1962 Pontiac Tempest Safari: in a private collection since 1979! (F-85)

Priced to sell !!
Back in 1979 this 1962 Pontiac Tempest Safari wagon was traded in to a Pontiac dealership near Bethlehem Pennsylvania with 73,000 miles. The owner of the dealership decided to keep the car in his personal collection. This explains the January 1980 Pennsylvania inspection sticker still on the inside of the windshield.
The collection was sold in a 2022 estate auction and, after passing through two classic car dealerships, now resides in the garage of another collector in Central Virginia.
Since coming out of retirement last year:
Fuel tank cleanedcomplete tune upall fluids changednew radiatorbrake masternew exhaustrebuilt single barrel carburetorNew period correct tires (June 2023)
Everything works on this car including the original AM radio. Glass all around is excellent. The rear electric window in the tailgate operates as it should.
All chrome is very good.
Excellent all original interior shows very well with a few areas near the door sills showing some carpet wear. Excellent headliner, door cards etc. All door windows go up and down as they should.
2-speed dash mounted automatic transmission with the famous "rope-drive" transaxle. Drives and shifts as it should. The engine is the "Trophy 4" deveoped by John Delorean to help Pontiac save engine design costs. Pontiac essentially took the right cylinder bank from the 389 V8 to create a durable and economical engine to compete with the hot early 1960's compact cars (Valiant, Falcon, Corvair etc). This engine starts right up and idles smoothly.
*Note the very cool retro looking original chrome wind deflectors mounted on the rear tailgate posts.
The paint is mostly original. I have no history to support this but it looks like the hood and front fenders were painted, obviously before 1980. The chassis is solid. The only notable rust on the car was on the back of the wheel wells on both rear fenders and the valance underneath the rear bumper. I did a rather amateur patch, Por 15, and paint (black) of these areas (see photo's). The largest rust area was below the rear bumper was about the size of a baseball. I'll let the next owner decide if they want to dig into this again or just drive it as-is. There are a few touched up bubbles on the fuel door lid.
The tires on the car when it came out of storage were the original white walls from 1978!!. They looked brand new tread wise but were just replaced with a brand new set of 15 inch radials.
The sale includes the original Bill of sale dated December 14, 1961, an owners manual and original owners paperwork plus a factory shop manual.
This is one of those great futuristic looking classic cars from the early sixties that you just don't see anymore- especially the wagons. That said, there seems to be a strong owner following for these first gen Tempests and parts and advice are easy to source.
Clean Virginia title in sellers name. This car is registered, insured and on the road.
Garaged in Central Virginia. Personal inspections are encouraged with an appointment. Happy to work with your shipper or drive it home. I am happy to answer any questions through Ebay or even take another photo of anything not shown. A non-refundable $500 deposit is due immediately. Balance to be paid in cash or via bank wire within 3 days.