Pontiac got into the compact car business in 1961 with the Tempest. Unlike most of the competitors in the field, the Tempest used a rear transaxle and 4-wheel independent suspension. This gave the car a nearly equal split in the distribution of the vehicle’s weight fore and aft. The seller offers a beautiful 1962 LeMans Coupe (an upscale option on the Tempest) which sports a later 326 cubic inch V8. Located in Mishawaka, Indiana, this automobile was previously in a collection and is available here on eBay. $10,000 is the current bid, the reserve is unmet, but the Buy It Now price is $16,000.
An unusual feature on early Tempests was the “Trophy 4” engine whose displacement was half that of the 389 cubic inch V8 it was based on. It used the right-side cylinder bank of the 389 and both motors were built on the same assembly line, saving Pontiac some money. An option was to borrow the 215 V8 produced by Buick, but not many 1961-62 Tempests were ordered that way. Regardless of which engine was in this car originally, it has been replaced by a 326 V8 from a 1965 LeMans (which was a mid-size car by then).
We’re told this Pontiac was originally painted silver, but that it was changed to red some years ago. That means that the body and interior match now, giving you a lot of red to visualize. All of the sheet metal is said to be original, and the car is rust-free thanks to it living in Arizona at the beginning. A hood scoop has been added, but it may be more for looks than anything else. The transmission is a 3-speed manual which may be original due to the transaxle setup. The LeMans option added bucket seats, and the interior was redone some years ago, but looks great now!
New tires were installed last year, so the Tempest/LeMans should be ready to drive anywhere. But you may want to get the brakes checked out first as we’re told the car pulls slightly under hard braking. A dealer is involved in the sale, and the car (and we believe others in his/her collection are for sale) is available due to the passing of the owner. The Tempest/LeMans was only built as a compact for three years but was popular in this configuration with total sales exceeding 375,000 units.
I seem to recall that a few Tempests got 326 engines for racing, back when NASCAR was trying out a “compact” series in the early 1960s. They were very rapid.
This looks like a little gem, but I have to wonder how well the Corvair-based transaxle can handle the extra suds, especially if the engine has been modified in any way. I’m also a little surprised that the builder didn’t switch to a four-speed, which was available for both Corvairs and Tempests.
My friend and I had the very same discussion. We wondered if the transaxle from a 63 with a 326 would have been modified. I would think the 3-speed would be a little stronger but the differential was certainly not.
Wow, does that look different with the blacked out grillle! Love it
Very cool, clean look. 16k seems quite reasonable. Just a cool looking ride, bet you’d get some attention at any show/meet.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t these early Tempests have some kind of chain drive transmission.
I think it was called rope drive, maybe not the proper name for it, But it was a flexible drive shaft that went from the motor back to the rear mounted tranny. The reasoning being this let them make the hump much smaller than with a regular drive shaft. From what I have read the Tempest, Special, and F-85 were all derived from the Corvair and each division got to do what they wanted with it. I was surprised at the different things they did. Specials/Skylarks got a V-6 of an aluminum 215c.i. V-8. Tempest got a 1/2 of a V-8 with the Trophy four. I’m not sure what was in the F-85, but one option was 215 Buick, but with an extra head bolt on each side? They along with the Corvair were an interesting bunch of cars. One of my very first cars was a ’63 Buick Skylark with a 215, 4barrel, and a 2 speed automatic.
The 1962-1963 Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire featured a high-tech turbocharger.
In 1963 Bill France held a 250 mile challenge race at Daytona for any car with a displacement of less than 427 CI. They had plenty of entries from Ferraris, Jags, Porsches, Corvettes etc, and one from NASCAR builder Ray Nichels driven by Paul Goldsmith- a Pontiac Tempest with a 421 CID. The Tempest crushed the competion, lapping the entire field multiple times- the closest competitor at the finish was AJ Foyt in a Corvette 2 laps down. The engineering on the Tempest is worth researching for any car guy. The car was purchased by Mercedes Benz not long after the race and shipped to Germany and was never seen again.
my 65 , or 66 F-85 had a high compression 4
Nice ride! Fun fact: the “326” used in the Tempest/Lemans was a repurposed GMC engine that actually displaced 336 cubic inches.
TERRIBLE HOOD SCOOP these tempests weren’t bad but nowhere near as cool as the 63 Also not a fan of the red paint (SORRY JUST MY OPINION)
In 1962 I graduated from high school. For Prom, my brother-in-law, who was a Pontiac & Buick salesman, lent me his 1962 Tempest. He called it a 4 by 4 by 4. 4 cylinder, 4 bbl, 4 speed. From the Prom to our local theater I never got out of 1st gear. Was a great car.
Owned a ’62 Tempest 4-door back in the mid-70’s. Paid $150 for it. It survived a trip from SW Missouri to mid-Michigan and back. Automatic selector was a weird looking lever sticking out of the dash. Another quirky thing was checking the trans fluid via the trunk. And as I remember, the lug nuts were reverse of the norm, left tightening, right loosening. Nearly killed myself trying to change a tire the first time, until I found out about it. Very nice car to own and drive, really.
The Corvair had that same gear selector I as a kid thought it was neat.
Many years ago 1978 I think a good friend bought a 1963 Tempest with a 326 and a four speed It had been converted to a regular trans and solid rear axle a light car with good power it moved along pretty quick
I had a 1962 Tempest 4 door 4 cylinder, auto trans. Got it from the two old ladies who drove it only to the dealership for service twice every year for 20 years. The dealer was unwilling to install a new fuel pump because you would have had to move the motor or steering box out of the way. Dealer installed an electric fueel pump!
The car was and is a DEATH Trap to drive in any wet condiions! Step on the brake and the car leans forward. The independent rear suspension unloads its weight and the bottom of the rear tires swing inward, giving you a contact patch or rear ruber of about 2 inches. By the way, the original tire size was 6:50 X 14 or 15, Volkswagen size tire! Not sure of the size. If you turn the steering wheel slightly while braking you can see the rear of your car along side of you front door.
The Corvair was safer than this car! I replaced the factory tires with GR 78-14 or 15 wide rear radials and that solved the problem!
I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a car born the same year I was.
I would too but no cars were produced in 1944.
1955 here and my first car was a 57 Belair, 283, 3 on the tree. I always liked the 55 look better…
I drove a 1962 Pontiac. Tempest, four cylinder, four barrel, three speed transaxle, when I lived in Washington. It was a tire burner, and the four barrel version required premium fuel.
Sorry guys but LOTS of misinformation in these comments pertaining to the 1961-1963 Tempest and the other B-O-P “senior compacts” of that generation. Have a look at Adan’s YouTube videos on “Rare and Classic Cars” for insight on these unique cars.
I wonder what size those low profile tires are.
Why such an intrusion of wheelwells into the engine compartment? I’m not sure if even a larger dual circuit brake mast cyl by itself will fit, let alone a power booster behind one.
Lot of car for the money,
tho shouldn’t the top of the dash & the floor mats match the rest of the interior?