The Temptress: 1966 Pontiac Tempest LeMans
I just don’t understand the classic car market sometimes. There is a derelict
’55 Porsche 356 Speedster bidding for $150k on eBay right now (with an unmet reserve…) and I just don’t understand who’d drop that kind of cash on a car that needs a total rebuild. Sure, after dumping $100k into the car you might have a Speedster that’ll sell for $500k, but I just don’t understand who are the folks with deep pockets bidding these things into beach front condo levels. For my money, if I’m going to get a barn find it’d better be cheap…like this 1966 Pontiac Tempest LeMans here on eBay bidding for $6,400 with 3 days to go, located in Macedonia, OH.
The LeMans/Tempest was famous for being the platform that John
DeLorean (with engineering help from Russell Gee and Bill Collins)
turned into the fire-breathing GTO, but a basic Tempest isn’t a bad classic for cruising around.
Under the hood is a 326 cubic inch V8 that was rated at 250 horsepower from the factory and is mated to a 2-speed Powerglide automatic. The unibody compact with torque tube with rear mounted transaxle from the previous generation Tempest was replaced with a conventional body on frame with classic engine/trans setup in 1964.
For a car that has been neglected for 15 plus years this thing looks in good shape, although the seller does note that a mouse made a nest in the headliner and the entire thing needs a good scrubbing.
See another tempting Tempest? Send it here: tips@dailyturismo.com
OMFG, thanks for that link to the Pee-car. I need stuff like that to remind me that I do NOT play in the same sandbox as some people, and I am glad about it.
And it's basically just a frickin' Volkswagen anyway!
When the bubble bursts, at least there is a chance that this Tempest might still be worth around $6400…
Wow! I'd sure love to own this one! Incredible original condition!
When I take over the world and have all the money and no one has any money because I took all the money (regardless of currency, I'm taking it) and I was the only person in the entire world who could buy anything (the rest of you have to barter until I buy enough things so that you begin having money again) I still would expect someone to punch me in the face and then spit on me in public if I ever spent that much money on a basket case 356.
I hope the person who buys it at that price gets leprosy.
…. so he can match the car?
From the era when GM simply did not build ugly cars. Okay, the Buicks weren't perfect. But they just had the shapes down perfectly.
I kinda expect the price on this one to get to five figures by the time it closes.
LOVE the "barn find" graphic.
They lowered the reserve to $6000, so if it doesn't go nutso in the final minutes, somebody is going to get a suh-weet set of wheels.
Nice find, Jefe!
The Tempest did not have a Powerglide. It has what was called an Automatic by Pontiac, and st-300 by Buick.