1965 Pontiac Le Mans

The Pontiac LeMans was an intermediate-sized automobile offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981, replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year after the fuel crises of the 1970s. Initially the LeMans was a top-line version of the compact Pontiac Tempest featuring sportier and more luxurious trimmings. When the Tempest line was restyled and upsized from a compact to an intermediate-sized car in 1964, the LeMans continued in that role with the same 215 cubic-inch six-cylinder and 326 cubic-inch V8s found in the regular Tempest. Shortly after the start of the 1964 model year, the LeMans models became available with a new performance car package that would take Detroit by storm. The GTO option was priced at just under $300 and included a larger 389 cubic-inch V8 from the full-sized Pontiac line that put out 325 or 348 horsepower, a three-speed floor shift manual transmission with Hurst shifter, heavy-duty suspension, red-line Tiger Paw tires and GTO nameplates. GTO sales ended up at 32,000 for the first year, well beyond initial estimates of 5,000 units and accounted for a large share of Tempest/LeMans sales. The success and the image of the GTO helped increase sales of lesser Tempest and LeMans models in coming years, cementing Pontiac's lock, stock and barrel on third place in industry sales standings behind only Chevrolet and Ford. Image File history File links Pontiac-LeMans-'65. ... Image File history File links Pontiac-LeMans-'65. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is a United States-based automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The model year of a product is a number used to describe approximately when a product was produced. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

The GTO became a separate series of its own for 1966, though retaining the same basic body as the Tempest and LeMans models. For 1966, all Pontiac intermediates got swoopier styling featuring tunnelback rooflines on two door hardtop and pillared coupes. While the GTO continued as a big-engined musclecar, the Tempest and LeMans models got a new overhead-cam 230 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine as the base powerplant. The new OHC six, the brainchild of Pontiac Chief Engineer John Z. DeLorean (who became Pontiac's general manager in 1965), was available in an economical two-barrel, 165-horsepower version that was standard equipment on all Pontiac intermediates except GTOs. Optional on all Tempest and LeMans models except station wagons was a Sprint package that included a hopped-up four-barrel version of the 230 cubic-inch OHC six that also included higher compression ratio and hotter cam, along with a floor-mounted three-speed transmission with Hurst shifter, suspension kit and body striping. Those who preferred a V8 engine could get either the base two-barrel 326 cubic-inch V8 rated at 250 horsepower (the most popular Tempest/LeMans engine) or a 285-horsepower four-barrel 326 HO V8 with higher compression ratio, high performance cam and dual exhausts.

The Sprint-optioned Tempest and LeMans models were not very popular during the mid-to-late 1960s as they were greatly outsold by the bigger-engined GTO that was heating up the musclecar wars. And buyers of regular Tempest and LeMans models definitely preferred V8 power as the 326 and later 350 cubic-inch V8s were the most ordered engines. The Sprint option and OHC six-cylinder engine were discontinued after 1969 with an ordinary Chevrolet-built 250 cubic-inch pushrod six becoming the base powerplant from 1970 to 1976 in most Pontiac intermediates.

Initially, the LeMans line included a pillared coupe and convertible for 1962 and 1963 as no hardtops were offered in the compact Tempest line. For 1964, a hardtop coupe was added followed by a four-door pillared sedan in 1965, which was replaced by a four-door hardtop in 1966 and a four-door Safari wagon in 1968. Generally the four-door and wagon models were differentiated from the coupes and convertibles by featuring conventional bench seats or notchback bench seats with folding armrests as opposed to the Strato buckets seats standard in coupes and convertibles. Other LeMans upgrades over lesser Tempests included carpeted lower door panels, deluxe steering wheels, courtesy lighting and full wheel covers.

For 1970, Pontiac reshuffled its intermediate lineup a bit with the LeMans nameplated downgraded to the mid-line subseries previously known as the Tempest Custom and included two and four-door pillared sedans, while the previous top-shelf LeMans series was renamed the LeMans Sport in the same three body styles including a four-door hardtop sedan, two-door hardtop coupe and convertible. This year, bigger engines - which had previously reserved for GTOs - were made available on lesser Tempest/LeMans models including a 400 cubic-inch V8 rated at 265 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor or a 330-horsepower option with four-barrel carburetion and dual exhausts.

In 1971, the Tempest nameplate was completely retired and Pontiac promoted the LeMans nameplate to full-series status to identify all of its intermediate lineup which still included the GTO. At the bottom of the line was the Pontiac T-37, previously known as the Tempest.

For 1972, all Pontiac intermediates were now LeMans models as the GTO was downgraded from a subseries to an option package and the low-priced T-37 line was replaced by a stripped LeMans pillared coupe. The top-line intermediate was the Luxury LeMans, available in hardtop sedan and coupe models, featuring plusher interiors than regular LeMans modles. The LeMans Sport was available as a two-door hardtop or convertible featuring Strato bucket seats and plush interior fittings from the Luxury LeMans.

From 1973 to 1977, the Pontiac LeMans and other GM intermediates were much larger in size than previous models due to evolutionary changes that resulted in larger cars year after year and federally-mandated 5 MPH crash bumpers that added weight and length. During this period, Pontiac's intermediate lineup included the base LeMans, LeMans Sport Coupe, GTO (1973 only), Luxury LeMans (became the Grand LeMans in 1975) and the Euro-style Grand Am. Body styles were all based on GM's Colonnade hardtop design for both sedans and coupes (no convertibles offered after 1972) that included center pillars for improved rollover safety standards but eliminated true hardtop design, along with frameless windows similar to a hardtop. Although GM gets a lot of credit for introducing the pillared hardtop design with the 1973 intermediates, the fact is that Ford Motor Company had offered pillared hardtop sedans since 1971 on its full-sized Ford LTD, Mercury Marquis and Lincoln Continental models.

In 1978, the LeMans and other GM intermediates were considerably downsized and lost some 600-800 pounds in the process as part of GM's corporate downsizing program to reduce the size and weight of its automobiles in the aftermath of the Arab Oil Embargo induced energy crisis of 1973-74. Engines were downsized as well with power plant options reduced to a standard Buick-built 231 cubic-inch V6 or optional Pontiac-built 301 cubic-inch V8 for 1978, compared to larger 350, 400 and 455 cubic-inch V8s offered in previous years. From 1978 to 1980, Pontiac's intermediate lineup included the base LeMans, Grand LeMans and a revived Grand Am that was much more suited in size and concept as a Euro-style sport sedan than the larger 1973-75 models. The Grand Am in this guise was not a tremendous seller as a sedan or coupe. Only a coupe was offered in 1980 before that nameplate was discontinued and mothballed for a few years before the Grand Am name was revived for 1985 as a new compact car, the form which the Grand Am would take for the next two decades until it was replaced by the Pontiac G6 in 2005. The final year for the mid-sized LeMans line was 1981 with only base LeMans and Grand LeMans models offered initially and joined at mid-year by a new LeMans LJ line positioned between the base and Grand models. Engine offerings by this time included Buick's 231 cubic-inch V6, Pontiac's 301 cubic-inch V8, Chevrolet's 305 cubic-inch V8 (for California only) and Oldsmobile's 350 cubic-inch Diesel V8.

For 1982, Pontiac dropped the LeMans nameplate for its intermediate lineup, rebadging the line as Bonneville, which had denoted the division's top-line full-sized cars for many years until the division discontinued all of its big cars after 1981. The LeMans-cum-Bonneville was reduced to one trim line in four-door and Safari wagon models and offered no Pontiac engines as the division discontinued V8 production after 1981 to concentrated on Iron Duke four-cylinder engines for GM's smaller cars. The engine lineup now consisted of the Buick V6 or Chevy 305 V8, along with the Olds 350 Diesel. The mid-sized Bonneville wagon was dropped after 1983 while the sedan lingered until 1986. For 1987, the Bonneville nameplate was moved to a slightly larger front-drive full-sized sedan that shared its basic platform with the Olds Delta 88 and Buick LeSabre. // Geography - United States Bonneville Salt Flats is the name of an ancient lake bed in Utah. ...

1989

A badge-engineered version of the Opel Kadett E compact car built by Daewoo of South Korea and exported to North America and New Zealand also carried this name from 1989 to 1994. It was a replacement for Pontiac's T1000/Acadian models. Badge engineering is a term that describes the rebadging of one model of car as another. ... 1936 Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett was a compact-sized automobile from the German Opel company, which is part of General Motors’ European division, offered between 1937 and 1940, then from 1962 to 1992. ... This article is about the auto company GM Daewoo. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The Chevrolet Chevette was Chevrolets version of GMs worldwide T platform of the 1970s, which was also sold as the Vauxhall Chevette, Opel Kadett, Isuzu Gemini and the Holden Gemini, among others. ... 1976 Chevrolet Chevette and 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Brougham The Chevrolet Chevette was Chevrolets version of GMs worldwide T-car program of the 1970s. ...