The Pontiac Tempest arrived on the scene at the Paris Motor Show in 1960. Thanks to John DeLorean, the Tempest was both innovative and successful in its compact class. Motor Trend named it Car of the Year in 1961; Road & Track glorified its spaciousness. Yet the introductory models fell short in important ways. The car was designed around a rear transaxle, which helped balance the engine’s weight – but that engine was only a four-cylinder with the decibel level of a cement mixer. The swing axle rear suspension was another of its liabilities. By 1963, Pontiac gave the car a more substantial stance – it was several inches longer and wider than the ’62 – along with a 326 cu. in. V8. The V8 was heavy, so the near-perfect front/rear balance was compromised. But the car now had 260 bhp, and to handle its affinity for oversteering, the suspension was altered. The LeMans was a trim package in the first years of the Tempest’s existence, but it rated its own badge by 1963. Here on eBay is a 1963 Pontiac LeMans convertible, in exemplary “survivor” condition, bid to $9109.09, no reserve. The car is located in Groveland, Florida.
The high-compression iron block 326 cu. in. V8 came equipped with a two-barrel carburetor (darn, because the Trophy 4 had a four-barrel!) That horsepower rating of 260 helped the car hustle down the highway. Unfortunately, the available four-speed manual was not redesigned for the V8’s higher torque, so most cars were ordered with the TempesTorque two-speed automatic, like this example. This car was used as a daily driver by its original owner, then parked in 2008; with fresh fluids and a tune-up, she was started up this month and runs well, as she should: the motor has less than 1000 miles on a complete rebuild. The transmission is said to shift well. The tires are old and should be replaced before you motor too far, however.
The interior is snazzy in the way only pre-1970s cars were – with bold fabrics and colors. The seller says this interior is all original, marred only by a small tear on the passenger’s seat. The windows are said to crank easily, and the power top works well and looks decent.
The underside wears heavy undercoating; I’d want to check that all’s well down there. Still, the rest of the car presents honestly enough to give me confidence that I wouldn’t find nasty surprises. The seller, too, is transparent about surface rust in the trunk, with three photos dedicated to that area. We’re told there’s no Bondo and the car wears its original paint – complete with oxidation on horizontal surfaces. The LeMans isn’t found around every corner – especially a convertible. Recent sales figures from Hemmings show that nice cars can be had for less than $20k. This no-reserve offering seems like a great option for a newbie classic car owner; what do you think?
It’s neat to see what Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile did with this chassis. Chevrolet made the rear engine Corvair, Pontiac used the rear suspension and transaxle design like Chevrolet but retained the front engine layout. And Buick and Oldsmobile were conventional front engine and transmission with a live rear axle. Buick and olds used their own version of the aluminum V8 that Rover bought and Pontiac went with a 1/2 389 Trophy or the 326 in the last year. I have really grown to appreciate General Motors of the 60’s
Very nice.Make a fun weekend driver.
Fun fact: the engine in this car actually displaces 336 cubic inches. The 336 was a smaller-bore 389 used in GMC trucks, and was the fastest path to greater and cheaper power for the Tempest. Due to GM’s rule prohibiting engines larger than 330 cid in anything but large cars and the Corvette, Pontiac marketed it as a 326. This was apparently was enough to appease the suits on the 14th floor while a true 326 was developed for 1964.
You learn something new every day!! I bought a used 1963 Tempest pillared coupe in 1971. It had a 326 engine with a two-speed automatic. It was a great car. I traded it in for a new1976 Toyota Corolla, I wish that I still had it, oh well!
Stupid question for those who know the car, but I see no floor shift OR column shifter, so…???
The auto shifter is on the dash.
Correct. As the former owner of a ’63 Tempest wagon with the half a V8 and automatic transaxle I well remember the location of the shifter.
That was also the car that led me to say that even the worst automobiles offer opportunities to polish the diagnosis and repair skills.
The shift lever is on the front of the dash to the right of the ignition switch.
Look at the closeup picture of it on EBay.
There it is. Kind of odd. I guess it’s Chrysler’s answer to a dash mounted shift selector! Just a gimmick really.
Same location as a Corvair’s shifter if it has an automatic.
More of a cost saving move than a gimmick. With the 3-speed and 4-speed manuals being floor-shift only, putting the shifter on the dash allowed all Tempests to use the same steering column, regardless of transmission.
sticking out of the dash to the right side of driver is a small stick. 2 speed transmission.
I really like this car. If I had more room in the garage I’d be tempted to bid.Oh the wife thing gets in the way too. The thing that throws me off is why someone in California would undercoat their car.The only thing I could come up with is maybe the seller bought it in a rust belt state and moved to CA right after he bought it.Never saw a CA car undercoated.
Undercoating also reduced noise levels. Perhaps an enterprising California dealership exploited this in lieu of rust prevention.
And charged for it! Remember the movie Fargo?
I had the ’63 Trophy 4 coupe with a 4-speed in college. It was a hoot to drive and economical as well. Mine also had the Tempest badge along with the LeMans badge.
Very nice condition, wish it were closer to me. Reminds me of the Buicks of the same era with the transaxle and 216 cubic inch aluminum V8’s.
Sorry, Buick was a conventional drivetrain. No transaxle.
This is NOT a LE MANS, it is a TEMPEST. Tail lights and a lot of other things. Also Le mans had buckets. I owned one.
My Tempest/LeMans (both badges) same year had buckets as well. 4spd/4brl/4cyl. The total number of 1963 Pontiac Tempest produced was 131,490 of which 61,658 were Tempest Lemans and 22,474 were 326 V8 Coupes.
You are correct.I had aTempest LeMans and it came with buckets seat.Loved that car.
This is ready to drive at a lower price than the 38 tudor that needs restored? Hmm, change of plans maybe?
What year was the Tempest in the movie “My Cousin Vinny” ?
The V8 was available with a four barrel carburetor. The brochures never mentioned that fairly well-kept secret. They had 280 horsepower and were blindingly fast with the three speed stick.
I have a 63 lemans convertible that has a 326 v8 that came factory with a Carter AFB 625 carburetor , and my automatic has a floor shifter in it that also was option ordered from the factory with a ribbed aluminum plate mounted on the floor hump in front of the shifter . And it also has factory buckets.
So is it for sale at the same price?