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The 1960 Pontiac Catalina two-door hardtop that Rod Kster raced in Junior Stock drag races. It had a 389-cubic-inch engine with four gears. In 1968, Rod won the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) global points championship and set other national records with this vehicle. In 1969, he raced a brand-new Ram Ar IV GTO Judge equipped with a 400-cubic-inch engine and a 4-speed transmission, which was endorsed by the manufacturer. In the following year, he swapped to a brand-new Ram Ar GTO Judge equipped with a 400-cubic-inch engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. Both vehicles held the national record at one point.
For the most of those years, Rod’s daily driver was a 1957 Safari that doubled as a tow truck for his race vehicle. He bought it in 1965 from a Pontiac store in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. As he stored the car in the garage in 1973, he said, “I better retain this vehicle” (GM only made 1,292 Star Chief Safaris in 1957).
Rod and several of his friends spent the time waiting refurbishing a fleet of classic Pontiacs. Two years ago, he said, “It’s time to take action with the Safari. It’s nice, however there are a few things we want to change. After putting in a new battery, he brought it in for repair. After two years of thinking, he came up with this.
Verle Stevens Enterprises in Colorado bored out a later 389 engine to 396 cubic inches, fitted it with new TRW 10.25:1 pistons with Sealed Power rings, and installed a solid lifter Lunata cam and kit. Everything seemed even and printed in blue. A set of 1963 421 heads (No. 970716) were upgraded to include Chevy valves. On a 1963 Super-Duty pickup, two 9770859 Carter AFBs, each with a capacity of 625 cfm, have been installed. This is a pontiac point style inscription. Every external component of the engine is manufactured from polished metal. The headers and the whole exhaust system are custom-built, HPC-coated, and installed with unique aluminum hangers.
The transmission is a TH-400 and the rear end is from a 1957 Pontiac with 3.90 gears, Posi-traction, and Mark Williams axles. Rod installed 2-inch lowered spndles up front. The front and rear springs, together with the control arms and rear end, were chrome plated. The rear wheels are 15 inches in diameter and are shod with Remington 255/70R15 radial tires, while the front wheels are 7 inches in diameter and are shod with 225/70R15 radials.
Stac’s Paint Trx finished the necessary bodywork and applied the PPG black finish. Auto Stitch of Aurora, Colorado is credited for developing the first “off-the-shoulder” leather upholster in black and light gray. The wheel utilized is a LeCarra model. Our thanks go out to everyone at Country Club Car Detail in Englewood, Colorado, but especially Jack Farland and Al Metzler.
Rod decided to modify this very rare vehicle, giving him the best of all worlds: a one-of-a-kind 1957 Safari and a sleek, modern ride.
