The Pontiac LeMans is a model name applied to automobiles marketed by Pontiac. The name came from the French city of Le Mans, the site of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's oldest active sports car endurance race that was first held in 1923. Originally a trim upgrade package based on the Tempest, the LeMans became a separate model in 1963.
In its first five generations spanning from 1961 until 1981 (1983 in Canada), the LeMans was a domestic RWD car; the first generation was a compact, with Gens 2-5 intermediates. From 1988 through 1993 the LeMans name was resurrected for a sixth generation, a FWD subcompact badge-engineered version of the Daewoo LeMans manufactured by Daewoo in South Korea.
Pontiac produced some notable GT/performance versions in the RWD models. The 1st generation not only featured a front-engine/rear-transaxle that very nearly resulted in an ideal 50/50 weight distribution, but also included four-wheel independent suspension for nimble handling, and could be ordered with an optional Buick 215 aluminum V8 engine. The Pontiac GTO is credited with popularizing the muscle car market segment of the 1960s, and by many as the first muscle car. The 1970 model year introduced the LeMans GT-37 package. The 1973-75 Grand Am and 1977 Can Am combined luxury with performance features to emulate European coupes, focusing on balancing handling with power.
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First generation (1961–1963)
1961 Toward the end of the 1961 model year, the LeMans was introduced as the top trim package of the compact-sized Pontiac Tempest on GM's new Y body platform. The Tempest LeMans featured sportier and more luxurious features and standard equipment than the Tempest, including different badging and bucket seats. The trim option was available only on the two-door sedan (pillared coupe) body style.
1962 For the 1962 model year, the LeMans remained a trim package that was now also available in the convertible body style, as well as with the inline-four cylinder, 4-barrel carbureted engine. There was no pillarless hardtop body style available in either the Tempest or LeMans.
1963 For 1963, the LeMans name was still used only on two-door coupes and convertibles but now was designated as a separate model in the Pontiac compact car lineup. This was available for one year. The four-cylinder was standard and the V8 engine was optional.
Second generation (1964–1967)
1964
The Tempest line was changed to an intermediate-sized car on the new GM A platform for the 1964 model year. The LeMans was its own model, as in 1963, and included carpeted lower door panels, a deluxe steering wheel, courtesy lighting, and full wheel covers. For the 1964 model year, a two-door hardtop was added. A new inline six-cylinder engine was introduced, as well as a redesigned V8 that displaced .
Shortly after the start of the 1964 model year, the LeMans became available with a new performance package designated as the GTO, or 'Gran Turismo Omologato.' The GTO option included a V8 from the full-sized Pontiac Catalina that produces with a four-barrel carburetor or in the Tri-Power (three Rochester 2GC two-barrel carburetors) version.
1965
Pontiac's 1965 A-body intermediates included Tempest, Tempest Custom, Lemans, and GTO trim. The entire line was restyled, adding to the overall length while retaining the same wheelbase and interior dimensions. The new model had Pontiac's characteristic vertically stacked quad headlights. Overall weight was increased by about . The dashboard design was changed, and a breakerless transistor ignition was a new option. A 326 cubic inch High Output engine was available with 4-barrel carburation for Tempest and Lemans. The 326 HO produces . Ratings for the GTO version were increased to in the four-barrel version and with the Tri-Power option. The LeMans line was expanded to include a four-door sedan for the 1965 model year.
1966
The pillared 4-door sedan was replaced by a four-door hardtop body style for the 1966 model year.
The GTO became a separate model of its own for the 1966 model year, though retaining the same basic body as the Tempest and LeMans models. For 1966, all GM and Pontiac intermediates featured new styling featuring tunnel back rooflines on two-door hardtops and pillared coupes. While the GTO continued as a big-engined muscle car, the Tempest and LeMans models got a new SOHC straight-six as the base engine. This engine, as well as the early Tempest with the transaxle in the rear, were ideas of Pontiac's Chief Engineer John DeLorean, who became Pontiac's general manager at the end of the 1965 model year. This engine was available in a one-barrel carbureted, version as standard equipment on all Pontiac intermediates except GTOs. Optional on all Tempest and LeMans models except station wagons was a Sprint package that included a four-barrel version of the I6 that also included a higher compression ratio and hotter cam, that was rated at , along with an "all-syncro" floor-mounted three-speed transmission with Hurst shifter, suspension kit, and body striping. Optional were a two-barrel V8 rated at and a four-barrel 326 HO V8 that included higher compression ratio and dual exhausts.
1967
For 1967, peak power of the Sprint 4-bbl OHC six-cylinder increased to .
Third generation (1968–1972)
The four-door Safari station wagon became available for the 1968 model year in the Tempest line. A new engine replaced the 326. This new engine was based on all existing Pontiac engine architecture and used the 389, 400, and 326 engines' crank at 3.75" stroke, and expanding the 326's 3.72" bore to 3.875" to give 353.8 cubic inches. It was marketed by Pontiac as a 350. For 1968, the 350 was available in two versions: with 2-bbl carburetor at 9.2:1 compression and with 4-bbl at 10.5:1.
The OHC six-cylinder was increased from its original 230 to 250 cubic inches by lengthening the stroke. Power in base form with single barrel carburetor increased by 10 to 175 hp, but peak power for the Sprint four-barrel version remained unchanged at 215 hp.
1969
For the 1969 model year, the 350 V8 engine came as 2-barrel and an optional 4-barrel version. The ten horsepower increase over 1968's engines was due to a different cam and the use of the #48 big valve heads, the same head used on the Ram Air 3 400-cubic inch engine and the 428-HO engine at . The 1969 model year would be the last high-performance version of the Pontiac 350. Also in its final year, the power rating of the Sprint 250 cu in OHC six increased from to with manual transmissions but remained at 215 hp with automatic transmission.
The Sprint-optioned Tempest and LeMans models were not popular choices for performance enthusiasts during their four year run, being outsold by the bigger-engined GTO. The Sprint option and SOHC six-cylinder engine were discontinued after 1969, and replaced with a Chevrolet-built OHV six-cylinder engine, becoming the base engine from 1970 until 1976 in most Pontiac intermediates.
On the exterior, vent windows were eliminated on two-door hardtops and convertibles, although they remained on two-door pillared coupes and four-doors.
1970
For 1970, Pontiac’s intermediate lineup was reshuffled to include the Tempest, Lemans, Lemans Sport, GTO and GTO Judge series. The Le Mans nameplate was downgraded to replace the sub-series previously known as the Tempest Custom, while the previous top Le Mans series was renamed the Le Mans Sport in the same three body styles as earlier, including a four-door hardtop sedan, two-door hardtop coupe and convertible. New for this year were Firebird-inspired front bumpers, wrap-around taillights, and crease-style body lines. Replacing the Pontiac-built OHC six-cylinder as the base engine for Tempest, LeMans, and LeMans Sport was Chevrolet's 250 cubic-inch straight-six engine. V8 offerings included 350 and 400-cid options with 2-barrel carburation and a 400-cid 4-barrel carbureted engine with dual exhausts. The four-barrel 350 HO was discontinued.
Pontiac wanted to have a car that was less expensive than its Chevrolet counterpart, so in February 1970, Pontiac introduced the T-37 Hardtop Coupe, replacing the Tempest nameplate for the two-door pillared coupe. The T-37 was initially described as "General Motors' lowest-priced hardtop," but was undercut by a base Chevrolet Chevelle hardtop coupe introduced a few weeks later. The T-37 Coupe was followed by the introduction of a new option to the T-37, the GT-37 package. The GT-37 represented the "stripper" muscle car package. In addition to the three V8 engines, GT-37 extras included Rally II wheels sans trim rings, white letter tires, chrome-tipped dual exhaust, vinyl accents stripes, 3-speed floor shift transmission, sport mirrors, hood locking pins, and "GT-37" badging.
1971
For the 1971 model year, Pontiac dropped the Tempest name altogether and introduced its intermediate lineup as T-37, Lemans GT-37, Lemans, and Lemans Sport The GTO and GTO Judge were a separate line. Two-door coupes and four-door sedans were available with T-37, Lemans, and Lemans Sport. The 2-door Hardtop was available across the series, while the convertible model was limited to Lemans Sport and the GTO line. The GT-37 returned as a package to T-37 models and was marketed as "The GTO for Kids under 30." The GT-37 received the same feature package as the previous year with the exception of new eyebrow-type side striping similar to that of the GTO Judge model. In mid-March 1971, a second design change for the GT-37 switched the striping to a reflective sword-style stripe sometimes referred to as the 1971 ½ GT-37. 1971 also afforded the customer the opportunity to choose any of Pontiac's optional V8s such as 350, 400, or 455 cubic inch models, including the 455 High Output (HO) engine. The 455 had only been offered on the GTOs in 1970 and came in a four-barrel version or the High Output version. All 1971 engines were detuned with lower compression ratios to run on lower-octane regular leaded, low-lead, or unleaded gasoline. The brakes were 9.5-inch drums.
1972 For 1972, all Pontiac intermediates were now Le Mans models, and the low-priced T-37 line was replaced by a base Le Mans pillared coupe. The top-line intermediate was the Luxury Le Mans, available in hardtop sedan and coupe models, featuring upgraded interiors compared to regular Le Mans models. The Le Mans Sport was available as a two-door hardtop or convertible with Strato bucket seats and interiors from the Luxury Le Mans. The GTO was changed from a separate series back to an option package on Le Mans and Le Mans Sport coupes. Replacing the previous GT-37 option package for 1972 was the new "Le Mans GT" option, available on Le Mans pillared and hardtop coupes with any V8 ranging from the 350 two-barrel to the 455 HO four-barrel, and also included the same appearance and handling items carried over from the GT-37.
Fourth generation (1973–1977)
From 1973 until 1977, the Le Mans and other GM intermediates were much larger in size than previous models due to evolutionary changes that resulted in larger cars year after year and federally mandated 5 mph crash bumpers that added weight and length. During this period, Pontiac's intermediate lineup included the base Le Mans, Le Mans Sport Coupe, GTO (1973 only), Luxury Le Mans (became the Grand Le Mans in 1975), the Euro-styled Grand Am from 1973 through 1975, and on the 1977 Can Am. Body styles were all based on GM's Colonnade design for both sedans and coupes (no convertibles or hardtops offered after 1972) that included center pillars for improved rollover safety standards but eliminated true hardtop design, along with frameless windows similar to a hardtop. Two-door coupes featured triangular "fixed" rear side windows that did not open, which were covered with louvers on the Le Mans, LeMans Sport Coupe, GTO sport coupes, and the new Grand Am.
1973