1960 Pontiac Catalina Safari Is Our Bring a Trailer Pick of the Day

• This 1960 Pontiac Catalina Safari is up for sale on the Bring a Trailer auction site, with bidding currently at $17,000 with five days left on the auction.

• This Safari can seat nine people and features a 6.4-liter V-8 driving the rear wheels through a four-speed Hydra-matic automatic transmission.

• The Copper Metallic paint job combines with the oodles of chrome trim and white wall tires to create a beautiful flashback to a bygone era of automative design.

I grew up in the back seat of a station wagon, traversing national parks on monthlong cross-country treks, hauling catcher's gear to travel baseball games in the spacious trunk, and learning to drive the nimble longroof on the chaotic streets of New York. But while I loved my parents' 2003 Volkswagen Passat, it can't measure up to the decadent style of this 1960 Pontiac Catalina Safari currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

The Catalina name first appeared in 1950 and became a standalone model line in 1959. It received a slight refresh the following year, trading a split-grille design for the cleaner, one-piece look seen here and toning down the rear fins after the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz took that design trend to the extreme. Safari was the moniker given to Pontiac's station wagons at the time, and this example was fitted with nine seats thanks to a first-row bench and a rear-facing third row.

Along with being capacious, this Safari is a stunning vehicle, with handsome, horizontal character lines stretching the length of the car, a wrap-around windshield providing an airy cabin, and plenty of brightwork to accentuate the Catalina's distinguished appearance.