1963 Pontiac Tempest
General Motors’ push to get into the compact market was spearheaded by Chevrolet with the Corvair Z-body in 1960. In 1961, Pontiac got their own compact with the Y-body, which shared similar tooling to the Z-body. Pontiac shared the Y-body with both Oldsmobile (F-85, Cutlass, Jetfire) and Buick (Special, Skylark), with some major differences. The base engine was a slant-4 called “Trophy 4”, which was actually a 389ci Pontiac V8 cut in half. Both engines were assembled on the same assembly line saving money and time. Its transmission was in the rear, to create a four-wheel independent suspension, which resulted in a flat floor. This transaxle utilized Corvair swing axles and other Corvair components, and the Powerglide automatic used many Corvair components. The driveshaft was a rubber composite inside of a torque tube, dubbed “rope drive”. It arced down from the engine to the transaxle and was the first and only GM product to utilize such a drive system. It was said to eliminate vibration, while accomplishing an ideal 50/50 weight distribution. Besides the Trophy 4, you could order a Tempest with a Buick 215ci aluminum V8, rated at either 155hp or 215hp. These first-gen Tempests ran from 1961-1963 and were also badged based on option packages as LeMans, and in station wagon form as Safari.
In 1964 the Tempest was redesigned to share the intermediate A-body platform that saw shared use with other GM divisions, thus shedding its compact roots as well as the quirkier engine and driveline approaches. The Tempest was also responsible for the muscle car movement as a special performance package became the GTO. The idea of a smaller, more stripped down platform with the biggest engine you could stuff into it became a lightning rod for other divisions within GM, as well as for Ford, Chrysler, and American Motors. A major facelift in 1966 led to a completely new design in 1968, again sharing the GM A-body with other divisions. Minor styling and powertrain upgrades were the norm through 1972, when the Tempest name was dropped and just LeMans and GTO remained.
For 1973 a new larger, corporate A-body eliminated hardtops in anticipation of federal roll-over safety mandates. The new “Colonnade” body featured a semi-fastback top that rolled into a sloping trunk. Federally mandated 5mph front bumpers looked a bit like afterthoughts as GM struggled to keep up with the fast moving government requirements. Only three bodies were available, a 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, and station wagon. The Colonnade bodies ran from 1973-1977.
A major downsize occurred for 1978 on all GM A-bodies which besides the Pontiac LeMans included the Chevy Malibu, Buick Century and Regal, and Oldsmobile Cutlass. Body styles were limited to a 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, and station wagon, and exclusively for Chevy the El Camino. The Grand Am, introduced in 1973 but killed in 1976, returned in 1978. By 1982 Pontiac discontinued their full size Bonneville and Catalina offerings on the larger B-body and applied the Bonneville name to all A-body Pontiacs, eliminating the LeMans name. In 1984 the station wagon was dropped, and in 1987 the Bonneville name was attached to a new front-wheel drive Pontiac, so the LeMans/Bonneville A-body line was dropped.
1963 Tempest
A heavily facelifted body was the main news for 1963. The LeMans became a separate series. A redesigned transaxle improved performance, which was needed because a more powerful V8 was available with the 326ci engine. With this heavier engine the perfect weight transfer was knocked askew to 54/46. Pontiac produced 12 special “Super Duty” Tempests to compete in the Factory Experimental class in NHRA drag racing. Their unique four-speed automatics were essentially two Powerglide transmissions combined.
AVAILABLE MODELS:
1963 Tempest
- Body Style
- 2-Door Sport Coupe
- 2-Door Convertible
- 4-Door Sedan
- 4-Door Station Wagon
- Engine Options
- 195-1bbl cubic inch slant 4, 115hp
- 195-1bbl cubic inch slant 4, 140hp
- 195-4bbl cubic inch slant 4, 166hp
- 326-2bbl cubic inch V8, 260hp
- 326-4bbl cubic inch V8, 280hp
1963 Pontiac Tempest VIN Decoder:
First Character: Series
Second and Third Characters: Identify Model Year
Fourth Character: Assembly Plant
- P ~ Pontiac, Michigan
- S ~ South Gate, California
- L ~ Linden, New Jersey
- W ~ Wilmington, Delaware
- K ~ Kansas City, Kansas
- D ~ Doraville, Georgia
- A ~ Arlington, Texas
Fifth through Eighth Characters: Basic Production Numbers
The sequential starting numbers for the 1963 Tempest start at 1001/up.
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