MEMBER CAR OF THE MONTH

PHILIP HANSELL’S 1964 LEMANS

Three years after it was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year, the Tempest made quite a change. Gone was the aluminum V8 along with the 112 inch wheelbase, curved drive shaft and transaxle. It now shared the “A” body style similar to other GM divisions and a 215 cu. in. inline 6 cylinder replaced the 4 cylinder which features ball-mounted rocker arms.

Also available  - two versions of the 326 cu. in. V8 along with either a 2-speed automatic with torque converter or a 3-speed or 4-speed manual transmission.

The famous GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato) option package was released for the first time in 1964 with a little over 32,000 produced and was available on the Tempest LeMans. The idea behind the package was to get around the restrictions of overpowered vehicles by offering the 389 cu. in V8 engine as an option.

1964 TEMPEST LEMANS PRODUCTION NUMBERS

Model Number Body/Style Number Body Type & Seating Factory Price Shipping Weight Total Production
Tempest Series
20 69 4d Sedan – 6P $2,313 2,970 lbs 19,427
20 27 2d Hardtop – 6P $2,259 2,930 lbs 21,765
20 35 4d Station Wagon – 6P $2,605 3,245 lbs 6,834
Tempest Custom
21 69 4d Sedan – 6P $2,399 2,990 lbs 29,948
21 67 2d Convertible – 5P $2,641 3,075 lbs 7,987
21 27 2d Hardtop – 6P $2,345 2,955 lbs 25,833
21 35 4d Station Wagon – 6P $2,691 3,260 lbs 10,696
Tempest LeMans
22 27 2d Coupe – 5P $2,491 2,975 lbs 31,317
22 37 2d Hardtop – 5P $2,556 2,995 lbs 31,310
22 67 2d Convertible – 5P $2,796 3,125 lbs 17,559