Photo: justcallmesusy/eBay
Introduced as a trim level on the Chieftain and Star Chief series in 1950, the Pontiac Catalina became a full-fledged nameplate in 1959. It survived on the market until 1981 and spawned a few iconic variants, including the drag-prepped 421 Super Duty.
But Pontiac also built a few Catalina Safari station wagons that offered seating for up to six people in 1961. Some of them were converted into airport coaches by Armbruster Stageway. While not as fast and expensive as the Super Duty muscle cars, these coaches are just as rare nowadays.
Armbruster Stageway reportedly converted around 200 Catalinas into "shuttles" to transport passengers to and from the airport. The conversion was pretty much about extending the wheelbase far beyond the standard Catalina, to the point where the car measures about 23 feet (7 meters) from bumper to bumper. That's a 31% increase compared to the regular Safari.
The lengthened wheelbase made room for an additional two rows of bench seats. So whereas the regular Catalina was able to carry up to six people, the long coach offered room for up to 12, including the driver. Interestingly enough, Armbruster didn't go with a matching number of doors on each side.
While the right side incorporates four doors, one for each row of seats, the left side has only two, one for the driver and one for the fourth row. It meant that passengers traveling in the second and third rows had to slide toward the left. Sure, it's not very uncomfortable to do that, but this layout turns the coach into a seven-door car (including the rear hatch).
Armbruster Stageway wasn't the only company that offered such conversions. National Coaches also built a few long-wheelbase, eight-door version of the Catalina sedan. Capable of hauling up to 12 people as well, the Airporter sedan had limited luggage room in the truck, so they also came with roof racks.
Many of these airport limos weren't lucky enough to survive for 60 years, and it's safe to say that only a dozen of these Armbruster wagons are still salvageable. Seeing an ad on the used car market reminded me that some of them still exist and there's still hope that someone would restore an example at some point. This specific model is no longer available, but it's one of the better-looking long-wheelbase Safaris out there.
Armbruster Stageway reportedly converted around 200 Catalinas into "shuttles" to transport passengers to and from the airport. The conversion was pretty much about extending the wheelbase far beyond the standard Catalina, to the point where the car measures about 23 feet (7 meters) from bumper to bumper. That's a 31% increase compared to the regular Safari.
The lengthened wheelbase made room for an additional two rows of bench seats. So whereas the regular Catalina was able to carry up to six people, the long coach offered room for up to 12, including the driver. Interestingly enough, Armbruster didn't go with a matching number of doors on each side.
While the right side incorporates four doors, one for each row of seats, the left side has only two, one for the driver and one for the fourth row. It meant that passengers traveling in the second and third rows had to slide toward the left. Sure, it's not very uncomfortable to do that, but this layout turns the coach into a seven-door car (including the rear hatch).
Armbruster Stageway wasn't the only company that offered such conversions. National Coaches also built a few long-wheelbase, eight-door version of the Catalina sedan. Capable of hauling up to 12 people as well, the Airporter sedan had limited luggage room in the truck, so they also came with roof racks.
Many of these airport limos weren't lucky enough to survive for 60 years, and it's safe to say that only a dozen of these Armbruster wagons are still salvageable. Seeing an ad on the used car market reminded me that some of them still exist and there's still hope that someone would restore an example at some point. This specific model is no longer available, but it's one of the better-looking long-wheelbase Safaris out there.
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