![]() Both Buick and Oldsmobile had standardized their Y-body cars on an odd 9.5 in (24 cm) brake drum with four lug studs on a 4.5 in (11 cm)-diameter circle (a "four-on-four-and-a-half" bolt pattern), with 14 in (36 cm) wheels. ![]() ġ94.5 cu in (3.2 L) Trophy 4 engine in a 1962 Pontiac Tempest LeMansĪnother departure from the other Y-body cars was the Tempest's 9 in (23 cm) brake drum, which used five studs on the same bolt circle ("five-on-four-and-a-half") and 15 in (38 cm) wheels - a configuration unique among General Motors cars. The Tempest was offered with quite a few options such as air conditioning, transistor radios, windshield washers, a parking brake warning light, padded safety dash, child-proof door locks, and dealer-installed seat belts, as such restraints were not yet Federally required at the Tempest's introduction. The Trophy 4 engine was generally reliable, but could be harsh when it was out of tune, due to its inherent lack of secondary balance and absence of balancer shafts. Popular Mechanics reported fuel economy of 21.3 MPG at 60 MPH. The three Trophy 4 engine versions offered fuel economy ratings ranging from 18-22 MPG. While both Trophy 4 engines (low and high compression) equipped with single-barrel carburetors produced 110–140 hp (82–104 kW 112–142 PS), the high-compression, four-barrel Trophy 4 engine produced 166 hp (124 kW 168 PS) at 4,800 RPM and 215 lb⋅ft (292 N⋅m) of torque at 2,800 RPM (all ratings are SAE Gross). There were three versions of the Trophy 4: An economy version with a relatively low 8.6:1 compression ratio and a single-barrel carburetor a hotter version with a 10.25:1 compression ratio and a single-barrel carburetor and the most powerful Trophy 4 engine, which had a 10.25:1 compression ratio and a four-barrel carburetor. The Trophy 4 four-cylinder engine was promoted for its economy, but Pontiac also saved money on its assembly: Because it was based on the right cylinder bank of the Pontiac 389 V8 engine, both engines could be built on the same assembly line. The front engine/rear transaxle design also eliminated the driveshaft/transmission tunnel in the front of the passenger compartment, while lowering the driveshaft tunnel in the rear compared with a conventional front engine/front transmission layout. This, along with a four-wheel independent suspension, helped make the Tempest a nimble-handling car for the era. ![]() The combination of a rear-mounted transaxle and front-mounted engine very nearly gave the car an ideal 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. The design, known as "rope drive," had only been seen previously on General Motors' 1951 Le Sabre concept car. This joined the forward engine and the rear transaxle (therefore no transmission hump) into a single unit, helping to reduce vibration. For automatic cars, the shaft was 0.65 in (17 mm) in diameter and 87.25 in (2.216 m) long, while the manual-box shaft was 0.75 in (19 mm) by 82 in (2.1 m). To combine flexibility with strength in the proper proportion, the shaft was forged of SAE 8660 steel (high nickel, chrome and molybdenum alloying percentages) for torsion bar specifications. Use of the torque shaft was the result of being forced to use the Corvair floorpan which, being a rear engine platform, had no drive shaft. The Tempest featured a drivetrain with a rear-mounted transaxle that was coupled to a torque shaft arcing in a 3 in (76 mm) downward bow within a curved, longitudinal tunnel. The engine was a 195 cubic inch (3.2 L) straight-4 marketed as the " Trophy 4," derived from the right cylinder bank of Pontiac's 389 cubic inch "Trophy 8" V8 engine. 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. The name " tempest" is from Old French tempeste (French tempête), from Latin tempestas (“storm”), from tempus (“time, weather”). 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 offered as a separate model line beginning in 1966. ![]() By 1964 the Tempest, Tempest Custom and Lemans are separate trim packages on the updated GM A-body platform, and the GTO was a performance option upgrade to the LeMans for 19. 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. ![]()
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