If you look hard enough, you can find the unusual in almost anything; for example, this beautiful 1967 Pontiac LeMans is factory-equipped with a 326 two-barrel and a four-speed. To be clear, that’s not seeing a Panhard Dyna on I-75 unusual, nor is it finding a Citroen Dyane parked outside Harbor Freight unusual, but it’s offbeat enough to take a closer look. Our unflinching Barn Finder Curvette found this LeMans for us here on eBay in Orrville, Ohio. It’s being sold by a dealer as a rust-free Arizona car with a rebuilt engine and front end: The asking price is $39,900 or best offer.
Before anyone says anything; I noticed it, too. Although the car may have made its way to Arizona early on, it was sold new at “Maple Glen Garage” in Fishkill, New York. I love original documentation; we can see that the original owner traded in a 1961 Corvair Monza Coupe (worth $535.50) on his new LeMans. Based on the options he ordered, he wanted a sporting car at a reasonable price: It has a four-speed and the “Ride & Handling” package (which cost a mere $9.32—why wouldn’t everyone order it?). It also has a console and a “Custom Sport Steering Wheel,” so it is a fun and economical piece of “not-quite-a-muscle-car” transportation.
It wasn’t unheard of for buyers to order a four-speed with two-barrel engines, but so few seem to have survived intact that it’s a treat to see something so equipped. The basic V8 in the LeMans was the 250-horsepower regular-gas-burning 326, which also made 333 lb.-ft. of torque. With the four-speed, the standard real axle ratio was 3.23:1, which was perhaps the perfect compromise for acceleration, fuel economy, and driveability. The engine in this Code N “Burgundy” LeMans has been completely rebuilt, the brake booster and master cylinder have been replaced, and the radiator is a four-row Harrison unit. The selling dealer has posted a video of the LeMans starting and idling: it sounds great!
Then there’s the interior, which was almost always a high point in sporting Pontiacs. The fake wood looks almost real, the round gauge clusters are a country mile more exciting than the typical ribbon speedometer, and the wood wheel looks like it belongs on a British sports car. The seller says that everything is beautiful inside.
The window sticker tells us that the car was undercoated at the dealer, and between that and a full tank of gas, the buyer was charged $35. The selling dealer says that the sheetmetal looks all-original, so there’s no way that the car saw a New York winter, undercoating or no.
We’ll have to forgive someone in the car’s past for replacing the original wheel covers with a set of Pontiac’s classic Rally II wheels; while I think the originality geek inside me would prefer to see it the way it came off the line, there’s no way I’d go back once the change was made. The pictures show that the panels are all straight, the paint is shiny, and this Poncho is ready to drive. While the price is up there for a LeMans, it’s nice to know that you (probably) won’t be spending your first year with the car fixing all the little (or big things) that aren’t quite right. Sometimes, you’d rather be rowing through the gears and putting your elbow on the door with the window down.
I’m just going to come right out and say it…
GORGEOUS!!!! ALL the good looks and swagger of a Goat, but with an easy to live with 326 2 barrel, and a fun 4 speed. Burgundy really compliments the body lines too. Looks great with the Ralley rims, but I do agree with Aaron, original steel rims and wheel covers would be a nice look too. Someone’s going to enjoy this Lemans. And please, whoever buys it, please keep the original 326 2 barrel. Way more unique than a 400 equipped GTO.
Thanks Aaron. Great write up. And Curvette, once again you found a really great car!! Thank you for all the great tips. I always enjoy them on Fast Finds.
I absolutely dare anyone to compare anything made today, foreign or domestic, that even comes close. To answer the authors question, this was NOT ordered as a GTO musclecar. It was a fancy LeMans that just happened to have a 4 speed, the most expensive option they ordered. While $10 bucks fora “ride package” seems cheap, it just wasn’t needed at time of sale. Looking at the window sticker, they could have gotten a lot more on this car, but kept it simple. In fact, I read a base ’67 GTO was actually cheaper( $3100) than this car shown. I’m not sure future generations will know the difference, GTO has the name, a LeMans? Pfft, not knowing it’s the same car. Why, I bet simple investment in “GTO” badges would add millions to the car alone,,,,I tease, because future generationss wont know the difference. As customary today, add a 0 to the original cost gets you in the ballpark.I know, it’s my 4 am rant, and even went ’round with the Chief, who says the hobby is not gone. While that might be true, more like “shifted”, as only the wealthy can have this today. That wasn’t the case in 1967, where almost anyone could enjoy this wonderful car. I always say, it was a lot easier coming up with $3grand then, than TEN times that today. That’s the part of the hobby that is gone, and that’s a shame.
Come on, quick poll,,how many viewers reading this, could feasibly come up with $10grand for an outstanding car like this? At $40 grand, that number sadly drops considerably. It was clearly someones pride and joy,,,may they rest in peace.
Agree with Dave and Howard. Fantastic car. Guaranteed its plenty of fun to drive w 333lb/ft and a 4sp. Probably sounds great too 👍 How about the 2 stage air cleaner option for $9.43 what were they about ? Enjoyed the article, thank you Toth.
How does a car sold new in New York become an Arizona car, it might have spent time there, but how long? It’s nice, but hard to see $39,900 from this. Though it doesn’t look rusty, it’s pretty greasy underneath. There is a lot of competition in this price range, it’s likely going to be a hard sell.
Steve R