Turquoise Terrific! 1968 Pontiac LeMans

Here’s a car that takes me back, a ’68 Pontiac LeMans. I have an old friend, that coincidentally I spoke to earlier today, that had one in the late ’70s equipped the same way. The color was very similar and the exterior was adorned with the same wheel covers – I haven’t thought about that car in years. Well here’s an opportunity for a trip down memory lane, please join me. This Pontiac is located in Denver, Colorado and is available, here on Barn Finds Classifieds for $29,500.

Listed as a 25K mile estate sale example, there is no corroborating mileage documentation provided. The what appears to be Code K, Meridian Turquoise finish is bright and deep, it shows beautifully, so much so that it looks more like a modern two-stage finish than it does GM’s “Magic Mirror” lacquer from days of old. The trim and chrome still have a strong luster and there is no sign of rust or crash damage. The tightness of the shunt lines is notable for a car of this era.

Under the hood, things get a bit confusing as the seller states, “The engine may not be the original, but it appears to have been rebuilt. Also, the WR code on the block indicates a high horse 350 engine with 4-speed. The previous owner put a 2 bbl carb and intake on it, probably for economy“. It seems counter-intuitive that a 25K mile car would need to have an engine replacement and then be down-graded with a two-barrel carburetor. I’m not saying that couldn’t have happened but it would be unusual. The two-barrel carburetor-equipped 350 CI V8 engine advertised a 265 gross HP rating while the four-barrel version was good for 320. Unfortunately, there’s no four-speed manual transmission here, just a two-speed automatic. The seller adds, “This beauty is a fun and peppy driver“. I can tell you from experience, my friend’s LeMans, which was equipped with the same powertrain, would seriously haul you-know-what when kicked down into low gear from a roll – it was truly inspiring.

No worries with the “Morrokide” vinyl bucket seats, they show little sign of wear but seem mismatched with the faded black carpet. The upholstery panels check out as fine but the dash-facing veneer is starting to degrade. Nice to see is the original Delco radio – yes I know they usually sound tinny compared to a modern sound system, they’re just infrequently encountered anymore.

Of note, inside there is a black painted lower dash-facing positioned beneath a turquoise finished upper dash panel. Based on the appearance on the dash topped VIN plate, it appears that, for some reason, it has been repainted. That said the turquoise-hued dash pad is in fine nick.

One of the stand-out memories of my friend’s LeMans is having some slow-speed bumper friction with a tree. We attached a chain to the radiator bulkhead, wrapped it around the tree, put the Poncho in reverse, and goosed the accelerator. Other than a lot of tire spinning nothing happened, the dent didn’t retract and the chain and tree, fortunately, remained intact – no, that wasn’t a particularly bright move on our part but it was memorable. So, it’s not a GTO but it’s certainly a nice looking LeMans and it’s great to see a lesser variety model survive the test of time in an unmolested form, wouldn’t you agree?