Pontiac shifted the LeMans through several styling changes from its inception as a stand-alone model in 1963 to its final days in 1981. In its early days, the LeMans was a plain-Jane compact offered only as a two-door coupe or a convertible. But Pontiac had been busy winning in NASCAR for several years, and now it entered drag racing with its punchy 421 cu. in. Super Duty V8, transforming six LeMans coupes into fire-breathers. This activity popularized the lithe compact, and in its first year as a separate nameplate it sold nearly as well as the better-established Tempest. The second-generation LeMans sat on GM’s intermediate A-platform beginning in 1964, gaining vertically stacked headlamps and a hardtop body style by 1966. Designers also gave the LeMans a distinctive roofline with a rear glass set at an upright angle versus the steeper rake of the sail panels – a kind of tunnel effect. By the late ’60s, stacked headlamps were passé, the roofline forayed farther into the trunk line; by the ’70s, grilles grew, and by mid-decade, the “colonnade” roof became the “it” feature. Which brings us to mom’s ’76 LeMans Sport Coupe, available in Rocklin, California, with only 68,000 miles on the clock – let’s investigate! Thanks to Rocco B for the tip!
In keeping with its performance pedigree, LeMans buyers could opt for one of several V8s ranging from a 260 cu. in. up to the righteous 455. Pontiac’s Sprint straight-six was also available. Our seller’s mom checked the box for the 400 – good mom! – enjoying 170 hp coupled with an automatic gearbox. We’ll forgive her for the transmission; her car still defeated the worst of the Malaise Era horsepower downgrades, and that 400 can certainly be built better today. At least one non-stock hose is present in the engine bay (see other photos in the listing), and the seller notes that the air conditioner does not work consistently. It has, however, been upgraded to R134a. It runs and drives well.
The snazzy red interior is in great condition. Both front and back seats show only the slightest of imperfections – the driver’s seat has frayed near the hinge on the outside bolster, the vinyl is puckered here and there. The dash is clean and the gauges look near-new. A bit of paint loss on the steering wheel boss is typical age-related wear, but the door cards, carpet, and even the rear parcel shelf are quite acceptable.
The rear bumper has been knocked hard enough to cause its lower edge to dent. No mention is made of rust, but the car lives in California under a carport affording at least minor protection against the elements. If this tidy LeMans ticks a box for you, it can be found here on craigslist for $4800. While gas mileage may not be great, it’s hard not to consider the prospect of treating this Pontiac as a daily driver, and after a few hours of effort spiffing it up, it might do duty at Cars ‘N Coffee on weekends. What do you think of this cheap classic?
Nice car with plenty of go. Price is a bargain in my opinion. A shame most good cars are on the west coast. For obvious reasons of course. Would buy this in a heart beat. Good luck to the buyer and enjoy
Right on Har. 👍 One of the few rides I’d prefer an automatic too. Bench seat column shift up front means this baby sleeps 2 💤 😴
I agree with Harry. Where can you find this much space, comfort, ride quality and a 6.6 liter V8 for this kind of money. I own a 68 442 but the colonnade body styles are getting more popular, harder to find and collectible. I would use this as a daily driver after getting the A/C fixed.
It’s a steal at that price. Look it over carefully, and if legitimate, it’s a steal.
In a damn minute, if my garage wasn’t already full of old cars. And parts. And…
Super clean, could not be restored for a fraction of the price. Add a few bits to replicate the ’73-5 Grand Am’s chassis and boom, this is ready to drive to the next POCI convention in air conditioned comfort and take home some show iron.
I think they forgot to put a “1” in front of the “$4800” in the ad.
This car has been 4-Sale for quite awhile. Unknown what the overall condition it is in, but would of thought it would have sold by now.
The 6-cylinder available in this car was Chevrolet’s 250. Pontiac’s OHC 6 and its Sprint variant were discontinued after 1969 due to cost and emissions reasons.
Agreed.
This one looks to be a great deal, compared to what the asking price buys in the used car market at the moment.
If I’m not mistaken a real pontiac 400 with some mods would make this car a perfect hotrod & love the white with red interior ! Mom was no slouch!
Low budget CanAm !
The 76 Lemans that I bought in 1984 had a 260 Olds motor and for some reason had the two barrel that looked like a quadrajet. It had a rod knocking so I bought a crank kit and 1 rod and a gasket kit and rebuilt it. I should have looked around for a 350 because that was the most gutless car I ever owned. The mpg was disappointing, that was the only reason I rebuilt the 260.
The Collonades were tough cars ,and thousands were turned into stock cars , which really helped make parts hard to find today . During the Enduro craze, the Collonades were the car to run . I ran a 73 Malibu and a 74 Cutlass Supreme for years. For a time most of the cars running at our track alone were mostly Collonade model GM cars.