1963 Pontiac Tempest Lemans Race Car

1963 Pontiac Tempest

This 1963 Pontiac Tempest LeMans was converted to a drag car in the late 1980s was raced until 2006, after which it was placed in storage. Finished in yellow and blue with red accents and lighter blue lettering, the car is powered by a Pontiac 468ci V8 paired with a two-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes a narrowed rear axle with coil over suspension, a tubbed rear end, staggered-width wheels, a roll cage, a bucket seat with a five-point harness, a Hurst shifter, and a fuel cell. The seller acquired the car out of storage in 2018, and work since then has reportedly included replacing the fuel lines and rebuilding the carburetor, fuel pump, and motor for the electric water pump. This LeMans drag car is now offered with a clean Texas title in the seller’s name.

The car is said to have received its yellow, blue, and red livery in the late 1980s and features “Super Chief” and Tyree Headers lettering as well as various decals on both sides. Other equipment includes a hood scoop, headlight block-off panels, and silver-painted bumpers. The paintwork and exterior trim are shown up close in the photo gallery below.

The yellow deep dish rear wheels are mounted with 30×16.0-15 Goodyear Eagle Dragway Special slicks.

The interior has been stripped and fitted with a blue-finished roll cage. A fixed-back bucket seat with a five-point harness is located on the left, and other equipment includes a Hurst Quarter Stick shifter, a safety net, simplified door panels, and a fan under the dash. Electronic reaction time and throttle-stop controllers are located on an aluminum panel next to the driver.

The two-spoke steering wheel frames an engine-turned dash panel with water-temperature and oil-pressure gauges. A tachometer is mounted to the dashboard, and a fuel-pressure gauge is affixed outside to the cowl. The car does not have an odometer, and true mileage is unknown.

The rear has been tubbed to accommodate the large rear tires, and National Hot Rod Association stickers from the 1990s and early 2000s are visible in the trunk, which also houses a fuel cell and battery. Some of the rear wiring was replaced under current ownership.

The Pontiac 468ci V8 was built by Raymond Kettler at AMS Racing in Bossier City, LA., and utilizes a four-barrel Holley carburetor with a mesh-screen filter, an Edelbrock Victor Pontiac high-rise intake manifold, Edelbrock cylinder heads, and open headers. Service in 2021 included rebuilding the carburetor, fuel pump, and motor for the electric water pump as well as replacing one metal fuel line due to a dent in the old line.

Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission built by Sullivan Motorsports in Dallas, Texas, and a narrowed rear axle with 4:88 gearing. Coilover suspension is utilized at the rear, behind which the fuel pump is mounted under the car.

Keith Brink Race Cars in Irving, Texas, did the 10-point chrome moly roll bar system, motor plates and transmission mount.

• Make: Pontiac
• Model: Tempest
• SubModel: LeMans
• Type: Coupe
• Year: 1963
• Mileage: 0
• VIN: 263K11399
• Color: Blue
• Engine size: 468
• Number of cylinders: 8
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Transmission: Automatic
• Drive type: RWD
• Interior color: Yellow and Blue
• Drive side: Left-hand drive
• Safety options: See Description
• Vehicle Title: Clean
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