1961-'63 PONTIAC TEMPEST AND LEMANS

Like the front-engine Porsches of the 1980s, the Corvettes built from 1997-on have been lauded for their excellent handling and balanced weight distribution. All those sports cars have used a rear-mounted transaxle supported by an independent rear suspension. This clever engineering wasn’t new technology, though—while it had been seen earlier in race cars and road cars like Italy’s Lancia Aurelia, Pontiac used it in the 1961 through 1963 Tempest and LeMans models. These innovative Detroit “senior compacts” from GM stood apart from both their corporate stablemates and contemporary competitors, and they remain unique among collector cars of that era.

When Motor Trend awarded the 1961 Tempest “Car of the Year,” that magazine’s editors called it “one of the most advanced cars to be developed in America in more than two decades,” as well as writing that it “sets many new trends and unquestionably is a prototype of the American car for the Sixties.” While the aforementioned transaxle design was a special feature of the smaller Pontiac, it was not the only one.

Photo: Hemmings Archives

This car had a driveshaft that got the nickname, “rope drive”: it connected the engine/control-arm front suspension to the transaxle/swing-arm rear suspension using an 87.25 x .65-inch (with automatics) or 82.29 x .75-inch (with manuals) bar of forged 8660 triple-alloy steel that was shot-peened, magnafluxed, and coated with a flexible protectant. That shaft, contained in a small, hollow torque tube, arched just under 3 inches at its center, and transmitted power to the transaxle in the same manner as a torsion bar works. It had center bearings that absorbed some of the vibrations inherent in four-cylinder engines. The physically compact torque tube minimized floorboard intrusion into the cabin.

Photo: Hemmings Archives

Building on those advances were the Tempest’s body construction and its choice of engines. The generously sized compact body—largely shared with the contemporary Buick Special and Oldsmobile F-85—was built by Fisher as a monocoque. It was initially available in two- and four-door sedan and Safari station wagon forms, with a convertible added for 1962 and a substantial facelift affecting all styles for ’63. The standard powerplant was Pontiac’s first-ever four-cylinder, derived from its 389-cu.in. V-8; in standard 1961 form, the 194.5-inch slant-four used a 1-barrel carburetor and made 110 to 140 hp and 190 to 207 lb-ft of torque. More output could be had with the optional 4-barrel carburetor or the Buick-built, all-aluminum 215-cu.in. V-8. Updates for 1962 brought more power from the slant-four and the V-8, and a four-speed manual was added to the options list. The final year of this Y-body Tempest brought a new, iron-block 326-cu.in. (accurately, a 337-cu.in.) V-8, making the most of the sporty LeMans trim.

This small Pontiac enjoyed ongoing development during its three-year lifespan, and while its braking was always handled by four-wheel drums behind 15-inch wheels, the independent suspension received fresh geometry and new rear control arms to tame the swing-axles’ propensity towards oversteer. More than 375,500 examples were sold in this time, and survivors remain largely approachably price: classic.com reports recent sales of original and stock-restored examples between $6,900 and $21,000. The redesigned 1964 Tempest would lose its technical innovations, but gain a new option package dubbed “GTO.”

Photo: Hemmings Archives

Specifications

Engine:

• OHV inline-four, 194.5-cu.in., 2 or 4-barrel carburetor, 110-166 hp @ 3,800-4,600 rpm, 190-220 lb-ft of torque at 2,000-2,400 rpm
• OHV V-8, 215-326-cu.in., 4-barrel carburetor, 190-260 hp @ 4,800 rpm, 235-326 lb-ft of torque at 3,000-2,800 rpm

Transmission: Three/four-speed manual, two-speed automatic

Suspension:

• Front, A-arms, coil springs, hydraulic shocks
• Rear, swing arms, coil springs, hydraulic shocks

Brakes: Four-wheel, 9-inch drums

Wheelbase: 112 inches

Curb weight: 2,785-3,035 pounds

Price new: $2,113-$3,301

Value today: $4,000-$55,000

2023-08-19T12:12:02Z dg43tfdfdgfd