#1961 Pontiac Tempest

[automotiveamerican]

The 1961 Pontiac Tempest Rope Drive

The Pontiac rope driveshaft, also known as the “flexible shaft,” was a unique feature introduced by Pontiac in the 1960s. Instead of a traditional metal driveshaft, Pontiac experimented with a flexible, braided rope-like driveshaft made of high-strength fibers. This design aimed to reduce vibration and noise, providing a smoother driving experience. The rope driveshaft consisted of multiple…

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Pontiac Tempest Safari, 1963. The first generation Tempest was Pontiac's first foray into the compact market. It was developed under John Z. DeLorean, Pontiac's chief engineer and general manager. The car had a transaxle gearbox and was powered by a "Trophy 4" 3.2 litre 4-in-line engine that was half of Pontiac's Pontiac's 389ci "Trophy 8" V8 engine. The rear-mounted transmission helped give the Tempest a near ideal 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. This, along with a 4-wheel independent suspension, helped make it a nimble-handling car for the era. It was Motor Trend magazine's 1961 Car of the Year. However when the second generation model arrived in 1964 it grew in size to become an intermediate-sized and lost the transaxle.

[misforgotten2]

The 1961 Pontiac Tempest had a rear transaxle? And if you think that’s crazy, they didn’t use a drive shaft, it is connectedit to the engine by a flexible cable less than an inch thick.

Sunset The Magazine of Western Living    November 1960

[wimpydave]

Strangest Automotive Engines: The 1961-63 Pontiac Tempest & Its "Trophy ...

[myowntrust]

1967 pontiac tempest

It shared sheet metal with the Oldsmobile F-85, the first-generation Tempest had several features that differentiated it from the other compact GM cars. Road & Track praised the Tempest as "exceptionally roomy" and "one of the very best utility cars since the Ford Model A." In hindsight, DeLorean admitted that the Tempest was "less than successful," adding, "there was no mechanical problem, but the car rattled so loudly that it sounded like it was carrying half-a-trunkful of rolling rocks." The Tempest was Motor Trend magazine's 1961 Car of the Year. His objective was for the new model to be more than just an ordinary compact car. DeLorean, Pontiac's chief engineer and general manager, went to work on a car that would meld components GM already produced. The division wanted to produce a clone of the Corvair, but instead GM gave Pontiac the lead to develop a new car in an interdivisional program coded named "X-100." John Z. The Tempest was a decision by the Pontiac division to enter the compact car market following the success of the Chevrolet Corvair. South Gate Assembly South Gate, California In Canada, Pontiac also marketed a rebadged version of the compact L-body Chevrolet Corsica under the name Tempest from 1987 to 1991. The GTO was subsequently split off as its own model line in 1966. By 1964 the Tempest, Tempest Custom and Lemans are separate models in the new GM A-body platform. The line offered the optional LeMans trim upgrade, beginning with a few 1961 LeMans coupes and adding a performance aspect in 1962. An innovative design, it shared the new unibody Y platform, GM's first, with the Buick Special/ Skylark and Oldsmobile F-85/ Cutlass, and featured the "Trophy-4" four-cylinder engine with a flexible drive shaft to a two-speed rear-mounted transaxle automatic transmission. The Tempest was introduced as an entry-level compact in October 1960 at the Paris Auto Show for the 1961 model year. The Pontiac Tempest is an automobile that was produced by Pontiac from 1960 to 1970, and again from 1987 to 1991.

[purepontiac]

Customized 1961 Tempest Wagon

[crazyforcars]

1961 Pontiac Tempest, with its highly unorthodox chassis.

Rear transaxle, swing-arm independent rear suspension, and ‘rope-drive’ connection from engine to transmission.

A lotta effort by GM on this one…. technical dead-ends though.

[thegikitiki]

Pontiac Tempest, 1961 Advertisement

[carnutzphoto]

1961 Pontiac Tempest Sport Coupe

The 22nd Annual Woodward Dream Cruise. August 2016. This annual automotive event is held along Woodward Avenue in the Metro-Detroit area. The Cruise spans from Ferndale to Pontiac and showcases a wide variety of cars & trucks both cruising and parked along the Avenue.

[danismm]

The 1961 Buick Special, Oldsmobile F-85, Pontiac Tempest, Chevrolet Corvair

[itsworn]

The Giant Indoor Dragfest From York US30 You Missed!

If you live in the Northeast, in the winter months there isn’t much car related activity taking place. There also isn’t any racing going on, so it’s the perfect time of the year to get a bunch of racecars and customs together and have a show. That’s exactly what the folks at Motorama Productions have done. They’ve taken over the York US30 Nostalgic Nationals that took place for the first 16 years at various venues in the York, PA area during July and moved it to the middle of January at the Lebanon Valley Exposition Center and renamed it the Indoor National Dragfest. This shift to a winter schedule was a calculated move to allow the guys who are busy during the summer months running at the track to show their racecars. It was a gamble that proved to be a solid home run for the organizers. Turnout for the event was better than expected on both the spectator and participant side. Cars from the legendary Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins were on display as well as a rear-engined Chevelle that graced the pages of Car Craft in 1966. Mixed in with these high-profile cars were also many current racecars, vintage rods from the ’50s, and a variety of show cars. Check out the huge gallery from the show that we’ve put together and mark your calendars because next year’s edition with take place on Jan. 11 and 12, 2020!

A racing oriented show in central PA wouldn’t be complete without a “Grumpy Jenkins” car. On display was the original “Grumpy’s Toy” IV. Along with the car, there was also Jenkins-related memorabilia.

  The recently restored Gratiot Auto Supply 1966 Chevelle Funny Car known as Chevoom owned by Ken Bigham was at the show. This revolutionary rear-engine Hemi-powered racecar was a Ridler Award winner in 1966 and was also featured in the pages of Car Craft that same year.

This Chevy II fastback, also owned by Ken Bigham, has been stashed away for the last four decades in a barn and displayed at the show. It is believed that this is one of four cars built by Bill Thomas Race Cars to run in the SCCA B/Production class in 1964.

Bill Dissinger was one of many local racers who had their cars on display. He raced this 1963 Chevy II weekly at York US 30 in Pro ET with a 327 small-block and a 4-speed from 1976 to 1979 when the track closed down.  It now wears a 427 LS with Mamo Motorsports heads, MSD intake, CK Performance 2004R transmission, and a narrowed 12-bolt posi with 3.90:1 gears.

Jerome Campbell’s 1962 Ford Galaxie was another local car that has seen plenty of track action in the last few decades. Jerome told us that from 1972 to 1974 it was daily transportation and on the weekends it was raced. When stuff broke, it had to be fixed by Monday morning for him to go to work!

History isn’t always made with big cubes. Currently owned by Rick Tygett, this little Pinto was built and driven by legendary drag racer Buddy Ingersoll. In 1977 it won the NHRA Modified Eliminator Championship.

This 1968 Dodge Dart is a fresh restoration by Kohr’s Kustoms in Myerstown, PA. It is one of six factory-built 440 Darts and was campaigned by Charlie Allen in the late 1960s. Kyle Kohr will be racing this car with a 383 in F/SA once it is completed.

Jef Fern and his Camaro added some Pro Street flavor to the show. Built at home in a two-car garage, it can go head-to-head with any big-buck build at any show.

Dennis Sneath and Duane Mellinger often display both of their Yenko-flavored Camaros together as a tribute to the York 30 track.

The English Brothers had a pair of cars on display. The 1957 MGA is powered by a 421 cubic-inch Chevy engine, Powerglide transmission, and narrowed Ford 9-inch rear, while the 1950 Jaguar XK120 has very similar setup with a 584ci big-block Chevy, Powerglide transmission, and narrowed Ford 9-inch rear.

This 1961 Corvette named Buckshot was driven by Larry Lombardo to a NHRA National Championship in 1968. Larry would go on to become “Grumpy” Jenkins full-time driver in later years.

This 1976 Pro Stock Vega (with a “for sale” sign) has been painted up as “Grumpy’s Toy” XI, however the details on the car led us to believe that it is a tribute. This Vega, according to the information listed, was originally driven by Bill Kukla. This car appears to be his 1976 Vega called Great American Dream Machine, with a repaint.

This 1963 Pontiac Tempest, owned by Jim Stuempfle, was a 1963 NHRA National record holder in the A/FX class. This car was originally campaigned by Union Park Pontiac in Wilmington, DE and was driven by Harold Ramsey. It has been restored to represent how it looked in 1963.

  Official show website: https://www.yorkus30.com/

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[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Pontiac Tempest, 1961. The first generation of Pontiac’s entry-level compact was equipped with a transaxle gearbox. Designed under John Z. DeLorean who was Pontiac's chief engineer at the time, the Tempest was powered by a 195ci (3.2 litre) straight-4 engine that was half of  389ci "Trophy 8" V8 engine. At launch the Tempest was available with a 3-speed manual or 2-speed automatic transmission though 3-speed automatic and 4-speed manual transmissions became available later. Engine options included the Buick-built 215ci (3.5 litre) aluminium alloy V8, the engine that was later sold to Rover 

[savageonwheels]

Die-cast: Auto World 1961 Pontiac Catalina Hardtop

Die-cast: Auto World 1961 Pontiac Catalina Hardtop

1:18 scale Catalina a long, lean hot rod … Ah, the Catalina. The name alone seemed exotic and somehow a bit sexy in the 1960s. But that was during a time when cars had names that stirred imaginations and were not just known by a collection of numbers or letters. Pontiac was rife with great names during its long run, Bonneville, Firebird, Chieftain, Parisienne, Ventura, Silver Streak, Tempest,…

[purepontiac]

Pontiac Tempest Monte Carlo Concept Car 1961

[automotiveamerican]

Did the 1961 Pontiac Monte Carlo concept foretell the Pontiac Firebird? - David Conwill @Hemmings

Did the 1961 Pontiac Monte Carlo concept foretell the Pontiac Firebird? – David Conwill @Hemmings

The GM Y-body senior compacts (Buick Special/Skylark, Oldsmobile F-85/Cutlass, and Pontiac Tempest/Le Mans) were practically sized cars with some interesting mechanical innovations, including an all-aluminum V-8.

The Tempest/Le Mans sported a flexible driveshaft and a rear transaxle.When they came out for the 1961 model year, one thing none of the three offered was a convertible body. Buyers…