Pontiac LeMans

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Pontiac LeMans
Manufacturer:	Pontiac
Production:	1962—1981 1988—1994
Parent company:	General Motors
Class:	Mid-size (1962—1981) Compact (1988—1994)
Platform:	FR A-body FF T-body
Related:	Buick Century Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet El Camino Oldsmobile Cutlass Pontiac Grand Am
Similar:	Datsun 810 Ford Granada Plymouth Fury Toyota Cressida

See also 24 Hours of Le Mans for the race at Le Mans, France

The Pontiac LeMans was a model name applied to compact and intermediate-sized automobiles offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981. The LeMans was replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year.

Contents 1 1962-1969 2 1970-1977 3 1978-1981 4 1988

[edit] 1962-1969

Introduced as the top-line version of the compact Pontiac Tempest, the LeMans featured sportier and more luxurious trimmings than the Tempest. When the Tempest line was restyled and upsized from a compact to an intermediate-sized car in 1964, the LeMans continued in that role with the same 215 in³ six-cylinder and 326 in³ V8s found in the regular Tempest.

Shortly after the start of the 1964 model year, the LeMans became available with a new performance car package designated as the GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato). The GTO option was priced at just under US$300 and included a larger 389 in³ V8 from the full-sized Pontiac line that put out 325 or 348 hp, a three-speed floor shift manual transmission with Hurst shifter, heavy-duty suspension, red-line Tiger Paw tires and GTO nameplates. GTO sales ended up at 32,000 for the first year, well beyond initial estimates of 5,000 units and accounted for a large share of Tempest/LeMans sales. The success and the image of the GTO helped increase sales of lesser Tempest and LeMans models in coming years, cementing Pontiac's lock, stock and barrel on third place in industry sales standings behind only Chevrolet and Ford.

The GTO became a separate model of its own for 1966, though retaining the same basic body as the Tempest and LeMans models. For 1966, all Pontiac intermediates got swoopier styling featuring tunnelback rooflines on two door hardtop and pillared coupes. While the GTO continued as a big-engined muscle car, the Tempest and LeMans models got a new SOHC 230 in³ six-cylinder engine as the base engine. The new SOHC I6, the brainchild of Pontiac Chief Engineer John De Lorean (who became Pontiac's general manager in 1965), was available in an economical two-barrel carbureted, 165 hp version that was 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 hopped-up four-barrel version of the 230 in³ OHC six that also included higher compression ratio and hotter cam, along with a floor-mounted three-speed transmission with Hurst shifter, suspension kit and body striping. Those who preferred a V8 engine could get either the base two-barrel 326 in³ V8 rated at 250 hp (the most popular Tempest/LeMans engine) or a 285 hp four-barrel 326 HO V8 with higher compression ratio, high performance cam and dual exhausts.

The Sprint-optioned Tempest and LeMans models were not very popular during the mid-to-late 1960s as they were greatly outsold by the bigger-engined GTO that was heating up the muscle car wars. Buyers of regular Tempest and LeMans models definitely preferred V8 power, as the 326 and later 350 in³ V8s were the most ordered engines. The Sprint option and SOHC six-cylinder engine were discontinued after 1969 with an ordinary Chevrolet-built 250 in³ OHV six-cylinder engine, becoming the base engine from 1970 to 1976 in most Pontiac intermediates.

Initially, the LeMans included a pillared coupe and convertible for 1962 and 1963 as no hardtops were offered in the compact Tempest. For 1964, a hardtop coupe was added followed by a four-door pillared sedan in 1965, which was replaced by a four-door hardtop in 1966 and a four-door Safari wagon in 1968. Generally, the four-door and wagon models were differentiated from the coupes and convertibles by featuring conventional bench seats or notchback bench seats with folding armrests as opposed to the Strato buckets seats standard in coupes and convertibles. Other LeMans upgrades over lesser Tempests included carpeted lower door panels, deluxe steering wheels, courtesy lighting and full wheel covers.

[edit] 1970-1977

For 1970, Pontiac reshuffled its intermediate lineup a bit with the LeMans nameplated downgraded to the mid-line subseries previously known as the Tempest Custom and included two and four-door pillared sedans, while the previous top-shelf LeMans series was renamed the LeMans Sport in the same three body styles including a four-door hardtop sedan, two-door hardtop coupe and convertible. This year, bigger engines - which had previously reserved for GTOs - were made available on lesser Tempest/LeMans models including a 400 in³ V8 rated at 265 hp with a two-barrel carburetor or a 330 hp option with a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts.

In 1971, the Tempest nameplate was completely retired and Pontiac promoted the LeMans nameplate to full-series status to identify all of its intermediate models, which still included the GTO. At the bottom of the line was the Pontiac T-37, previously known as the Tempest.

For 1972, all Pontiac intermediates were now LeMans models as the GTO was downgraded from a subseries to an option package and the low-priced T-37 line was replaced by a stripped LeMans pillared coupe. The top-line intermediate was the Luxury LeMans, available in hardtop sedan and coupe models, featuring plusher interiors than regular LeMans models. The LeMans Sport was available as a two-door hardtop or convertible featuring Strato bucket seats and plush interior fittings from the Luxury LeMans.

From 1973 to 1977, the LeMans 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 LeMans, LeMans Sport Coupe, GTO (1973 only), Luxury LeMans (became the Grand LeMans in 1975) and the Euro-style Grand Am. Body styles were all based on GM's Colonnade hardtop design for both sedans and coupes (no convertibles 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. Although GM gets a lot of credit for introducing the pillared hardtop design with the 1973 intermediates, the fact is that Ford had offered pillared hardtop sedans since 1971 on its full-sized Ford LTD, Mercury Marquis and Lincoln Continental models, and 1972 on the intermediate-sized Ford Torino and Mercury Montego.

[edit] 1978-1981

In 1978, the LeMans and other GM mid-sized cars were considerably downsized and lost some 600-800 lb in the process, as part of GM's corporate downsizing program to reduce the size and weight of its automobiles in the aftermath of the Arab Oil Embargo induced energy crisis of 1973 to 1974. Engines were downsized as well with engine options reduced to a standard Buick-built 231 in³ V6 or an optional Pontiac-built 301 in³ V8 for 1978, compared to larger 350, 400 and 455 in³ V8s offered in previous years. From 1978 to 1980, Pontiac's mid-sized lineup included the base LeMans, Grand LeMans and a revived Grand Am that was much more suited in size and concept as a Euro-style sport sedan than the larger 1973 to 1975 models. The Grand Am in this guise was not a tremendous seller as a sedan or coupe. Only a coupe was offered in 1980 before that nameplate was discontinued and mothballed for a few years before the Grand Am name was revived again for 1985 as a new compact car, the form which the Grand Am would take for the next two decades until it was replaced by the Pontiac G6 in 2005. The final year for the mid-sized LeMans was 1981, with only the base and Grand LeMans models offered initially and joined at mid-year by a new LJ trim level positioned between the base and Grand models. Engine offerings by this time included Buick's 231 in³ V6, Pontiac's 301 in³ V8, Chevrolet's 305 in³ V8 (for California only) and Oldsmobile's 350 in³ diesel V8.

For 1982, Pontiac dropped the LeMans nameplate for its mid-size car, rebadging it as the Bonneville, which had denoted the division's top-line full-sized cars for many years until the division discontinued all of its big cars after 1981. The LeMans-cum-Bonneville was reduced to one trim line in four-door and Safari wagon models and offered no Pontiac engines as the division discontinued V8 production after 1981 to concentrated on Iron Duke four-cylinder engines for GM's smaller cars. The engine lineup now consisted of the Buick V6 or Chevrolet 305 V8, along with the Olds 350 diesel. The mid-sized Bonneville wagon was dropped after 1983 while the sedan lingered until 1986. For 1987, the Bonneville nameplate was moved to a slightly larger front-wheel drive full-sized sedan that shared its basic platform with the Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile Delta 88.

[edit] 1988

A rebadged version of the Opel Kadett E compact car built by Daewoo of South Korea and exported to North America and New Zealand also carried this name from 1988 to 1994. It was a replacement for Pontiac's T1000 and Acadian (in Canada) models. The LeMans was discontinued after 1994 with no replacement.

Pontiac road car timeline, United States market, 1960s-present - edit
		1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
		0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Subcompact																							T1000/1000							LeMans
Compact													Astre						Sunbird					J2000/2000 Sunbird/Sunbird													Sunfire												G5
Compact/Mid-size													Ventura						Phoenix								Grand Am																				G6
Mid-size	Coupe		Tempest												Grand Am					Grand Am										Grand Prix																GTO
	Sedan																							6000										Grand Prix																	G8
Intermediate					LeMans																			Bonneville
Personal				Grand Prix
Full-size		Bonneville / Catalina / Star Chief / Executive																						Parisienne				Bonneville
Crossover																																													Vibe
																																											Aztek					Torrent
Minivan																																Trans Sport									Montana						SV6
Sports										Firebird/Trans Am																																						Solstice
2-seater																										Fiero