pontiac-t-37-we-build-confusion/
A question:
In photo #7 (“Who says a station wagon has to be clumsy?”)– What is the car behind the Pontiac wagon? I thought, mid ’50s Corvette? Caddy? Oldsmobile? An old GM “dream car” they snuck in there? Nothing seems to fit.
Wow, you have me stumped too. So much of that bumper and grille looks like a 57 Thunderbird, but the fender top is flattened in the picture where the T-Bird’s has a bit of a peak there. Also the bumper lacks a signal light. That rectangular mirror is wrong for a bird too. One of GM’s European imports? Or maybe a re-touched 57 Thunderbird to anonymize it?
I was wondering the same thing. About both cars actually. The one in front of the Pontiac is just as mysterious, with either a very mismatched door or a bizzarre reflection.
The car behind seems to have misaligned ventiports as door handles and a bent chrome trim piece running down through the windshield.
You’re absolutely right; this is exactly what my father would have bought if I had managed to steer him to a Pontiac dealer. But then these didn’t come in a 3 row version (IIRC) so that might have killed the deal. I think he was more than ready to have me and my older brother sit as far away from him as possible.
A 326 V8 would have been flagged on the front fender, ahead of the wheel opening. This looks like the old straight six, which seems fitting.
Oh, some good spotting there. I have amended the text to reflect this point. I now see the callout badge on the brochure picture. Oh well, the six cylinder engine goes better with the lack of a radio. 🙂
“Oh wow, someone made a custom GTO wagon!” 😉
jk, cool to see a Pontiac Tempest wagon, and not another GTO clone. Some amateur car fans think ALL Pontiacs sold in the 60’s were GTO’s, Firebirds, and Grand Prix’s. i.e. ‘muscle cars’.
The other car in 2nd to last pic is not a “72 GTO”. For one thing, it’s got a chrome bumper. Again, not all A body Pontiacs from 1964-72 were GTO’s.
What a nice beastie. I hope someone thought to put hubcaps/wheelcovers on the humble wagon over the past 7 years. (I can’t believe all 4 of them are missing). Also, perhaps the previous owner watered the license plate? Like he or she was out watering the lawn around the driveway a few times a week where the wagon was parked and would frequently get hose water all over it. So it ended up rusted all to Hell, but the rest of the car was ok.
I don’t mind the color; I’d rather have it be saddle bronze than some shade of red, anyway.
“Pre-Camryan”. I love it! Its time that Curbside Classics get a specialized vocabulary like rocks or fossils.
The great thing about CC is that there is a wide range of cars presented. While for you, and some others, this Pontiac wagon is a yawn this was a pleasant stroll down memory lane. The second new car that I can remember in my family was a base ’64 Tempest wagon. White, with a red vinyl interior, full wheel covers and whitewalls. Now that’s a color combo that pops! The base model did without that fender top trim and looked much cleaner. I mean, did a GTO have that shiny stuff cluttering up the fender? Even though my Dad’s wagon was the base model, it carried a typical load of equipment. AM radio, auto trans, 326 V8, and the thing that my Dad wanted most, a power tailgate window.
I find the styling of the ’64 to be so clean, the split grille was a suggestion not a shout out. The flat sides with the kick up of the quarter panels was in perfect harmony with long roof. I thought that this wagon was just the coolest thing! At ten years of age my Dad let me pilot it around an empty parking lot. Seeing this post just brings back a lot of happy memories. Besides what kid wouldn’t get fired up seeing this call out on the fender?
I’ll bet your family’s wagon was beautiful. The longer I have looked at this one the more I love the styling. I think this is the best of all the non-vista A body wagons of 64-65. I agree with your point about the front and I am equally in love with the blade-style ends of the rear fenders with the taillights slightly reminiscent of the Lincoln Continental.
I was also reminded of a something that has mystified me: what was the purpose of that awkward little piece of metal between the base of the D pillar and the quarter panel on either side of the tailgate? It was on every one of these GM wagons and really detracted from the otherwise clean styling. GM was usually much better about disguising seams than this.
I just cant warm up to this car. Similar to the base Buick Special, I would rather take a Malibu instead. Maybe its the color, not a metallic gold (or beige) fan at all. Later Tempests with Pontiac signature vertical headlights look much better to me.
Engine wise, the 326 is better than the Chevy 283, on paper at least. Still, my skinflint choice for a ’64 GM A-body wagon would be the Chevelle 300 2-door with the optional 230ci six. Rare, but I have seen a few of them and they look much cleaner than this 4-door Tempest.
Good article JP! I love the barn cat analogy. My folks would definitely be the type to buy a wagon like this. Almost all the cars we had growing up were plain and practical. Dad also stayed pretty loyal to the low priced cars even though we could have afforded more.
I am with Nikita, I can’t warm up to this Pontiac wagon either. I also prefer the Chevelle over this. The 64 Pontiac Tempest front and just didn’t do anything for me, the was a big improvement.
What a beautiful station wagon! I’d pick a different color, but this one has nice lines.
When I was 16, in ’72, my dad bought a white ’61 Tempest wagon with the half-a-389 4 cylinder engine, 3-speed stick, and rope drive (of course).
He liked it enough that he repainted it gray and rebuilt the motor. I’d love to have another one now!
This is the Azure Aqua beauty I would have bought instead of the Tempest. Notice the El Camino door. Besides, the kids cant accidentally fall out. Dad went with the 2 door Brookwood in ’59 for that reason.
Me and my sort of dirt colored 64 Custom Safari rescue appreciate this article a lot. It’s not often someone finds these things, and mine was abandoned in a pasture in 1975, until I found it last year!
My Dad bought the next year’s Oldsmobile F85 wagon, it wasn’t planned; we were moving from our home in Catonsville Md to Burlington, Vt. when my Dad driving back from work was making a left hand turn into our motel parking lot (we had already vacated our house) on rte 40 when a guy in one lane waved him to proceed, but the car in the other lane didn’t stop and hit his ’63 Rambler Classic wagon. My Grandmother was baby sitting us, and was pulling shards of glass from my Dad’s skin (shouldn’t the ’63 have had safety glass?).
It was June 1965, we were done with our first (and it turned out only) year of parochial school, my middle sister had been born 6 months prior…instead of going up with my Dad we stayed with my Grandmother (we never lived within about a 4 hour road trip from either set of Grandparents). Dad went on somehow up to start his job in Vermont (rental car probably). He picked us up in a new ’65 F85 wagon he’d bought at Val Preda’s in South Burlington on Shelburne Rd. It was green (all his wagons were green until the ’73 Ranch Wagon which was a rich dark metallic brown color). It was his first V8, with the 330, but otherwise just had AM radio and heater. It was the first car we took camping (rented an Apache camper to go to Lake Dunmore in ’67) and fortunately had rain gutters as he subsequently bought a car top camper that rode on feet that fit in the rain gutters. The next door neighbor kid Jay Scanlon managed to get permanent black magic marker scribbled all over the inside of the tailgate when it was flipped open, and the headliner ripped when Dad bought us Sears bicycles in ’67 (Sears was supposed to pay for the repair but instead turned it into his Allstate insurance. Dad was so mad (since it was their fault it ripped) that he refused to have anything to do with Allstate for the rest of his life).
Only intermediate we ever owned (assuming the Rambler Classic was a compact). It was a nice car and suited us well; Dad probably should have kept it longer but he was a pretty frequent buyer of cars back then; not sure why he bought the ’69 since the ’65 was working well for us.
We had the car until my Dad traded it in on a new ’69 Ford Country Squire.
Wonder why the featured car has outside rearview mirror mounted on the fender…as I recall our ’65 had it in the more common location near the vent window on the door.