America's Rare FORGOTTEN 4 Cylinder Muscle Car - The 1961-1963 Pontiac Tempest
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2023
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In this Rare Cars documentary, we go in depth into the independent rear suspension transaxle equipped Pontiac Tempest that was built from 1961 to 1963. This cars unique engine and drivetrain combinations make it one of the most unique cars to come out of America ever, and especially in the early 1960's!
This video aims to provide a short history of these unique and rare cars so you can learn about them in a quick, easy to digest video.
*Note, we are not historians. If you see an error in our research then please mention it in the comments!
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Now, in the '60s, there were only two other cars made in America that had positraction, and independent rear suspension, and enough power to make these marks. One was the Corvette, which could _never_ be confused with the Buick Skylark. The other had the same body length, height, width, weight, wheel base, and wheel track as the '64 Skylark, and that was the 1963 Pontiac Tempest!
Leave out the weak independent rear and you have the powerful '62 Jetfire with posi in EARLY '60s:
ua-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/v-deo.html
My cousin Vinny
I wish I still had my posi-traction 65 Skylark. Power windows and bucket seats. I had it for ten years and then it got stolen. It's still the best car I've ever owned. Oh yeah, hub caps with spinners.
@@samcocita7958 great comment 👍 great movie 🎥🎞️🎞️📺 , my sister had a Tempest convertible , My Dad beat my ass because was always doing Burn outs 🤣🤣🤣 and I earned every bashing I took ♦️♦️♦️‼️
Nice quote!! Thought the same when I saw this
The '63 Tempest w the 326 was no joke. On the street it was a serious runner. Biggest issue was breaking half shafts in the IRS. The Super Duty 421 Tempests did not get the trans axle. They might have shipped that way, but were immediately transitioned to standard front mounted 4-speed and solid live rear axle narrowed down from the Catalina. I raced back in the day when these things were running and it was not a car you wanted to draw in the other lane. They were one of the strongest running S/S cars out there. They sort of defined what S/S was really all about 😁
This is a quote from a Motortrend article regarding the car: "Pontiac chose to equip the cars with a four-speed version of their Tempest rear transaxle, called Powershift. All were equipped with 3.90:1 limited-slip rears. Each SD Tempest was painted Cameo White and fitted with 326 emblems in the grille. All 421 SD Tempests received aluminum front ends. They were delivered with 10-inch M&H Racemasters at the rear on bare, black-painted steel wheels. Inside was a blue bucket seat interior with the gear selector located between the front seats."
I used this article in some of my research, is this an incorrect statement by them in the article? (This is me genuinely asking), I absolutely want to keep mistakes in my videos to a minimum!
The 326 engine was really 336 cubic inches in its first year. For 1964 it was de-bored to an actual 326 cubic inches (it was really a de-bored 389). The 326 should have provided good performance in a light car like the Tempest.
Same to you also Tony. God bless you my brother
The Tempest with 1/2 a V8 was half a 'muscle car'... the Slant 4 with a 4 bbl. carb. was 1/2 a 'GTO'...
@@1575murray - I think most or all '326's/336" came with a 2 bbl. carb. that made the engines asthmatic by 3500 RPMs...
I had the misfortune to own a '63 Tempest with the half a V8 Slant 4. Yet, it was the car that made me realize lousy cars offer the best opportunities to develop solid diagnosis and repair skills.
The biggest automotive POS I have EVER owned was two-year-old '63 Tempest 326. NOTHING worked right on that car - not the brakes, not the heater, not the paint, not the engine, not the transmission - it was a rolling junk pile. The second biggest automotive POS I have EVER owned was brand new 1968 GTO. That said, one of the nicest rigs I've ever owned was a 1963 Pontiac Catalina Ventura.
@@retro440 In fairness to the Pontiac brand, my mom owned a '71 Grand Ville from 1979 through 1992. Overall it was a pretty reliable car.
It's funny when people keep saying Tempest in here when they mean Toyota...
My first car was a 1961 Tempest, four door with the straight 4 cylinder. As your video stated, the four cylinder was half a V8. When the timing chain went, we bought the same parts as the V8 to fix it. It had the automatic transmission with shift knob on the dash. It was a great car for around town and driving to school. I always tell people that if I tried to put $5 of gas in it, I would have had $3 worth of gas on the ground. My Dad bought the car from a buddy whose parents had owned it. Thanks for the memories and sharing the video!
Buddy of mine took 1 and made a el camino. Nice little ride plenty of power with small body even reduced.
Excellent video! DeLorean didn’t stop trying to make Pontiac the sophisticated GM. He also pushed for the OHC six cylinder that made it into later Tempests and Firebirds.
Imagine what Ed Cole, Knudsen and DeLorean would have thought about GM today.
Those also had a high stall torque converter, a coveted treasure for those gearheads that knew. Finding one in a salvage yard was gold, the last time I made a real search was 79 and came up empty handed. We had a transmission shop and for that one summer I pestered for the b7 converter. Of course we sold high stall aftermarket converters in our speed shop but at a much higher cost.
I had a buddy who, in 1972, bought a mint condition 1967 Pontiac Le Mans 2 door, that was totally stripped...no radio, with the OHC 6 cylinder and three on the tree manual transmission. The one thing I remember about that car was how quiet and smooth that engine was, and seemed to loaf down the freeway. Great car.
Remember that 6 in some firebirds.
Was the 4 the Iron Duke?
He wasnt perfect but at least knew where to get some great coke. Helluva guy yesirreeee
Brother had a 326 ohc tempest. Thought of it a knock off GTO. Ran well and 3 on the tree. White and blue interior nice car.
Man that 63 Tempest top trim line .. can you imagine if they developed that concept. These videos sometimes make me sad for the unrealized potential. Thanks for creating this one, this car flew under my radar. Very nice. #Salute
And Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there doing dad things.
Exactly, it had all the makings of such a unique product line to continue with its obscure layout for the time with the transaxle. The 63 body in specific I think looks amazing!
Wonder what the 0-60 time was with that 326!....Probably around 8 secs, considering the light body.
They made a concept called the Monte Carlo with a supercharger
Great story! When I was 16 my dad bought a 4 door, 3 speed stick, white, basic economy, 1961 Tempest. I loved it immediately and he actually let me take it out a few times, which I immediately raced with my friend who had a 1961, 6 cylinder, 3 speed stick, Ford Falcon. The Tempest just edged it out. It seemed to have a little more torque although the Falcon was quicker out of the hole. As mentioned in the movie "My Cousin Vinnie", the 1961 Tempest did indeed have independent rear suspension and a Positraction transaxle. It was nice and clean inside and had a decent looking body. It would get near 30 mpg if you kept your foot out of it. Would love to have that car today.
30mpg back then in a car of that size is honestly REALLY good LOL. Thanks for sharing your story with one!
Yes, it is, but that's what I remember.@@rarecars3336
This was to the GTO what the Falcon was to the Mustang. I have a greater appreciation for the early Tempest now! Thanks for the history!
'62 Tempest had a '62 Jetfire cousin:
ua-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/v-deo.html
I definitely agree with that. The concept of a muscle car back then was basically taking a small lightweight car, and stuffing a big badass engine into it. GTO, SuperBee, Mustang, Camaro, Charger, all those come to mind. To call a tempest a "forgotten muscle car" is a stretch, as it was not a muscle car, and the muscle car that was based off of it will never be forgotten.
My first car was a '63 Tempest with the 4 cylinder motor, which I bought used in 1966. Had that car until I went into the Marine Corps in 1968. It had the 3-speed on the floor, seatbelts and was fun and cheap to dive. The only issue I had with it was the bushings holding the drive shaft at the rear by the transmission kept falling out.
I had a 62 Buick Skylark, which was very similar. Man I miss that car.
My Grandfather & Grandmother on my Mother's side had an early Tempest with the slant Trophy 4-cylinder, rear transaxle and torque rod. There were 9 siblings, so the flat floor pan meant they could get a large number of the family members in the car at one time on the 2 bench seats! I also think it was a Safari wagon model which also would've helped in hauling the kids around, but I'm not completely sure of that point.
According to "How Stuff Works", it was Pontiac's general manager at the time, Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, who did not want a tarted-up Corvair (to be named Polaris) as a Pontiac, and also wondered how to justify the extra $500 to $1,000 added to the price to sell it with a Pontiac nameplate.
It was Pontiac's Director of Advanced Engineering John Z. DeLorean's job to have the new Tempest properly styled within the "Wide-Track Pontiac" theme, and he was eager to accomplish this.
Thanks for pointing out another rare gem! Well-Done.
My Grampa and gramma bought the ‘64 tempest with the 326 mostly becuz I liked it…it was white with bucket seats in a red interior…I thought it was such a cool car and loved to drive ir, but they sold it after having it only one year becuz the buckets were most uncomfortable for my gramma…
Thanks for sharing. This sparked some fond memories of my youth.
My father was a Pontiac man. Started with a 56 before I was born, I don’t know what model, but I rode in it as an infant/toddler. My Mother told me a story about sliding off the road with me onboard into a snowbank during a snowstorm ’60 or 61 when I was tyke. I have no memory of the experience, but she said she was pretty scared when it happened. As a toddler I can remember holding on to a ropelike thing attached to the rear of the front seat while standing up between my older brother and sister. The rear seating area was huge. My older brother has memories of Napping on the rear deck of the rear window on trips. Yeap, no car seats or seat belts available.
In ’62 Dad bought a Tempest wagon with a V8. This one I remember well as I frequently rode in the rear cargo area. It was my personal playground when traveling. I also remember it had a push button transmission. A year later I had an uncle who bought a White ’63 Tempest 2d sedan with the 326. Growing up I always thought that car was cool looking. My uncle was a volunteer fireman and had the big blue bubble light on the dash. At the time State troopers were using blue lights as well. My uncle would like to toy with other family members on the highway sometimes.
Dad traded the ’62 in for a ’68 Tempest Wagon which was bigger. This was the car I learned how to drive and was tested on when I first got my license, paper version, no picture back then. It became my car in my senior year but died shortly after I graduated.
The last Pontiac he bought was a “74 4d Lemans with the 250 straight six, The Jackrabbit starts of the V8 were gone. I never cared much for the Lemans. Despite the lack of power of the 250 it was the car I received my first speeding ticket in with my parents in the car.
Missing the power of the V8 Dad picked up an Oldsmobile Cutlass with the 350 Rocket Motor. Now this car I liked. It was fun to drive. Dad stayed with Oldsmobile the rest of his driving days and purchased Mom a 2005 Buick LeSabre that she still has at 92.
I like story's like that.
I had the '63 Tempest with the 4 cylinder. Impressive pickup with that engine. But, the back of the magnesium bell housing for the clutch had this round plate with a sleeve mounted from it's middle to guide the driveshaft extension to the clutch bearing in the flywheel. Mine broke at the base of the sleeve in the mid 80's and being magnesium could not be easily or affordably repaired and every one I found in the many local junkyards had the same break or was gone. I parked it for a year or more and then finally sold it to one of those junkyards. Got $400 which was about $300 more than one normally got for their cars from them. I asked why and they said that some guy had been bothering them for a couple of years for parts. It occurred to me that I was that guy. I just kept my mouth shut and counted the money again : ).
Truly a unique and very driveable car to this very day.
I can speak to the '63 model only , I've had three, down to just one now. 326 2 spd auto 2 dr coupe. A great performer ( not necessarily at the drags) and surprises a lot of people with its cornering ability. The four wheel independent suspension and nearly equal weight distribution front to back make it a cornering king compaed to other North American cars of the age.
And I noticed somebody said the transaxle is the same as a Corvair, just turned around . I can assure you this is not the case. Similar designs, but the Pontiac verrsion is considerably heavier duty . I have both in my garage (61 Corvair Rampside)... I'm a sucker for oddities.
Now, if only i could afford a '63 Iso Rivolta.
Compare to '62 Jetfire:
ua-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/v-deo.html
I actually had a 62 Tempest with the 4 cylinder. Great little car that got the best gas mileage. It was just an interim car that I bought because I had a 90 mile round trip to college. I eventually sold it to buy a 67 Ranchero 500 with the HI PO 289 and factory 4 spd. A real Tire shredder.
'62 Jetfire version also a tire shredder:
ua-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/v-deo.html
I owned one, but it was even more unique than what the video showed. It was a 1963 Pontiac Tempest LeMans. The manual said it pushed 197 horsepower and had an automatic transaxel. Plus it was a convertible. I junked the car because the ball joints were bad and the mechanics told me that the repair was more than the car was worth in 1968. I do wish I had repaired the car, because it was extremely fun to drive.
A high school friend of mine had a black 63 convertible with the 326. A teacher at school made him pissed off about something so on a weekend with nobody around, we backed up to the entry doors of our high school. My friend laid a couple of the nicest black burn marks you’ll ever see. We had so much fun in that thing......
Your friend was fortunate to have not kept the car in reverse for the burnout!
In 1964-1965 I was a high school student and drove a '62 Tempest. Green. 4-Dour. 3-Speed on the floor. Bench seats front and back. I truly miss that car: it was perfect for a 16-year-old. In 1966 it was traded for a '65 Tempest Custom Convertible with the 326. Again, a great car for a kid in high school. 1967 headed to college. The '65 Tempest was traded for a '67 Firebird. Yes, I was spoiled but I knew it and greatly appreciated each of those cars. I would gladly take any one of them today!
I had a 67 firebird,400, 4speed, 390 safetytrac rear, front disc brake and hood tack it was cameo ivory with a black vinyl top and delux black interior. That was a great car!
In 1972 I bought an old '62 Tempest w/ the 4-cyl 4bbl.I was amazed when I found the car, recognizing it was years ahead (decades, it turned out) of anything made by American OEMs. It desperately needed sway bars and better tires but I was a dead broke kid. Eventually I bent the torque tube, as kids will do, and of course there were no parts to be found. Many that you find today have been converted to FWD drag cars.
Another fun thing I found back in the day, as I haunted junk yards for oddities, was a later '60s Pontiac that had an OHC inline 6 with a 4bbl and floor shift manual. Half sunk into the Arkansas mud I couldn't figure out what year it was.
Americans failed to embrace automotive opportunity so often, and paid the price for that laziness when the imports came to call.
What would the US car industry look like had they stick to building small cars with unique designs, engines (with overhead cam design) and overly advanced engineering and also even made one single landyatch with a big gas guzzling V8?
We had a '61 Buick Special. It had a V8, 4 doors and was fast as hell! Loved that little car.
Rode around in one of these in the late middle 1960's. It was a dull, oxidized red, four cylinder coupe with the two speed automatic transaxle. The transaxle made it one of the rare cars with 4 wheel independent suspension in the day. It handled well when filled with high schoolers and buckets of beer on ice on the floor, front and back (the good old days). One night the driver decided we would see how fast it would go with four young men inside. We hit 90 mph on an empty, broad shouldered, two lane, screaming the whole way, riding on bias ply tires in the dark, on a hot summer night. It was a rugged, swaying tank with a pretty smooth ride. The shifter was a simple black phenolic tab on a steel lever stuck in a chrome trimmed slot in the dashboard low and to the right of the steering wheel. It made good heat in winter. It was easy on gas. Vinyl bench seats front and back, room for six, monster trunk, just basic transportation in a nice looking body for the day. I liked the Oldsmobile version even more. The four cylinder engine came with the option of four different levels of power. I don't know what power option ours had, but it went pretty quick down the road, making a whole lot of noise when floored, just the way we liked it. Good memories. Lucky to be alive.
I would still be willing to drive a survivor as a daily driver. One could do worse.
Not forgotten here, my parents had the '63 model of this car when I was growing up. Handling was really good and gas mileage was great. Thanks for the look.
Very cool! I just acquired a 63 Oldsmobile f85 convertible that has the aluminum 215 V8. I'll be doing videos on it soon when i bring it home.
The one that looks like a Chevelle up front!
Awesome, congrats on the purchase!
@@rarecars3336 I actually am painting a 69 javelin for the Oldsmobile on trade.
Great video. If I remember correctly the Tempest gave rise to the LeMans and then the LeMans gave rise to the GTO ; so there was 3 generations of cars.
Yep that lineage is how it went, awesome cars all around!
I have always loved the old Pontiacs. I remember when I was in highschool and I saw a classmate with a 1971 Pontiac T-37. I thought it was the most beautiful thing and I said it was going to be mine one day. I saved my money and was able to buy it from him a couple years later. I wish I still had it.
Pontiac did have a great design language to their cars!
When I was in grade school my parents bought a new 1962 Oldsmobile F85. It was the same basic car as the Tempest. It had bucket seats, a console with a floor mounted shifter and the all aluminum 215 cubic inch V8. I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen.
I owned a ‘61 Tempest, back in the day. Loved that little car! Had the poor judgment to sell it when I went to college.
I’d love to have one today!
My Dad bought a new "rope-drive" Tempest in 1963. It had the 4 cylinder engine with a 3 speed manual trans. The engine was sourced from a V-8, produced by cutting off one cylinder bank; like a Scout or early Saab 99. Without a balance shaft, the engine shook like a dog trying to pass a razor blade. The transaxle failed while the car was still on the warranty. It was replaced by a Volvo 122S two door that never missed a beat.
I always really liked this car, in all it's GM makes - Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile. A really nice body style.
Their aluminum 215ci V8 found a new home in the British Rover and Triumph TR8.
The 215 aluminum buick is a really cool engine, I never understood why then never really pursued it further in the US
And a 269 inch version of the engine was used in the mid 70s Australian Leyland P76
And the Oldsmobile version was the block Australian Repco used to develop the three litre V8 Jack Brabham used to win the 1966 and 1967 F1 world championship. 66 Jack Brabham won and 67 Denny Hulme won.
No F1 driver ever likely to win a race in his own companies car let alone a world F1 championship.
More on how the Olds was used to win in F1 racing :
ua-cam.com/video/qhmSZKSCPjo/v-deo.html&feature=share7
The Buick 215 V8 also spawned the 198/225 CI Fireball V6 by basically losing 2 cylinders. After a couple of years of use by Buick, the tooling and design was sold to Kaiser Jeep and it became the basis for the Dauntless V6. In the mid '70s, GM bought the tooling & design back from them and they started producing the engine again as the venerable 3.8 V6.
Great presentation! I remember seeing a white '62 on the showroom floor at a Pontiac dealership around 1990, and it was what drew me inside. I knew some of the history, but was unaware that the low number of survivors is due to the parts issue. I rather like the '63 LeMans. Another example of John Delorean's sheer genius and a reason why the engineers were better left with a significant decision-making role within the car company that the accountants. Its an important balance, but it was DeLorean's knowledge that made Pontiac hugely successful under his leadership and number 3 in US car sales. Once he left Pontiac for Chevrolet, he took much of that magic with him although he did leave the playbook behind, and some of Pontiac's cars (primarily the Firebird) still kept up in the performance arena. Delorean's sensibilities for cars was much more of a European perspective of handling and performance rather than creature comforts with cushy ride and puffery such as padded roofs and tuft velour interiors. With the loss of his engineering leadership and hand on the pulse of enthusiast driver's, coupled with the accountant's increasing dominance in the decision-making process at GM, the company lost course entirely with the added burden of emissions and safety regulations placed on the company's back. It presented an opening for the Europeans to hit the General right in the gut. Coulda, woulda, shoulda, but had Delorean stayed with GM, it likely would have had a better path forward. Consider how the company put Mary Barra in as CEO after its bankruptcy, and her exhaustive experience in all facets of GM's mechanations (finance, engineering, etc.), the engineers now have the say that they should have had during the 1970s and onwards rather than suffering in silence as the bean counters called the shots. Think cars that could only reached the level of development at the end of its product lifestyle rather than being introduced from the get-go in that form....I think of the Pontiac Fiero and Cadillac Allante that did not start off at a level at which they should have. Isn't it amazing how the '64 GTO invariably gets the spotlight as the "first muscle car", whereas just as the video highlights, the Super Duty 421 CI Tempest with an aluminum front end was already running down the drag strip....even if the production numbers were tiny. Overshadowed greatness, indeed!!!!!!
Right and Pontiac would've been a great rival to Dodge (like the GTO compete with the Charger and the Trans-AM compete with the Challenger as well as the Aztec compete with the Durango) as well as a great rival to BMW, Audi, Lamborghini, and Ferrari (like the Solstice compete with the BMW roadster or Audi TT, and the Fiero competes with the Lamborghini Hurricon or Aventador as well as the Ferrari Enzo or Ferrari La Ferrari and of course the Audi R8 V10).
A classmate of mine had a 326-equipped 1963 Tempest back in high school. It was pretty quick around town. The sound of the car accelerating away from the local hangout was different from any other car in town...
My Mom owned two different Tempest autos. The first was the early model, and the second was the last year. Both were good cars for her and she kept the last year for a long time.
My late father was a 'car guy' at GM at the Tech Center in from the 1960's through the 1980's. Needless to say, he made sure the family always had nice cars. When I was 4, my Dad sold the old 1957 Oldsmobile my Mom tooled around in, and bought her a 1963 Pontiac Lemans Tempest. I remember being pressed against the back seat when Mom accelerated through traffic!
My Dad got himself a new Corvair. That was an awesome car, too. One of many.
The original '61 Tempest was half of a 389 V8. Mickey Thompson set a four cylinder speed record at Bonneville by cutting a 389 in half. Pontiac made that a marketing strategy, and used the Corvair transaxle. The motor had so much vibration, it was mounted on little coil springs with a small horizontal shock absorber, and a vertical one. Those shocks wore out so fast that the dealers couldn't keep with all the repairs. My friend had one. He kept a screwdriver on the dashboard to keep the screws from falling out.
Thompson also cut the 4 into a 2 and set records with it...
I own a '62 Tempest convertible with the Buick 215cu V8. It gets looks and questions whenever I'm at a car show.
A friend gave me a rust free 4 cylinder Tempest. It needed some transmission work but ran well. It had a fair amount of torque, like an inline six of that era. I sold it for what I had in it,(about $100.00!), when I lost my storage spot. The guy I sold it to still has it. Pretty car, and I wish I still owned it.
My dad bought a blue 61 Tempest 4 door, 4cyl, automatic new. It was a comfortable car. When traveling on vacation, my sister would sleep on the back seat & I'd sleep on the floor. He later bought a red 62 Tempest 2 door, 4cyl, 3 speed manual floor shift. I liked it a lot better.
Yeah, your '62 Tempest was closer to a '62 Jetfire:
ua-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/v-deo.html
In the 90's I had a customer with a Buick powered 62 Tempest in amazing condition. Last I recall, the mileage was 54,000, and she was driving about 100 miles a month, but would come in for "full service" every time she drove without buying gas. I should have kept track of this car as she was in her 80's.
Being a Pontiac guy since 1969, I love these cars! I got a second car in early 1969, a 1962 Pontiac Tempest LeMans convertible, 4-cylinder automatic, white with red interior, a sweet little car, perfect body, but it didn't run when I bought it for $100. from a private party. And being a gearhead car guy back then, I just grabbed my toolbox and found out what the trouble was, a few simple fixes, so I called my old high school buddies over and we got it running perfect in a couple of hours, after a run to the auto parts store, and a few beers later. I fixed the convertible top mechanism, and put the top down, and took it to the beach.
I must have had a half dozen offers on that car at the beach. I ended up selling it for $700. a few weeks later. At that time, my daily driver was a 1960 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, metallic burgundy inside and out, 389-V8, Hydramatic, PS/PB, with the 8-lug rims. Not my first Pontiac, though. In October 1966, I bought a really nice 1955 Pontiac Star Chief Catalina 2-door hardtop to drive to college, and had to sell my 1962 Olds Starfire convertible because it was too expensive to run for a student on a budget..
My first car was a '62 Pontiac Tempest Station Wagon with the Trophy 4 engine. My parents bought it new and I bought it from them when I was 16 for $200. Had it for years. Loved that car.
Awesome! You could say you owned one of the most unique cars in american history!
When I was a kid, my best friend's mom drove a 1962 2 door Tempest. It was very much a mommy model, with the mild engine and Powerglide. It was a kind of metalic gray-blue. As I remember, it had good interior space, the floor was nearly flat due, in part, to the fact that that the drive shaft was flexible so it bowed downward below the passenger compartment. At the time, I didn't know abouit the flexible driveshaft, but I read about it later. The other thing was that it was loud, not like a hotrod, but buzzy. I had forgotten all about that car till I saw your video.
Can't believe you missed one of the most unique features of the Tempest, the "rope drive". I mean, you got a big red arrow pointing right at it at 4:13!
It's 3/4" driveshaft was made of spring steel and was curved - the curve allowed for more floor space inside and having the transmission in the rear meant that the drive shaft did not need to transfer as much torque as a typical driveshaft.
When I was a kid in 1968, my parents got a used '64 Pontiac, station wagon. It was my parents/dad's 3rd. car. Some of my best memories, was in that Pontiac wagon😁!! We drove all over with it until, we replaced it with a '68 Country Squire, station wagon, in '72.
I drove while in High School a 4 cylinder baby blue 62’ Tempest. Great little car.
I used to own the 1963 Pontiac LeMans. It had a slant 4 with a 4-barrel carburetor on it. Just wish it had a four-speed rather than the three. It was a very unique car and handled quite well
I went to look at a ‘62 Tempest to buy as a daily driver back in the 90s. But that rear-mounted unorthodox transmission scared me away - fear of getting parts if it blew up.
Well your fear was correct as they are not easy to find lol
Anytime I find a Trophy-4 in person, the old timer standing by the car is ALWAYS blown away that I know about it.
They also had a 215 Buick V8 available for 1961 and 1962 and the Pontiac 326 for 1963. Some hot rodders dropped a 421 into the 1963.
My uncle had a 1967 Tempest coupe in blue. It was a beautiful car. I was so jealous.
I worked for a used car lot back in the 60’s when I was a teenage. I used a 63 pontiac tempest one summer that had the four cylinder engine with a manual three speed. I never knew the car had so much history it was an okay car to drive but certainly no powerhouse. It was a two door turquoise with matching interior. It was not a seller at all and sat in the back lot until it was junk ( in the 70’s)with a perfect running gear and a rust free body. Thank for the history. PS. I know pontiac had the royal bobcat in 1961..
Cousin Vinny.
Excellent movie
I'm 64, and had never researched this model, relying on the one, ever, that was owned by a woman in the late '70's in my home town. Her's had a 4bbl on aluminum intake, and yes - these trans was before the rear axle. For some reason, I prefer the memories of my youth to actual specifics - but this was an excellent report.
Thanks greg, glad you enjoyed!
My very first car was a 1963 Pontiac Tempest. I paid $125 for it in 1972 and it barely made it home under its own power. After extensive rebuild and restoration it was a great car. The base slant 4 engine was great but I kept having to drop the box that contained the flexible driveshaft and have it welded. After the fourth or fifth time in 3 years I sold the car. Wish I hadn’t.
I owned one..my first new car..had the baby blue convertible. Fun car of my youth!
Awesome first car to have!
My first car was the family's 63 Tempest 4 cylinder. The major issue I had was it went through the plastic timing gear. Got really good at changing it out in under 2 hours on the street. Finally found out the gear from Chevy, which was steel, would work and then only had to change out stretched timing chains. Yep, rust was an issue in the Chicago winters. Traded it for an 81 F-85 with the aluminum V-8 with injection. I have to say though, the Tempest was a better vehicle.
Somewhere out there in UA-cam land, there is a couple of videos of Pontiac legend Nunzi Ramiro's 4cyl Tempest drag car... which was basically half a 421 Super Duty! Another great story on the Tempest is on the Brian Lohnes channel... talking about how a 421 Super Duty car blew away the Ferraris and Corvettes at Daytona in 1963! Ive always found these little cars fascinating and they are definitely at the top of my list of GM products... thanks for another great episode!
If I remember correctly, the drive shaft was a flexible "rope drive" (as they called it). It basically was a beefed-up speedometer cable that actually sagged in the middle. This served two purposes... One was that it minimized the height of the drivetrain hump inside the car, making the floor flatter-ish. The other was it helped reduce the horrible vibration created by that notoriously out of balance 4-cylinder engine.
You sir may remember the MYTH correctly, However the rope driveshaft NEVER existed. That term was started and then repeated by people who didn't know what they were talking about.
Yes, just a steel shaft that was long enough to bow down some via a bearing... there was also the '62 Jetfire version of that body...
ua-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/v-deo.html
AMC used a similar design if I'm not mistaken. "Torque shaft" (?)
I loved mine. 63 Tempest business sedan. Two-door, 3-speed on the floor, base 4-cylinder. One of the best-looking American cars.
I used to have neighbor that had a red 63 convertible. That was a good looking car. She would cruise around town with her 3 really large dogs on nice days with the top down.
Absolutely an amazing looking car, the 63 specifically
My very first car was a gold 63 LeMans, 4 cylinder version. Another unmentioned peculiarity was the gearshift mounted under the dash. Had I known it was so cool I might not have traded it for that TR4!!
The TR4 is a super cool car though!
My grandfather had a Corvair, a Karmann Ghia, and a Tempest. He put the Corvair engine in the Ghia, and it was FAST. The Tempest was the everyday driver.
Even though it's not Ford, you can see the Tempest's influence on the early Mustangs. I've never noticed the '60s Tempests, but the one shown in mint condition is one of the most desirable cars for me I've ever seen. Gorgeous.
To me Ford should've bought both Studebaker and Packard and used em as divisions so that they can use Studebaker to compete with Pontiac and use Packard to compete with Buick so that way Ford can focus on Chevrolet, Mercury can focus on Oldsmobile, and Lincoln can focus on Cadillac.
That 63 is a car of beauty. My parents had a 61 or 62 Tempest wagon. I remember that the automatic transmission selector was mounted on the right side of the steering in the dash. It was a really neat wagon.
My parents had a white '61 Tempest wagon with the 4 cylinder engine and 2 speed automatic transaxle. It was very slow and I never cared for it. I was still too young to drive at that time.
I was 12 when My mother bought he new 4 cylinder, 2 speed auto, gear lever on the dash selector, 4 door sedan '61' Tempest. However it was just the opposite of what you said it was in this article's title: "I have never been able to forget what a dog that car was". I would gladly take that ugly Pontiac Aztec which killed Pontiac over another chance at getting that poor excuse of a car called the '61 Tempest. This car when it was new required 2 sometimes 3 turns of the key just to start it. It oversteered, was seriously underpowered, swerved around corners in the slightest precipitation, couldn't get up to highway speeds quickly enough, underbraked (small 4 wheel drums) vibrated the dash and glove baox when the radio was turned on, leaked through the vent window seals in rain, rusted badly around the rear bumbers and squatted terribly and felt as though the front wheels were being lifted off the ground if anything like heavy groceries were placed in the trunk. My mother used it for work as a daily commuter and when she saw the '65 Barracuda, come out in September of '64, she dumped the Tempest on me and bought the first one off the Plymouth/ Chrysler showroom floor.
The '63 Tempest looked better and my friends sister-in-law had one with a stick on the floor. That one was somewhat more eye pleasing and definitely faster.
What an interesting concept... The transmissions (Auto & Stick) had non- integrated bell-housings , so the basic design of the trans was largely interchangable with the much more common, trans mounted directly to the bell housing designs... The half V-8 design was a stroke of genius that meant that several regular parts for the 389 V-8' s would do the job perfectly for the 194 I-4 engines... And the light 50/50 weight distribution made these cars handle very well, and get decent fuel mileage... This probably appealed quite well to the foreign markets... Probably, the general public just wasn't ready for them...
J.D. and his team of engineers did amazing work back then, and also with several of their later designs...
But, the downfall started taking place with the Formation of the DMC DeLorean cars and the Fiero cars, especially the fire-prone V-6 versions and the U.K. union problems with the DMC vehicles... As a result, JD's sad downward spiral was very damaging and he was directly involved with some unethical real estate sales and mafia drug teafficing dealings in his final years in an effort to save the failing DMC company he developed...
The early risks he took with Pontiac's early designs, were very successful, and we'll received, but his later risk taking and unethical / illegal private business activities., ended-up being his Achilles Heel...They gave him a less than honorable reputation, as viewed by many who knew him... A study - of some mistakes and pitfalls to avoid....
I have heard that in 2024, Another effort to revive the DMC company that the late John DeLorean formed, might become active again... That would be awesome....
To find one of those cars would be rare , this video is even rare. Thanks for sharing it
Even rarer: ua-cam.com/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/v-deo.html
The 326 was actually 336 cid in '63. The 194 slant four could be dealer equipped with a Super Duty cylinder head and a choice of four cylinder solid lifter cams equivalent to the #7, #8, #10, and #12.
I had a 63 Pontiac Tempest with the 326 v8. That transaxle made this thing a blast around corners, the rear wheels would fold in when I broke the tires loose. No options except an AM radio. I didn’t appreciate the car at the time.
Beautiful place to go for kids and adults. Very peaceful with kind owners.
My Dad bought my Mom a brand new 1963 Tempest. I don't know the details about the car as I was born about that time but I do know it was my Mom's favorite car of all she ever owned and it didn't last 6 months-someone stole it out of the driveway one night and wrecked it. It was replaced by a 1961 Impala SS in turquoise and that one I do remember-the interior had a smell that I'll never forget.
7:08
Because there is no way that these tire marks were made by a 64 Buick Skylark. These marks were made by a 1963 Pontiac Tempest...
Loved the movie!
Very informative and interesting video. Great job!
Thanks Bruce, glad you enjoyed!
Great video. I have worked on plenty of Buick 215 V8's and Pontiac 326 V8's. Both were solid engines for the time.
Buick 215 was a great engine.We called them the Rover engine this side of the Atlantic.They had a long production run and we're killed off when Ford took over Rover.
Just out of HS, I bought a 69 Chevelle Malibu 2dr Hrdtp, 4spd M21, with a Qjet 350 w/headers rated at 300hp!
Even without posi, many cars with bigger engines were shocked when they saw my taillights after a quiet freeway race!
I'd love to see this combination featured on this channel, as I loved that car with it's bench seat, sleeper
appearance(until I painted it 73 Corvette yellow), and think it qualifies as a 'rare car'!
Thanks,
Robert Hevern
Boise, Id
I remember my mom getting a new 63 Tempest and that thing would hug the road like no other car that I had been in previously. Outside of rolling the car over, the wheels would stay planted to the pavement in the extreme in a curve with the independent rear suspension
Including doing another feature on this little car !
This car deserves it !
Very cool. I never knew much about these but loved The Tin Indian :)
I'm 8 in '65 and my Aunt and Uncle stop from out of town for a weekend stay. Car, a like new Le Mans, silver, blue interior, 326 and a 3 speed. I loved it.
I wake up early in the morning and my Uncle is up and dressed...
'asks "What are you having for breakfast?"
I dunno, some cereal.
"Get dressed, we'll get something better."
Dang near white knuckle trip down HWY 1 to Devils Slide and some restaurant in Half Moon Bay. I'll never forget this.
I cherish memories like these.
I had a 66 Pontiac tempest and 87 when I was only 17 it had a 389 GTO motor out of a GTO. It was four-door and I basically was a four-door GTO. It was the same body as a GTO.
The 389s were great engines!
Absolutely know this car !
Would truly love to be able to see, and hear more of the 1963 group of the Tempest !
There has got to be a few of them left that you can video, and show running and driving !
Everything as you have pointed out about this Pontiac line-up was extremely different, so show it !
Even the rare few that are museum queens now !
I enjoyed the video. Excellent reminder of Pontiac history.
Dad sold ours in Paris in 68. He bought a Pontiac Star Chief in New York when we landed. My mom hated that it was as big as a ship, but it sure knew how to cruise the interstates. No seat belts laws yet and the speed limits would be between 65 and 85, 65 at night.
Just subscribed this is awesome thanks
Thanks for the great video. Never knew about this car. Truly a cool and innovative automobile.
I was 4 when moms cousin got a Tempest rag top. I don’t remember much, but I remember liking it
My Dad had a 63 Tempest..beautiful white w/ red top and 2 tone red interior...drove it from Maine to VA when we moved. I had a Buick Special wagon w/ the 215 also..great CAR!
Thanks for sharing!
My mom taught me to drive in a station wagon version of the Tempest. I remember the 4 cyl engine with a 4 barrel carb and a 3 speed manual floor shift. I think it was a 62 or 63 but I wasn't that much of a 'car guy' to know. The most important feature was that manual transmission. Knowing how to use a clutch, and enjoying it, gave me a much bigger selection of cars to drive later.
we have a 64, tempest coup, slant. untouched, they just drove it into my fathers old salvage yard, setting where they parked it back in late 60s. its been setting next to the others. i need to look up a club to fine a new home. thanks for posting. great video
Great video. My first car was a 1962 Tempest LeMans 2-Door. Black with a red interior and bucket seats (of a sort) and a three speed floor mounted shifter. I purchased it in 1966, the year I got my license. Great memories of what was really a mediocre car.
I own a 1962. My first car. Was going to get a1963 Le Mans. They were rare back in 1966.
I just bought a 63 Tempest convertible that's been sitting in a barn since the mid 1970's.
My first car ( drivers test) was a '61 tempest! 4cyl. Auto with shifter shooting thru the dash!
Based on your recommendation I just subscribed.
Really enjoy the content.
Thanks,
Thanks Dennis, appreciate you watching the videos and subscribing!
great video! def earned a subscriber. keep it up
Thank you for subbing, glad you enjoyed the video!
I just saw one of these the other day, and was wondering what it was… thank you so much!
Anytime, glad you liked the video!
I heard of these but now I know of these, great video keep up the great work.
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed the video!
There was a 63 sitting behind an apartment complex by me from late 70s to late 90s.. then it disappeared one day. Hope it's in a good place
We used to ride our bikes there and look under the hood at the 4 bbl n header
Hello from Wisconsin
Hello! and thanks for sharing the story!
I owned a '63 Tempest convertible - black with a white top and red interior - a pretty car!
My buddy in HS in 1975 had a 61 or 62 4 banger. No door locks, no seat belts, no locking front seat as it was a 2 door. Metal dash. And I was jealous lol
Great video!
I owned two different '62 Corvair convertibles and absolutel y adored them both. I took the first one on the motocross track my friend with Hodakas were riding on, and kept up with them over jumps and all. What a fond memory. My friend had a '65 Goat 389 6-pack and I had a '71 AMC Javelin 390, the two best muscle cars of all time. (in our eyes LOL) The 61-62 Tempests reminds me a lot of the early Falcon Rancheros, but I never drove either. The '63 had a LOT of Corvair looks to it, given the same DNA.
Literally my new favorite UA-cam channel!
YAY! Glad you like the content!