For nearly 20 years, the LeMans would carry the banner for Pontiac’s intermediates and spawn the popular GTO muscle car. Over three model years, Pontiac offered the LeMans Sport, which was a cross between a LeMans and a GTO, something of a GTO in LeMans clothing. The LeMans Sport could be ordered with some of the same performance equipment as the GTO but was more conservative in appearance. This 1971 edition is a one-owner car that has been in storage in a pole barn for the last 10 years and has yet to be restored. Located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, this 50-year-old-car is available here on eBay where the bidding stands at $6,890.

The third generation of the LeMans was built between 1968-72, with a refresh of the sheet metal at the mid-way point. While the nameplate would be used through 1981, this was the best-selling period for the car. Within the GM family, the LeMans was positioned as a peer to Chevrolet’s Malibu and priced to attract buyers in the same demographic. From 1970-72, one of the cars that shoppers could choose from was the LeMans Sport. It was void of the stripes and exterior graphics that adorned the GTO and The Judge but could be ordered with a 400 cubic inch V8 and bucket seats to appeal to buyers who have wanted a conservative car in appearance, but also one that could haul the mail.

Another possible reason for the addition of the LeMans Sport was to help buyers avoid the huge jump in premiums they would get hit with when their insurance agent looked at the application and see the letters “GTO”. A LeMans Sport may have attracted less attention and I’ll bet a LeMans Sport with a 400 V8 carried smaller premiums than the GTO with the same or similar engine. So, the LeMans Sport could be a muscle car without being obvious about it.

This ’71 LeMans Sport is completely original, except for the things its original owner would normally have replaced throughout 106,000 miles. The seller says it’s not road-worthy at this point having been stored for more than a decade. We’re not told if it runs, but instead that the 400 “motor is loose and should be oil pressure primed first.” But the engine, transmission, and rear-end are exactly as they left the factory with no modifications over time. Many of the service records for the car dating back to when it was new have been retained.

The burgundy paint is original on this Pontiac and it’s quite tired looking, as you might expect. The only reported rust on the car is some surface corrosion that is building in a couple of places. The frame is a bit crusty, but it doesn’t go deeper than that. Everything is said to be there, and no parts are missing from the body. All the glass seems good and there is a tinted bar running across the upper portion of the windshield to cut down on glare. The factory vinyl top looks nice with no indication of rust trying to bubble through from underneath.

Being stored indoors has helped keep the interior from suffering. It will need detailing but there is no appreciable wear, tears, or rips. The headliner hasn’t developed a case of the droops as often happens. As the surviving window sticker attests, if it a well-optioned car, including a power driver’s side seat, and also comes from an 8-track tape player (my heart, be still). Pontiac built 155,466 cars in 1971 with the LeMans name on it (excluding the GTO, still a separate series). More than 25% of those were the LeMans Sport, which says the idea of a potential muscle car that didn’t look like one worked – at least until the genre began slipping in demand just the following year.