Tempest

Description for Pontiac Le Mans 1962

VERY RARE 1962 PONTIAC TEMPEST, EMANS CONVERTIBLE!

Automatic Transmission

Unique Engineering and Design under the guidance of the famous John Z DeLorean.

This first generation convertible was made only 2 years.

Independent Rear Suspension/ trans axel

New orange Paint

New tan Interior

Kept in Storage for Last 10 Years

Car has been gone thru and is ready to cruse

ORIGINAL ENGINE & DRIVE TRAIN:

Hurricane (called the trophy four) 4-Cylinder Engine

THIS ENGINE IS ACTUALLY ONE-HALF OF A 389 CUBIC INCH, o>

SO THIS ENGINE ISA 195 CUBIC INCH, 10 HORSEPOWER.

REAR -mounted transaxle- automatic transmission

EXTERIOR:

-NEW ORANGE PAINT BASE COAT-CLEAR COAT

-POLISHED THE GRILLE (SEE PICTURE)

-ALL CHROME IS ORIGINAL

-BRAND NEW "SKINNY WHITE WALL" TIRES

-WHEELS ARE 5 ON 4-1/2, 5X 4.5 AND HAVE BEEN PAINTED TO MATCH.

ALSO TO BE NOTED, ONTRARY TO LATER MODEL CARS, HE STUDS ON THE

DRIVER SIDE ARE LEFT HAND THREAD, ASSENGER SIDE RIGHT HAND THREAD.

-NEW CONVERTIBLE TOP INSTALLED

-COMPLETELY SERVICED ENGINE, RANSMISSION, EAR END

INTERIOR:

-NEW DOOR JAMB SWITCHES, EADLIGHT SWITCH AND TURN SIGNAL SWITCH

-BRAND NEW DOOR PANELS

-ALL NEW WINDOW RUBBER

-THE SEAT UPHOLSTERY FRONT AND BACK IS NEW, ND IS IN GREAT CONDITION

-NO RIPS, EARS OR BLEMISHES.

-THE CARPET IS NEW

History:

Despite sharing some of the Oldsmobile's sheet metal, he original Tempest featured an innovative drivetrain — a rear-mounted transaxle coupled to a torque shaft arcing in a 3in (76mm) downward bow within a longitudinal tunnel — coupling the forward engine and rear transmission into one unit and eliminating vibration.

The combination of the rear-mountedtransaxleand the front-mounted engine gave the car very nearly an ideal 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, nabled four-wheel independent suspension, nd eliminated the transmission floor hump in the front and lowered it in the rear as compared to a conventional layout, uch as the front engine/front transmission used in the Tempest's Buick and Oldsmobile sister cars.

John Z. DeLorean, esigner of the Tempest, as the division's chief engineer and would become widely known for founding theDeLorean Motor Company.

DeLorean wanted the car to be more than just a compact. The Tempest wasMotor Trendmagazine's 1961Car of the Year.Road & Trackpraised the Tempest as "exceptionally roomy" and "one of the very best utility cars since theFord Model A."

Power came from a 195in (3.2L)straight-4, arketed as the "Trophy 4", erived from the right cylinder bank ofPontiac's 389 in V8, he standard power plant Pontiac used in its larger cars, uch as theBonnevilleandCatalina. The engine was advertised as a gas-saving economy motor for thrifty consumers, ut Pontiac also saved money because it could run the engine down the same assembly line as the 389. There are two versions of the engine one is a 8.6:1, ow compression, ingle-barrelcarburetor; ans one is the 10.25:1 high-compression with single barrel, he single-barrel version produced 110–140hp (82–104kW; 112–142PS).

These versions had a fuel economy ranging from 18-22mpg, nd the engine was generally reliable though it had a reputation as the "Hay Baler", derogatory label applied by dealer mechanics (ostensibly from farm states) who experienced the violent kicks it could produce when out of tune.Popular Mechanics reported 21.3mpg at 60mph.There were quite a few options, ncluding air conditioning, ransistor radios, indshield washers, parking brake warning light, added safety dash, hild-proof door locks, nd seat belts.

Another departure from the other Y-body cars, esser but still notable, ere the wheels. Both Buick and Oldsmobile had standardized their Y-body cars on an odd 9.5in (24cm) brake drum with four lug studs on a 4.5in (11cm)-diameter circle (a "four-on-four-and-a-half" bolt pattern), ith 14in (36cm) wheels, hared by no other GM cars at the time. Pontiac went with a 9in (23cm) drum, ut used five studs on the same bolt circle ("five-on-four-and-a-half") and 15in (38cm) wheels. This was a second configuration shared by no other GM cars but would be identical to the wheels on theFord Mustangwhen released some four years later in mid-1964. Perhaps only coincidentally, he Pontiac plant that produced the Tempest's undercarriage was in Los Angeles, cross the street from theFord plantwhere the Mustang's was developed.

This car came factory with the two-speed automatic controlled by a small lever on the dash to the right of the ignition. This automatic—called "TempesTorque" in company literature but unmarked on the unit itself until 1963—was a type of Powerglidesimilar to, ut sharing very few parts with, he one in theChevrolet Corvair.

In 1961 at its introduction, he Tempest was only available as a four-door pillared sedan and as a Safari station wagon. A pair of two-door coupes, ne of which was namedLeMans, as added at the end of 1961.

By the time the 1962 models arrived, he Le Mans, rimarily atrim packageupgrade featuring front bucket seats, lso came as a new convertible. If customers who wanted a more deluxe coupe or convertible could pay extra for Tempest Le Mans. There was no Le Mans station wagon or sedan. And although Oldsmobile and Buick had pillarlesshardtops(the Cutlass and Skylark, espectively), here was no pillarless hardtop Le Mans. In 1963, he Le Mans became a separate series, eaching nearly 50% of all combined Tempest and Le Mans production.