Ah, the station wagon. Prior to Iacocca's Chrysler-saving mini-van the station wagon was the transportation of choice for large families. And why not? They were equally at home taking the kids and their gear to hockey practice, a trip to the lumber hard for a few sheets of 4x8 plywood , or hauling the whole family with their luggage and an Airstream trailer to a campsite a thousand miles away. As utilitarian as they were, they were not lacking in style. Take Vern Hill's 57 Pathfinder Safari Deluxe for example. Like all the Pontiac models for 1957, the Safari was more stylish than the Chevrolet, but not as garish as the Buick.   Pontiac said "Load up and light out for adventure..." in the 57 Safari. With some added modern conveniences, Vern's Safari is one Wagon I'd be happy to take a road trip in!

Here's more about the Pathfinder in Vern's own words:

I wasnt actually shopping for a car when I stumbled across this 1957 4dr Pontiac Safari Pathfinder Deluxe wagon on Ebay in November of 2006. There it was just sitting in the middle of a Saskatchewan field, looking like it had been neglected for some time. It was love at first sight and I knew I had to have it. After we closed the deal, I made arrangements to have it shipped to Manitoba. It seemed like an eternity until I finally had it in my own yard on December 20 and during that time I had many anxious moments, but once it finally arrived I knew I had made the right decision. Considering I had bought it sight unseen, other than a couple of picture, I was also relieved to see that it was in much better shape than I had been expecting.





It was GREAT. I was going to get a safety and drive it just the way it was. That is...until I talked to a friend of mine about throwing a quick coat of paint on it. So the plan was set...for the first summer I would drive it just the way it was and then we would paint it the following winter.
Somehow, that quick coat of paint turned into a major restoration project. When I removed the bumpers and trim to prep for paint, I thought maybe I should get them re-chromed while they were off the car and, since I was doing that, I then thought I should also polish the stainless, etc, etc....





To make a long story short, as one thing lead to another the following work has since been done:
New floor pans installed, powder coated inner fenders and rad cradle, re-zinced hood latch and hinges, rebuilt transmission, removed motor to replace gaskets, replaced timing chain, installed power disc brakes with 2 drop spindles, replaced front fenders, all chrome has now either been re-plated or replaced, new door sill plates installed, all lenses replaced, new headliner installed, converted from generator to alternator, new windshield installed, tinted all rear windows, installed stereo system, 15 LCD TV, and Playstation II, new rims and tires, and the list goes on.


Oh ya...I did finally get around to painting it as well. After many gruelling hours spent on body work, It was repainted to original Coronado Yellow and 97 Cadillac White with Gold Pearl.






Information on this car seems to be very limited, but I do know that it was originally built in Oshawa, ON on May 14, 1957. It was number 1147 of only 1639 produced and it was first sold in Manitoba. How it ended up in Saskachewan still remains a mystery, but I am happy it is back in Manitoba. Although its an on-going project, we have enjoyed driving it to many of the local show and shines since it has been back on the road and plan to enjoy it for many more years to come.