Pontiac Tempest: the compact with a rear transaxle and half a V8

The Pontiac Tempest was produced from 1960 to 1970 and again, as a Canadian name, from 1987 to 1991. The first Tempest was an entry-level compact with an unusual front-engine, rear-transaxle layout, and its 1964 successor was the car on which the GTO option appeared.

Pontiac Tempest at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Tempest. No free photograph of a Tempest was found, so the record’s original picture is kept.

History of the Pontiac Tempest

X-100 and the rope drive

Pontiac wanted to follow the Corvair into the compact market. Instead of a clone, GM gave the division the lead on an interdivisional programme coded X-100, and John Z. DeLorean set out to build a car that was more than an ordinary compact from components GM already made. The Tempest shared its sheet metal with the Oldsmobile F-85 and, like the Corvair, used the Y platform, GM’s first unibody chassis. Its drivetrain was unique: a front engine and a rear-mounted transaxle joined by a flexible torque shaft that bowed three inches downward inside a curved tunnel, a “rope drive” seen before only on the 1951 Le Sabre concept. Combined with four-wheel independent suspension and a swing-axle rear end, the layout came close to a 50/50 weight distribution and removed the transmission tunnel from the front floor.

The Trophy 4

The engine was a 195 cu in straight-four marketed as the Trophy 4, derived from the right-hand cylinder bank of Pontiac’s 389 V8, which let both engines be built on the same line. There were three versions: a low-compression single-barrel economy unit, a high-compression single-barrel and a 166 hp four-barrel. Ratings for the single-barrel engines were 110–140 hp, and fuel economy ranged from 18 to 22 mpg, with Popular Mechanics recording 21.3 mpg at 60 mph. The engine was reliable but harsh when out of tune because of its inherent imbalance. Buick’s aluminium 215 V8 was optional in 1961 and 1962, though very few Tempests were so equipped. Options included air conditioning, transistor radios, a padded dashboard and dealer-installed seat belts. The Tempest was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for 1961 and Road & Track called it exceptionally roomy, though DeLorean later admitted the car rattled badly.

1964 and after

For 1964 the Tempest was redesigned as a mid-size car on the GM A-body with a conventional drivetrain. The base Tempest, Tempest Custom and LeMans became separate trim packages, and the GTO performance option was available on the LeMans in 1964 and 1965 before becoming a separate model line in 1966. The Tempest name was retired after 1970, replaced by the T-37 as the base model, which gave way to the LeMans name in 1972. In Canada from 1987 to 1991 Pontiac revived the name for a rebadged Chevrolet Corsica.

Design and features

• Rear transaxle: a front engine and rear gearbox joined by a flexible torque shaft.
• Flat floor: no transmission tunnel in the front passenger compartment.
• Trophy 4: half a 389 V8, built on the same line as the V8.
• Independent rear suspension: a swing-axle layout for nimble handling.
• GTO birthplace: the 1964 LeMans-based option started the muscle car.

Pontiac Tempest versions

• Tempest (1961–63): the compact with the transaxle.
• LeMans trim: the sportier option within the range.
• Tempest Custom and LeMans (1964–70): the intermediate trim levels.
• GTO option (1964–65): the 389 V8 package.
• Canadian Tempest (1987–91): a rebadged Chevrolet Corsica.

The Tempest’s LeMans version gave birth to the GTO, and its place at the bottom of the range passed to the Astre. More Pontiacs are in the Pontiac collection.

Sources

• Pontiac Tempest, English Wikipedia: X-100, rope drive, Trophy 4, later generations