This Pontiac nameplate began in 1955 as a premium two-door station wagon inspired by GM’s mid-century sport-wagon idea. In its first years, it was closely associated with Pontiac’s most upscale wagon treatment and became one of the division’s most distinctive early postwar designs. For 1957, Pontiac broadened the Safari name across its entire wagon lineup, so the badge no longer referred only to the original two-door model. That established Safari as Pontiac’s wagon identity for decades, even as the specific body styles and trim levels changed from generation to generation.
The name returned in several later eras on full-size Pontiac wagons, sometimes as part of a longer model name and sometimes as the primary badge on the car itself. In the 1980s, Pontiac again used Safari as a standalone wagon name on its rear-wheel-drive full-size wagon, giving the badge a second life after its 1950s origins. That final run ended with the 1989 model year, marking the end of Pontiac Safari wagons and the close of a long-running GM station-wagon tradition.
Enthusiasts remember Safari for its strong ties to the Chevrolet Nomad concept, its mix of style and utility, and its shifting role in Pontiac’s lineup: first a halo wagon, later a family wagon name, and finally a late-era full-size survivor with deep roots in Pontiac history.