Instead of thinking outside the box, Pontiac played with the box a little. It sometimes made the box bigger, too — its 1970s station wagons were some of the longest and heaviest Pontiacs ever made.

One thing Pontiac was not famous for was its station wagons. They didn't have the Fiero's tendency to catch fire, but Pontiac also never innovated in a big way with its wagons. Instead of thinking ...