The Rearview Mirror: A Forgotten, Yet Popular, Pontiac

It was to be named the Pontiac Polaris, a proposed compact car from Pontiac.

Based on the Chevrolet Corvair, it was festooned with the typical Pontiac styling cues of the era, but its body shell and engine were shared with Chevrolet. Yet General Manager Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen and Assistant Chief Engineer John Z. DeLorean were not impressed.

The car flipped repeatedly during testing, and General Motors was unwilling to spend the extra scratch to fit the cars with anti-roll bars, a decision that would eventually cost the company far more.

But that was in the future. For now, the pair gave the concept thumbs down. A different compact would be issued by the automaker, one with its own novel engineering: the 1961 Pontiac Tempest.

Due to the growing popularity of the Volkswagen Beetle and the 1958 recession, American automakers started creating compact cars to satisfy this expanding market, with American Motors reviving the compact 1950-55 Rambler as the 1958 Rambler American. Studebaker followed for 1959 with the Lark, which proved successful enough to save the company from yet another bankruptcy — for the time being.

So it’s only natural that America’s biggest automakers would follow in 1960. Plymouth introduced the Valiant, Ford let the Falcon take flight, while Chevrolet introduced the Corvair.

But the rear-engine, air-cooled Corvair proved pricey to develop, so GM used its Y-body chassis for a line of “senior compacts,” which would result in the Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile F-85 and the Pontiac Tempest. With a 112-inch wheelbase, the identical triplets boasted a number of innovations, be it Buick’s aluminum V-8 and V-6 engines, Oldsmobile’s turbocharged Jetfire, or the Tempest’s rear-mounted transaxle.

Known by the internal designation X-100, DeLorean wanted his compact to have a flat floor, space for six adults, and a 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution for optimal handling. This required the employment of a flexible driveshaft and a rear-mounted transaxle — a groundbreaking design. But its cost weighed heavily on the project, so DeLorean tried to use off-the-shelf parts wherever possible.

While the X-100s were engineered for V-6 and V-8 engines, DeLorean wanted an economical inline 4-cylinder engine. Pontiac had no such engine, and budget constraints wouldn’t allow one to be built from scratch. So the division took its 6.4-liter (389-CID) and lopped off half the cylinders.

The result was a hefty 3.2-liter 4-cylinder with 110-166 horsepower depending on tune. Dubbed the “Trophy 4” by Pontiac, it proved to be extremely vibratory, thanks to the absence of balance shafts. A 3-speed manual transmission came standard; a 2-speed Powerglide automatic — marketed as “TempesTorque” — was optional, as the car used a modified version of the Corvair’s coil-spring, swing-axle rear suspension.

Inside the car shared its basic instrument panel with its Buick and Oldsmobile cousins, albeit with different detailing. Dual sun-visors, turn signals, electric wipers, and 15-inch tires came standard. An AM Radio, windshield washers, backup lamps, power steering, heater and defroster, sideview mirrors and visor vanity mirrors were among the options. Power brakes were not available — even as an option.

Offered as a two-door coupe, four-door sedan or four-door station wagon, the 1961 Pontiac Tempest was unveiled this week in 1960 at the Paris Motor Show.

Once it hit showrooms, it proved popular, winning the 1961 Motor Trend “Car of the Year” award.

“The new Pontiac Tempest sets many new trends and unquestionably is a prototype for the American car for the Sixties,” they wrote, hoping that American cars would slim down and shed their excess mass.

Alas, it was not to be.

Yet the Tempest should be remembered for its unique engineering — lionized at the time, and now forgotten. If it’s remembered at all today, it’s for serving as the basis for the legendary Pontiac GTO, which came in 1964. But that’s a story for another day.

Let’s not forget its starring role in My Cousin Vinnie.

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