The first Pontiac LeMans put its transmission out back next to a four-wheel independent suspension, chasing near-50/50 weight balance on a compact nobody remembers as a handler.
Lead trim: LeMans 336 cu in Pontiac V8 (1963 optional)
Pontiac Lemans1961–1963
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FactThe first Pontiac LeMans put its transmission out back next to a four-wheel independent suspension, chasing near-50/50 weight balance on a compact nobody remembers as a handler.
The Pontiac LeMans is a model name marketed by Pontiac; the name came from the French city of Le Mans, site of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Originally a trim upgrade package based on the Tempest, it became a separate model in 1963. In the first generation (1961–1963) it was a compact on GM's Y-body: toward the end of the 1961 model year the LeMans was introduced as the top trim package of the Tempest, with sportier and more luxurious equipment and bucket seats, on the two-door sedan (pillared coupe) only; for 1962 it was also offered as a convertible and with the 194.5 cu in (3.2 L) four-cylinder with a four-barrel carburetor; and for 1963 it was designated a separate model, on two-door coupes and convertibles, with the 194.5 cu in four standard and the 336 cu in (5.5 L) V8 optional. The page lists the Trophy 4, a 215 cu in Buick V8 and a 336 cu in Pontiac V8 as the engines, with a front-engine/rear-transaxle layout giving very nearly 50/50 weight distribution and four-wheel independent suspension.
Collectors Spotted in the Pontiac Lemans Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Pontiac Lemans yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeMans 194.5 cu in Trophy 4 I4 (1963 standard) | 1963–1963 | 3.2 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| LeMans 336 cu in Pontiac V8 (1963 optional) | 1963–1963 | 5.5 L V8 | 260 hp | 352 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Daewoo-built Pontiac LeMans wore three different badges depending where you bought it — Pontiac in the US, Passport Optima in Canada — and its five-speed gearbox was an Opel design built in Japan by Isuzu.
GM and Daewoo announced their joint LeMans factory in January 1984 — political turmoil in South Korea held the car up for four years before it reached American showrooms in 1988.
The 1978 downsizing that remade the LeMans cut 600 to 800 pounds off the car in a single model year — one of GM's most dramatic mid-size diets of the era.
In 1977, Pontiac kept selling the old mid-size LeMans right alongside its all-new, smaller full-size Catalina and Bonneville — a deliberate hedge in case the radical downsizing flopped.
Pontiac's new 350 V8 wasn't designed from a blank sheet — it was stitched together from three existing engines, borrowing the 389/400/326's crank stroke and stretching the 326's bore to get there.
The overhead-cam six under this LeMans's hood was John DeLorean's idea, years before he left to build his own stainless-steel sports car.
The first Pontiac LeMans put its transmission out back next to a four-wheel independent suspension, chasing near-50/50 weight balance on a compact nobody remembers as a handler.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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