1961 Pontiac Tempest

Sedan

Automatic

161P44033

Gasoline

Clean 1961 Pontiac Tempest sedan with rebuilt, numbers-matching, original factory aluminum 215 V8 engine, less than 2 percent production. Smoother and stronger than the common 4-cylinder Tempest. Two-speed Powerglide automatic. New brakes about 100 miles ago. New master cylinder, new wheel cylinders, new pads and NOS drums. Stops on a dime. New radiator, correct for V8 Tempest, recored and painted. Correct 15” 1961-only rims and hubcaps, identical only to 1962 Super Duty Catalina. Flat front floor. Terrific handling due to even balance front-to-rear. Two-speed wipers. Deluxe trim inside and out. Beautiful blue interior. This was a DeLorean triumph and 1961 Car of the Year for a reason. In Seattle. I can deliver anywhere in the continental US, for a reasonable price, or I'm happy to help you ship it. HISTORY Before the GTO, before the gull-winged stainless-steel DMC-1 of Back to the Future, John DeLorean created what's arguably his most radical, yet little-known, automotive design: the 1961 Pontiac Tempest. The Tempest uses a six-foot flexible steel driveshaft, dubbed a "ropeshaft," inside a stiff torque tube, to allow the transmission to be moved to the rear of the car and achieve a near 50-50 weight balance, enabling tighter cornering, a flat front floor and independent suspension at all four wheels. At first tested on big Cadillacs and Bonnevilles, it was instead put into production in Pontiac's new compact to compete against the Volkswagen Beetle, Ford Falcon and other GM division compacts, such as the Chevrolet Corvair. The car won 1961 Car of the Year from Motor Trend magazine. Though the design was deemed a success, it was expensive to produce, and lasted just three years. Pontiac famously used it in the 1963 Super Duty Tempests to surprise its competitors at the racetrack, and then the next year retired it in favor of a conventional design to build the first GTO. There's no doubt that DeLorean was ahead of his time — since then, similar designs have appeared in far more expensive cars such as the Porsche 928 and Aston Martin DB9. There's an excellent article on the early Tempests here: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/12/curbside-classic-1963-tempest-lemans-pontiac-tries-to-build-a-bmw-before-bmw-built-theirs-and-almost-succeeds/ Less than 2 percent of early Tempest buyers ordered their cars with the optional aluminum Buick 215 V8 — the standard engine was a four-cylinder — and with the obvious exception of the Super Dutys, these V8 cars have become some of the most sought-after of the early Tempests. The V8 cars are lighter, smoother, some say faster, and get better gas mileage than their four-cylinder siblings. Unlike swapping parts to clone a GTO from a later Tempest or LeMans, an early V8 Tempest is very challenging to fake because of the large number of unique components that differ from the regular models, almost none of which are reproduced. You can't just drop a Buick Special or Skylark engine into a Tempest. The transmission, flywheel spacers, linkages, bellhousing, battery tray and radiator, are all different, unique in Pontiac history, and some in automotive history. The engine differs from the ones Buick used to power its Specials and Skylarks, with a special oil pan and pickup to fit over the Tempest's unusual crossmember, and a code stamped by hand at the Pontiac plant that includes the car's VIN number. State DMV records show that there are just eight 1961 V8 cars registered in the United States, including this one. I'm the third owner. This car was first sold in Denver in 1960, then again in the '80s to a man who told me he kept it for many years to give to his daughter on her 16th birthday in 2006. Over time, he repainted it from white to blue, installed a stereo, and made other cosmetic changes. When she wanted a Honda instead, he put it up for sale on a classic car Web site, and I was the winner of the bidding war that ensued. A mechanic friend and I flew to Denver and drove it home across the Rockies to Seattle with no issues. I've kept it insured and garaged since then. I've decided to sell this car because I have another V8 Tempest in bad shape that will require a lot of capital to restore. I've always been more interested in restoring than showing, and most of what this car needs now is cosmetic. While I've had it, I've focused on mechanical issues and trying to return it to how it was when it left the factory. WORK DONE Compression was low in one cylinder, so in '09 I spent $5,300 to completely rebuild and invisibly upgrade the engine and drivetrain up to where it connects to the ropeshaft (please see the engine build sheet in the photos). The engine's compression ratio was raised from 8.8:1 to 10:1 to give it more power and run better on modern pump gas. The work was done by highly respected 215 specialist Mark LaGrou of D&D Fabrications in Almont, Michigan. Documentation of the engine rebuild will be included with the sale. I will give the new owner a folder with all the documentation I've collected over the years, including Pontiac Historical Services reprints.The carburetor, fuel filter, and part of the fuel line were incorrect and I returned them to stock.Completely rebuilt the brakes with all new or NOS components by Tru-Line Wheel & Brake of Seattle (this documentation also included).Replaced the radiator with a newly recored one correct for V8 Tempest. (The one it had before was from from a Buick.)Replaced the stock starter with a modern high-torque mini-starter for reliability, but the new owner could easily reinstall a stock one. (There were two choices: aluminum nose or iron nose.)Rebuilt the accelerator linkage, including the transmission kick-down. When I bought the car, it had a Rube Goldberg contraption that was not what it left the factory with, and I went on a quest to rebuild it back to stock. The 1961 V8 Tempests have their own, unique linkage found on the V8 Tempests only, for one year, with a special pedal and rod system that goes through the floor instead of the firewall. (The next year it was changed to the firewall, like other Pontiacs.) The Powerglide's kickdown is two, very long rods with a hinge in the center that travels almost the entire length of the car. The system is now complete and works perfectly.The 1961 Tempests use a different wheel and hubcap than later years, and the hubcap can be difficult to find because, unfortunately, it's found exclusively on this car and the '62 Super Duty Catalina. When I got the car, it had a mix of '61 and '62 wheels on it. I slowly acquired six originals and put the four best ones on the car, the other two in the trunk. The ones on the car could use a repaint like the rest of the car, but are otherwise in good shape. Of the ones in the trunk, one is in similar condition to the ones on the car, the other will need to be completely restored. CONDITION The car drives, steers and stops beautifully. Power is strong and smooth. The 50-50 weight balance and independent rear suspension give the car excellent handling and road manners. You'll see why it was Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 1961. Together with Buick's pioneering aluminum engine design, which helped its Special and Skylark win the same award the following year, the sedan performs as impressively as it is unusual and technologically innovative.The transmission is the two-speed Powerglide automatic, similar in design to the Corvair Powerglide, but sharing just a handful of parts. The V8 Tempest Powerglides are built with a number of parts that are different than what's in the regular 4-cylinder version. The shift selection options are neutral, drive, low and reverse — no park. (Because the car is so dependent on the emergency brake not to roll when it's parked, I replaced the cable shortly after getting the car and I'm including a second new cable for the new owner.)Power steering pump and slave cylinder have been resealed. The Tempest's system is more like an assist than other power steering of the era, sourced from Corvette instead of, say, a Buick.Metallic blue paint job is fair, but certainly not show quality. It's good for a driver, from about 10 feet away. As you can see from the body tag, the car was originally white.Horn is loud and clear. Brakes grab smoothly and quietly. Master cylinder had been replaced with an aftermarket part at some point, so I sourced an original type that's correct for the car. Rubber floor mat is original with Pontiac logos and has a few tears and a missing chunk in the passenger rear, but is serviceable, and an excellent reproduction candidate for matching if you had a new one made.Carpet is original and faded, but still serviceable.Headliner looks to be original and is in very good shape.Radio is cosmetically excellent and original, but isn't connected to power. It was probably disconnected for the stereo install and I've never tried to get it working.Rear seat is excellent and looks original. The top half of the front bench looks original, but someone has replaced the bottom half. They appear to have taken out the white accent stripes from the original and sewed them into new cloth. The work is good, but it's not a good copy of the original, if that makes sense.The body is not perfect, but has remarkably little rust and few dents for its age, including the underside. There is some bubbling under the paint on the front passenger side fender, near the windsplit, and bondo repair and cracking behind both passenger side wheel wells, all common for early Tempests. There is also a small amount of rust in front of the driver's side rear wheel well. The trunk has some rust down in the fender wells. None of it is serious and it wouldn't be hard to eliminate in the process of a repaint. OTHER FEATURES This car was optioned with the "deluxe" trim, which wraps the center pillars in chrome, puts chrome spears in the scoops on the sides of the fenders, chrome strips on the rocker panels, and vertical guards descending from both bumpers. The early Tempests had two different rear windows, small and large, denoted on the body plate as 2119 or 2129 respectively. This car has the large 2129 rear window, which wraps around the rear pillars slightly for a more panoramic effect.Optional backup lights come on brightly.Windshield wipers are the optional two-speed, with washer. They work well.Original 1961 Owner's Manual in glovebox.Collector vehicle plates, so no annual tab charges. KNOWN ISSUES Small coolant leak somewhere in heater plumbing I'm still chasing down. Results in a few drips on the ground occasionally.The windshield is original and cracked. An exact, new reproduction is available for about $400, but I put off changing it because the cracks never bothered me.Both turnsignals work, but sometimes right is fast and at the same time the left side brake light will stick on. I suspect a bad ground.Interior light won't come on, but it doesn't work for any door so it's probably the bulb.Passenger front door window regulator is stuck.Bidding starts at $250, no reserve, offered in "as is" condition. If you bid and you have a zero (0) or less feedback score, contact me or expect to see your bid canceled. A deposit of $250 is due 24 hours after auction close. If no deposit is made, expect to see the car relisted immediately. Balance is due in cash on pickup. Pickup should be no later than 14 days after auction close. I have clear title and will sign it over to you then. Thanks for reading, and happy bidding!