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.
Lead trim: LeMans 230 OHC I6 (165 hp, 1-barrel, 1966) · up to 285 hp
Pontiac Lemans1964–1967
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Pontiac Lemans yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe 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 Tempest line changed to an intermediate on the new GM A platform for 1964 (wheelbase 115 in) and the LeMans was its own model, adding carpeted lower door panels, a deluxe steering wheel, courtesy lighting and full wheel covers, with a two-door hardtop added for 1964 and a four-door sedan in 1965 (replaced by a four-door hardtop for 1966). The engines were a 215 cu in (3.5 L) inline six, a redesigned 326 cu in (5.3 L) V8 and the 389 cu in (6.4 L) V8 of the GTO performance package, which became a separate model in 1966 (treated separately). A 326 High Output four-barrel V8 produced 285 hp; for 1966 the Tempest and LeMans got a new 230 cu in (3.8 L) OHC straight-six as the base engine, a one-barrel 165 hp unit standard on all Pontiac intermediates except GTOs, with a Sprint package that added a four-barrel version rated at 207 hp (215 hp for 1967), an all-syncro floor three-speed, suspension kit and body striping; a two-barrel 326 (250 hp) and the 285 hp 326 HO four-barrel with higher compression and dual exhausts were optional. The 1965 model was restyled and 3.1 in longer on the same wheelbase, and the six and the early rear-transaxle Tempest were ideas of Pontiac's chief engineer John DeLorean.
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
5 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 230 OHC I6 (165 hp, 1-barrel, 1966) | 1966–1966 | 3.8 L Inline-6 | 165 hp | 216 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| LeMans 230 OHC I6 Sprint (207 hp, 4-barrel, 1966) | 1966–1966 | 3.8 L Inline-6 | 207 hp | 228 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| LeMans 230 OHC I6 Sprint (215 hp, 4-barrel, 1967) | 1967–1967 | 3.8 L Inline-6 | 215 hp | 240 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| LeMans 326 HO V8 (285 hp, 4-barrel, 1965–1966) | 1965–1966 | 5.3 L V8 | 285 hp | 359 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| LeMans 326 V8 (250 hp, 2-barrel, 1966) | 1966–1966 | 5.3 L V8 | 250 hp | 333 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.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.