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This Pontiac Star Chief Safari Once Moved a Kingston Trio Member, Now It Can Move You

The name Pontiac Star Chief is not one you often come across, not even here on autoevolution, where we have a tendency of digging up the most exquisite of motorized contraptions from the darkest and most forgotten corners of the globe. So when we stumble upon one once owned by a celebrity, it’s too good of an opportunity to pass.
1956 Pontiac Star Chief Safari 14 photos
Photo: Mecum
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The Star Chief was a rather short-lived nameplate, manufactured between 1954 and 1966, at first as a derivative of the Chieftain. Pontiac somehow managed to squeeze no less than six generations of it during that time, meaning a new car being released every two years, on average.

The one you’re looking at here, a Safari, is part of the first generation, a 1956 model year that, at one point during its life, was owned by Bob Shane of Kingston Trio fame. We found it on the lot of cars auction house Mecum will send under the hammer in Kissimmee, Florida, at the beginning of next year, with no reserve and high hopes.

The car is one of just a little over 4,000 to have been made that year. It comes in Sandalwood Tan and Sun Beige over a rust and beige leather interior and packs the Comfort and Convenience Package that makes available creature comforts we can’t dream of today, like a tissue dispenser.

The wheels, wrapped in Coker whitewall tires, get their spin from a 317ci (5.2-liter) engine tied to an automatic transmission.

At the moment, the Pontiac Star Chief Safari is part of the Don Salmon collection, a mammoth one that comprises over 60 vehicles, from Cadillacs and Chevrolets of old to the more modern 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Hennessey HPE700, all being sold in January.

At the time of writing, there is no estimate on how much the car is expected to fetch.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
Daniel Patrascu profile photo

Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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