Pontiac Tempest

Pontiac Tempest
1963 Pontiac LeMans sport coupe
Overview
Manufacturer	Pontiac (General Motors)
Production	1961–1970 1988–1991

First generation
Overview
Production	1961–1963
Assembly	South Gate Assembly South Gate, California
Body and chassis
Class	Compact
Body style	4-door station wagon 4-door sedan 2-door coupe 2-door convertible
Layout	FR layout
Platform	Y-body
Related	Oldsmobile F-85 Buick Special Chevrolet Corvair
Powertrain
Engine	195 cu in (3.2 L) 1-bbl. (4 optional) 110hp Trophy 4 I4 326 cu in (5.3 L) V8 389 cu in (6.4 L) V8 215 cu in (3.5 L) Buick V8
Transmission	2-speed automatic 3-speed manual 3-speed automatic 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	112"
Length	189.3"(inches)
Width	72.2 inches
Height	53.5" (sedan), 54.3" (station wagon)

Second generation
1965 Pontiac Tempest 2-door
Overview
Production	1964–1970
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door hardtop 2-door convertible 4-door station wagon 4-door sedan 4-door hardtop
Layout	FR layout
Platform	A-body
Related	Chevrolet Chevelle Pontiac Le Mans Oldsmobile Cutlass Buick Special
Powertrain
Engine	215 cu in (3.5 L) I6 230 cu in (3.8 L) OHC I6 326 cu in (5.3 L) V8 389 cu in (6.4 L) V8 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8
Transmission	2-speed automatic 3-speed automatic 3-speed manual 4-speed manual

The Pontiac Tempest is an automobile that was produced by Pontiac from 1961 to 1970 and again from 1987 to 1991.

The Tempest was introduced as an entry-level compact in September 1960 for the 1961 model year. Sharing the new monocoque (unibody) Y platform with the Buick Special and Skylark, and Oldsmobile F-85 and Cutlass, the model also appeared under the LeMans nameplate (largely beginning with the 1962 model year, though Pontiac also manufactured a few 1961 Le Mans coupes).

For 1964, the platform was redesigned with a mid-size frame, and renamed A-body. The Tempest name was discontinued after the 1970 model year in favor of Le Mans, a nameplate previously used for upmarket versions of that series.

Pontiac also marketed a rebadged version of the compact L-body Chevrolet Corsica as Tempest, for Canada only, from 1987 to 1991.

Despite sharing some of the Oldsmobile's sheet metal, the original Tempest featured an innovative drivetrain — a rear-mounted transaxle coupled to a torque shaft arcing in a 3 in (76 mm) downward bow within a longitudinal tunnel — coupling the forward engine and rear transmission into one unit and eliminating vibration. The arrangement, known as "rope drive", had been previously used in the 1951 Le Sabre concept car.

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