Pontiac El Catalina Safari Is Discovered, Restored and Re-revealed

[GMTruckGuy74]

Link: http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/09/pontiac-el-catalina-safari-restoration-pickup.html

Pontiac El Catalina Safari Is Discovered, Restored and Re-revealed

Posted by Mark Williams | September 13, 2011

By Mark Williams

Our friends at Hemmings Classic Car magazine found a real beauty this time. Appearing on the cover of the October issue sits a Pontiac pickup truck that’s both ahead of its time and a shining example of the glory of the 1960s.

Straddling the two worlds of cars and trucks — a la the Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino — the Pontiac El Catalina Safari has the DNA of the El Camino and Pontiac Safari station wagon. Author Matt Litwin gives a wonderful history lesson for those less versed in all things "hybrid" as he explains the roots of this modern-day retro concept vehicle.

With the help of four separate restorers and three Safari station wagons, this Pontiac prototype finally got restored into the custom one-off you see here. Check out the full story about the restoration and the history of car-based pickups in the late '50s and early '60s at Hemmings’ site. There’s a reason that they don’t make them like this anymore.

In the end, Pontiac decided not to dive into the waters dominated by Ford and Chevy because it was wrestling with a fickle marketplace and was trying to figure out its own brand identity. Sound familiar?

For a modern look at what we were thinking and what Pontiac was going to do about five years ago, click here. (FYI: Jay Leno does not have the last remaining El Catalina as we noted in this archived feature.) And If you want more history, check out our feature on car-based pickups here. Below is an image of how the Pontiac was found.

'59 El Catalina Safari #1.bmp

'59 El Catalina Safari #2.bmp

'59 El Catalina Safari #3.bmp

Edited September 22, 2011 by GMTruckGuy74

[balthazar]

>>"Pontiac decided not to dive into the waters dominated by Ford and Chevy because it was wrestling with a fickle marketplace and was trying to figure out its own brand identity."<<

Wrong wrong wrong. The direction was cemented & consistent since the '57s came out, and it started before that MY. By the time production P-59 sheetmetal was available for PMD to craft the El Catalinas, there was no 'identity searching' going on. What IS significant is, the Ranchero was dying on the vine in '59, and the El Camino was dead after the 60MY. The market just wasn't there.

• • •

This car has been known about in Pontiac circles for decades. Great to see it finally done, tho. 2 were reportedly built, the other AFAIK is permanently MIA.

Edited September 24, 2011 by balthazar

[Camino LS6]

Glad to see this.

I have to beg to differ about the market for these though, Balthy.

The platform shifted from FS cars, true, but the Ranchero continued through 1979, and the El Camino through 1987.

[balthazar]

Not dissin' the car pick-up, bud; I really like (most of) them.

With Chevy dropping the Elky for '61 and Ford bumping the Ranchero to the itsy bitsy Falcoon for '61, the market for another full-sized 'Elky' wasn't there in '60 (when the trigger pull for the El Catalina would have shown itself). Yes, the Ranchero stumbled along as a compact thru the '60s, and the Elky returned for '64, but this was a F/S proposal, and in that, the numbers from '57-60 didn't support another one. At least; that's my take.

[Sixty8panther]

Saw this in Hemming's. Quite awesome!

I understand what you mean Balthy.

In a perfect world the El Camino & this Pontiac variant would have stayed on a FULL size

car for the remainder of the entire 1960s & 1970s, that 's how they look their best. The

whole lower longer wider theme melds well wit the El Camino and this Pontiac proposal

even MORE SO!

[balthazar]

^ Not to mention that the ideer here is some degree of utility; putting a bed behind the diminutive Falcon & it's 6-banger was completely pointless.

In a truly ideal world there would be BOTH an intermediate AND a F/S car pickup at Chevy & Ford (& Dodge), and a single offering from Pontiac at GM.

Shot today at the swap meet, for Camino:

Asking $14,500, 454 car, assumedly at that price it was 'built' and not factory.

[A Horse With No Name]

Wicked cool no matter what it came from the factory with!

[Camino LS6]

Not dissin' the car pick-up, bud; I really like (most of) them.

With Chevy dropping the Elky for '61 and Ford bumping the Ranchero to the itsy bitsy Falcoon for '61, the market for another full-sized 'Elky' wasn't there in '60 (when the trigger pull for the El Catalina would have shown itself). Yes, the Ranchero stumbled along as a compact thru the '60s, and the Elky returned for '64, but this was a F/S proposal, and in that, the numbers from '57-60 didn't support another one. At least; that's my take.

I thought it would be a F/S issue with you...

While I like the F/S versions, I think the concept was right where it belonged on the midsize base from '64 onward.

The Falcon Rancheros are another story. While they have a real cool factor, they had very little utility. Ford was smart to move the Ranchero back up to midsize in '65/'66.

[Camino LS6]

^ Not to mention that the ideer here is some degree of utility; putting a bed behind the diminutive Falcon & it's 6-banger was completely pointless.

In a truly ideal world there would be BOTH an intermediate AND a F/S car pickup at Chevy & Ford (& Dodge), and a single offering from Pontiac at GM.

Shot today at the swap meet, for Camino:

Asking $14,500, 454 car, assumedly at that price it was 'built' and not factory.

Sweet-looking '70.

Could be the real thing, but likely not very original once you check the details - decent price in any case.

4spd., or auto?

[balthazar]

Auto. Was extremely clean- didnt check the interior out.

[Camino LS6]

Auto. - too bad, but most were.

Still worth more than the asking price if clean.