1963 Pontiac Tempest

1963 Pontiac Tempest 2 Door Sport Coupe Which do you want to have nestled quietly under the hood of your Tempest. The 4 that goes around acting like a V8, or a new V8 that acts like nothing you ever drove before. Decisions, decisions. If you were thinking that maybe you'd better drive them both before you make up your mind, that's fine with your Pontiac dealer. He knows these cars are habit forming. From a 1963 print ad.   For consignment, a 1963 Pontiac Tempest 2 door sport coupe showing 135,276 miles, but the actual miles are unknown due to a title exemption. A year later, the popularity of the V8 Tempest models would lead to the addition of the GTO package, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Exterior Our consignor tells us the car received a repaint three years ago and presents with single stage Silverleaf Green Poly, one of the 15 standard colors available from Pontiac in '63. The light shade of green shows off the character line of the car that runs the length of the long rear quarter panel and fender and takes in the faux vent trim on the front fender that adds motion to the car as it stands still. A functional Super Duty hood scoop has been added which dresses up the otherwise pedestrian front with Pontiac's distinctive double grill and early arrowhead. Out back, the stacked dual tail lights resemble afterburners and big dual exhaust tips do for the back what the hood scoop does for the front in attitude change while 15-inch black wheels join the party with poverty caps. Imperfections include chips, paint runs, scuff down to the metal on one bumper and some flaky deplating on the other, chips in the windshield, some pitting metal on the trim, cracking filler on the rocker panel, orange peel, and scuffs or residual black paint on the front apron.  Interior Clean black vinyl door cards live under the body colored header of the door with pleasing 60's simplicity. Black grain vinyl covers the split bench and the rear bench and both are in great shape and up front, an aftermarket steering wheel adds some spice to the control center. The stock instrument cluster is accompanied by an added tachometr and a triple pack dressed in chrome. Our mid panel is Silverleaf Green and houses the AM radio and heater levers backed by a chrome faceplate, matching the row of knobs on this panel. A Lokar shifter rises from the tunnel that's covered in low pile black carpet that is clean, all under a black headliner that shows some looseness. The trunk has a plaid vinyl mat over painted stamped steel that's clean, and houses a spare and jack.  Drivetrain Brass colored valve covers and a blue block highlight the clean bay where we find a 462ci V8 derived from a 1972 455ci V8. It wears a pair of Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetors and is mated to a TH350 3-speed automatic transmission that routes power to a Ford 8 axle and 2.79 gears. The aluminum radiator is coupled with dual electric fans and our consignor tells us this car can sit in traffic on a hot day and maintain 180 degrees.  Undercarriage Uniformly black and clean underneath where the newer dual exhaust runs through Thrush mufflers and exits through enlarged chrome tips. Drum brakes are found at all four wheels and suspension consists of coil springs up front and a 4 link with coil overs in back.  Drive-Ability The big V8 starts up and emits a very nice exhaust note from the big pipes and we roll the Tempest onto the tarmac where its manageable size and comfortable interior make it a joy to drive and with curved windows up front and in back, visibility is very good. Plenty of power underfoot and the car does everything well. Only the radio and reverse lights are not working as all other functions work as they should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.  This well sorted Pontiac is nice to look at and to dri