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1963 Pontiac Tempest

Pontiacs of the late 1950s earned a reputation as one of General Motor's most innovative divisions, helped along by the all-independent suspension with swing axles at the rear developed by engineer John DeLorean and his team. That project resulted in the development of a rear transaxle and patented low-profile flexible driveshaft that was initially used on the all-new Tempest of 1961. The Tempest was intended as an entry-level compact, first shown in October of 1960 at the Paris Auto Show for the 1961 model year. It used the new unibody Y platform that it shared with the Oldsmobile F-85 and Cutlass, and the Buick Special and Skylark.

1963 Pontiac Tempest photo
Custom Convertible
Chassis #: 163P109734
Although the Oldsmobile F-85 and the Tempest shared some design features, both received unique design cues. The Tempest came standard with a 195 cubic-inch straight-4, known as the 'Trophy 4,' and a rear-mounted transaxle coupled to a flexible drive shaft within a curved longitudinal torque-tube. This torque-tube setup was a result of using the rear-engine Corvair floorpan which was devoid of a transmission tunnel. To increase strength and flexibility, the shaft was forged of SAE 8660 steel. Thus, the forward engine and rear transaxle were joined into a single unit, which greatly reduced vibration and achieved a near 50/50 weight distribution.

1963 Pontiac Tempest
The 1963 Pontiac Tempest rested on the same wheelbase as the earlier Tempests, along with the same technical features, but they were now two inches wider and had grown in length by five inches. They wore a new 'coke bottle' design with more angular rooflines, a longer truck, split grille, and had wider wheel openings. In the back were dual vertical-stacked tail-lamps. They rode on 6.50 x 15-inch tires and came equipped with left-hand sun visors, electric wipers, turn signals, and a heater and defroster. Body styles included a hardtop coupe, coupe, sedan, custom convertible, and a station wagon.

Pontiac also produced the Tempest LeMans, which was listed as a separate series. They came equipped with dual sun visors, Deluxe steering wheel, custom interior, bucket seats, power convertible top, and a console. Body styles included a hardtop coupe and a Custom Convertible. In total, Pontiac produced 61,659 examples of the LeMans. 69,831 examples of the Series 21 Tempest were built.

1963 Pontiac Tempest photo
Custom Convertible
Chassis #: 163P109734
1963 was the final year of the 'first generation' of styling introduced in 1961. 1964 would usher in an all-new design and grew in size to 115-inches in its wheelbase, earning a spot among the intermediate-sized vehicles. The unibody, curved driveshaft, and transaxle were replaced by a traditional body-on-frame construction with front-engine, front transmission, and solid rear axle design. It was moved to the new A-platform which it shared with the new Chevrolet Chevelle, and the 'Trophy 4' was replaced by a new 215 cubic-inch Pontiac straight six with a single-barrel carburetor.

Pontiac would continue to use the name through 1970, and the GTO became an option on the LeMans in 1964 and 1965. In 1966, the GTO became its own model line.

Pontiac Tempest Le Mans 421 Super Duty Factory Experimental Lightweight
Mickey Thompson and Royal Pontiac were very successful in the Super Stock and A/FX class in 1962 with their specially-prepared Tempest racers, prompting Pontiac to build approximately fourteen special lightweight Tempest racers for the NHRA's Factory Experimental class. Of those, two were standard coupes, six were station wagons, and six were Le Mans coupes. All of the purpose-built Le Mans coupes were painted white with blue interiors with bucket seats. Similar to the Thompson cars, they were given the high-compression dual-quad 421 Super Duty engines connected to unique rear-mounted four-speed automatic transmission. These automatics combined existing GM internal components with specially-designed castings and employed a clutch to engage first gear. A robust mechanical clutch could be used to replace the torque converter, adding to the starting-line response. To keep weight to a minimum, the bumpers and mounting brackets were acid-dipped, and aluminum was used for the sheet metal and brake drums. Along with lightweight windshield glass, these specially-prepared vehicles had near-perfect 48/52 weight distribution, and qualified with the NHRA's 7.5 pounds-per-cubic-inch A/FX class weight limit. Additional features included factory-supplied headers, bucket seats, and racing slicks.

1963 Pontiac Tempest photo
Custom Convertible
Chassis #: 163P109734
The 389 CID V8 was punched out to 421 cubic-inches, and with the help of twin four-barrel carburetors and free-flowing aluminum exhaust headers, horsepower was in the region of 500 bhp.

These twelve 'Super Duty' cars were built prior to the impending General Motors ban on factory racing. Among the list of successful drivers included Wild Bill Shrewsberry who achieved low 12-second quarter-mile runs in the 1963 NHRA Winter Nationals driving for Mickey Thompson.


by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2014

Related Reading : Pontiac Tempest History

An entry level compact automobile, the Pontiac Tempest was debuted in September of 1960 for the 1961 model year. The Tempest shared the new monocoque unibody Y platform with the Oldsmobile F-85 and Cutlass and the Buick Skylark and Special. The platform also appeared under the LeMans nameplate mostly beginning with the ‘62 model year, though several 61 LeMans coupes were constructed. The platform....
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