Safari (pronounced suh-fahr-ee)
(1) A journey or expedition, for hunting, exploration, or
investigation, historically applied especially to expeditions in eastern
Africa.
(2) The hunters, guides, vehicles, equipment, etc,
forming such an expedition.
(3) Used loosely (sometimes very loosely), any long or
adventurous journey or expedition (although usually restricted to non-developed,
hot places with abundant wildlife).
(4) To go on a safari; to take part in a safari.
(5) In fashion, as “safari suit”, a men’s outfit of
dubious appeal.
1890: From the Swahili safari (journey), from the Arabic سَفَر (safar) (referring to a journey) from safara (to travel) & safarīya
(travelling). Etymologists consider the
word “safari” was absorbed into English in 1890, having been documented since
1860s as a foreign word in the sense of “an expedition over country in East
Africa lasting days or weeks, particularly for purposes of hunting”. The Swahili safar (journey) first appeared in English publications in
1858. From the 1920s, as an adjective “safari”
was applied liberally to devices & appliances used on or associated with safaris
(safari knife, safari park, safari trailer, safari map et al) but ultimately most
influential was the safari jacket, a practical garment (robustly tailored with
lots of pockets) which unfortunately would in the 1960s be picked up by the
industry as the “safari suit”, perhaps the most derided piece of men’s fashion
in the 1970s which, given what that decade produced, was quite an achievement. The nouns safarier, safarigoer & safariman
(all descriptors of “those who go on a safari) seem to have gone extinct but surfari
(surfers travelling from beach to beach in search of the best waves) is still
sometimes heard though “whale-watching” seems to have replaced “whale safari”. Safari is a noun, verb & adjective, safaried
& safariing are verbs; the noun plural is safaris.
Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0, Safari Rally, Kenya, 1979. The big 450 SLC 5.0 was one of the more improbable rally cars but it enjoyed some success in long-distance events. In motorsport, the annual rally in Kenya was between 1953-1959 known as the “Coronation Safari Rally” and between then and 1974 as the “East African Safari”; subsequently, it's been called the "Safari Rally". The name “East African Safari Rally” was revived in 2003 as an event for historic rally cars and run biannually (COVID-19 permitting).
Chrysler South Africa's advertising for the Valiant Safaris, 1972. The V8 versions used the same 318 cubic inch (5.2 litre (LA)) engine offered in Australia but instead of the 245 (4.0) & 265 (4.3) "Hemi" sixes, the South African cars were fitted with the old 225 (3.6) "slant-six" so the government's local content rules could be met. Interestingly, on the Safari Premium (the equivalent of the Australian Regal & 770 models), the US-flavored DI-NOC appliqué (imitation wood) was glued to the sides, something Chrysler never used in Australia.
In Australia during the 1960s and much of the 1970s, Chrysler’s mainstream model was the Valiant, based on the US A-Body (compact) corporate platform. After 1963, the Australian range included a station wagon which was dubbed the “Safari”, the name retained in export markets including New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. In New Zealand, the nomenclature rarely changed but the utility models sold there and in the home market as the “Wayfarer”, when exported to South Africa were badged as “Rustlers”. After 1973, the Safari name was dropped and station wagons were known thereafter as “station wagons”. The appearance of a machine like the Valiant in the UK market probably seems curious given that although a “compact” in US terms, by European standards it was unfashionably large but Chrysler, having ceased production of the antiquated Humber Super Snipes upon their absorption of the Rootes Group, wanted to plug the gap in their range and the Australian product was an attractive option because, prior to the UK in 1973 joining the European Economic Community (EEC), the imports from Commonwealth nations enjoyed a preferential tariff arrangements meaning they could be offered at a lower cost. Never a great success, the programme nevertheless lingered on even after the UK entered the EEC, ending in 1977.
Mercedes-Benz 220 SE Coupé (foreground) & cabriolet (background) with standard rear bench seats, Frankfurt, September 1961 (left) & 1965 220 SE coupé with safari seat option (right).
One rarely specified option on the Mercedes-Benz W111 (1961-1971;
220 SE, 250 SE, 280 SE & 280 SE 3.5) & W112 (1962-1967; 300 SE) coupés
and cabriolets was the fitting of two individual (bucket) seats in the rear
instead of the usual bench. Individual
seats in a car’s rear compartment had actually been not uncommon in the early
days of motoring but by 1961, when the W111 coupé was released at the Geneva Motor
Show, except for a few coach-built rarities, the option was unique. The factory called then “safari seats”, the
source of that being their special metal frame which actually permitted them to
be removed and placed on the ground outside, the implication presumably that
this would be handy for those on safari who wished to sit outside and watch the
zebras. Whether many of these machines
were taken on safari isn’t known but the concept was transferrable to those
going on picnics or watching the polo.
On both sides of the Atlantic, the fitting of individual rear-seats
caught on for some high-end models but other than in some utility vehicles
intended mostly for off-road use, no manufacturer made them removable.
Great moments in the history of the safari suit. Charles III (b 1948; King of the United Kingdom since 2022) & Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) visiting Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) in Australia's Northern Territory, 1983 (left) and Kim Jong-il (Kim II, 1941-2011; Dear Leader of DPRK (North Korea) 1994-2011) (right). Despite decades of debate, fashionistas have never agreed who wore it best.
The “safari jacket” was a name applied to a style of
clothing which evolved to suit the demands of travel in the sort of places which
had become associated with “going on safari”.
The jackets were constructed with a robust material which was resistant
to contact with the foliage likely to be encountered and they included fittings
like multiple pockets and often some provision for carrying rifle bullets or
shotgun shells in a manner which made them easily accessible. That was fine but the fashion industry
discovered them in the late 1960s and during the following decades actually persuaded
some men that the “safari suit” was a good idea. It was not and not only did it take an
unconscionable time a-dying, in the twenty-first century there’s been the odd
attempt at a revival. Men should thus
avoid the look but on women the safari suit can be quite alluring.
Lindsay Lohan on safari, meeting zebras.
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