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The Pontiac Tempest is an automobile that was produced by Pontiac between 1961 and 1991. The Tempest was introduced as an entry-level compact in September 1960 for the 1961 model year. Sharing the new monocoque (unibody) Y platform with the Buick Special and Skylark, and Oldsmobile F-85 and Cutlass, the model also appeared under the LeMans nameplate (largely beginning with the 1962 model year, though Pontiac also manufactured a few 1961 Le Mans coupes). For 1964, the platform was redesigned with a full-size frame, and renamed A-body. The Tempest name was discontinued after the 1970 model year in favor of Le Mans, a nameplate previously used for upmarket versions of that series. Pontiac also marketed a rebadged version of the compact L-body Chevrolet Corsica as Tempest, for Canada only, from 1988 to 1991. ==First generation 1961–1963== Despite sharing some of the Oldsmobile's sheet metal, the original Tempest featured an innovative drivetrain — a rear-mounted transaxle coupled to a torque shaft arcing in a downward bow within a longitudinal tunnel — coupling the forward engine and rear transmission into one unit and eliminating vibration. The arrangement, known as "rope drive", had been previously used in the 1951 Le Sabre concept car. The combination of the rear-mounted transaxle and the front-mounted engine gave the car very nearly an ideal 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, enabled four-wheel independent suspension, and eliminated the transmission floor hump in the front and lowered it in the rear as compared to a conventional layout, such as the front engine/front transmission used in the Tempest's Buick and Oldsmobile sister cars.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Popular Mechanics )〕 John Z. DeLorean, designer of the Tempest, was the division's chief engineer and a Packard veteran who would later become the division's head and later still would become widely known for founding the DeLorean Motor Company. DeLorean wanted the car to be more than just a compact.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=DeLorean and the Pontiac Tempest - HowStuffWorks )〕 The Tempest was ''Motor Trend'' magazine's 1961 Car of the Year. ''Road & Track'' praised the Tempest as "exceptionally roomy" and "one of the very best utility cars since the Ford Model A." Power came from a 195 in³ (3.2 L) straight-4, marketed as the "Trophy 4", derived from the right cylinder bank of Pontiac's 389 in³ V8, the standard powerplant Pontiac used in its larger cars, such as the Bonneville and Catalina. The engine was advertised as a gas-saving economy motor for thrifty consumers, but Pontiac also saved money because it could run the engine down the same assembly line as the 389. There were three versions of the engine: an 8.6:1, low compression, single-barrel carburetor; a 10.25:1 high-compression with single barrel; and a high-compression engine with a four-barrel carburetor. While the single-barrel version produced , the four-barrel was capable of (SAE gross) at 4,800 rpm and of torque at 2,800 rpm. All three versions had a fuel economy ranging from 18-22 mpg, and the engine was generally reliable though it had a reputation as the "Hay Baler", a derogatory label applied by dealer mechanics (ostensibly from farm states) who experienced the violent kicks it could produce when out of tune. Popular Mechanics reported 21.3mpg at 60 mph.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Popular Mechanics )〕 There were quite a few options, including air conditioning, transistor radios, windshield washers, a parking brake warning light, padded safety dash, child-proof door locks, and seat belts.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1961 Pontiac Tempest Accessories-04-05-06-07 )〕 Another departure from the other Y-body cars, lesser but still notable, were the wheels. Both Buick and Oldsmobile had standardized their Y-body cars on an odd brake drum with four lug studs on a -diameter circle (a "four-on-four-and-a-half" bolt pattern), with wheels, shared by no other GM cars at the time. Pontiac went with a drum, but used five studs on the same bolt circle ("five-on-four-and-a-half") and wheels. This was a second configuration shared by no other GM cars but would be identical to the wheels on the Ford Mustang when released some four years later in mid-1964. Perhaps only coincidentally, the Pontiac plant that produced the Tempest's undercarriage was in Los Angeles, across the street from the Ford plant where the Mustang's was developed. Of particular note is that the innovative aluminum Buick-built 215 in³ (3.5 L) V8 was optional in the Tempest in 1961 and 1962. (This also had first appeared in the LeSabre.)〔Flory, p.1021.〕 It is estimated that just 3,662 Tempests were ordered with the 215 engine, or about 1% of production. This motor produced, in its various incarnations, from despite weighing just installed. The Pontiac 215 blocks are distinct from other Buick 215 blocks because in addition to the factory Buick markings they were hand-stamped at the Pontiac plant with the Vehicle Identification Numbers of the individual cars they were installed in. Thus, in 1961 all Pontiac 215 blocks begin "161P"; the 1962 cars, "162P". Further code numbers told whether the car had an automatic or manual transmission. In 1961, this would have been either a three-speed column-shifted manual with a non-synchromesh first gear or a two-speed automatic controlled by a small lever on the dash to the right of the ignition. This automatic—called "TempesTorque" in company literature but unmarked on the unit itself until 1963—was a type of Powerglide similar to, but sharing very few parts with, the one in the Chevrolet Corvair. (The next year, a floor-mounted, fully synchronized four-speed manual was added.) At its introduction, the Tempest was only available as a four-door pillared sedan and as a Safari station wagon. A pair of two-door coupes, one of which was named LeMans, were added at the end of 1961, both in the 1961 body style. By the time the 1962 models arrived, Le Mans, primarily a trim package upgrade featuring front bucket seats, also came as a new convertible. There were now a total of four models: station wagon, sedan, coupe, and convertible. All four came as Tempest; customers who wanted a more deluxe coupe or convertible could pay extra for Tempest Le Mans. There was no Le Mans station wagon or sedan. And although Oldsmobile and Buick had pillarless hardtops (the Cutlass and Skylark, respectively), there was no pillarless hardtop Le Mans. In 1963, the Le Mans became a separate series, reaching nearly 50% of all combined Tempest and Le Mans production. The 1963 version, slightly larger and heavier than the previous two years (now designated a "senior compact"), and with a redesigned transaxle that improved handling, offered a high-performance option much more powerful than the scarcely ordered 215. The 215 was replaced by Pontiac's new 326 in³ (5.3 L) V8, a motor with the same external dimensions of the venerable 389, but different internals, designed to produce more torque. A new version of the automatic transmission (now officially stamped "TempesTorque" on the case) was designed with beefier internals to handle it; the four-speed was not, so few, if any, V8 cars were built with four speeds (the three-speed remained for both motors, however). The high-compression 326's output was and of torque. The actual displacement was 336 in³, but according to lore, since no GM division compact was allowed to have a motor larger than the Corvette's 327, the advertised number was 326. The cast-iron mill brought weight up over a 195 in³ Trophy 4 and weight distribution changed only marginally to 54/46. Performance was strong enough that ''Car Life'' magazine stated; "No one will wonder why they didn't use the 389," and fuel economy with the 326 ranged up to 19 mpg. The V8 option proved popular: 52% of the 131,490 Tempests and Le Mans sold in 1963 were ordered with the 326. The 326 sold in the 1963 cars is a one year-only motor; the next year the displacement was adjusted so that it was actually 326 in³. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pontiac Tempest」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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