John DeLorean is probably best known today by movie nerds because of the DeLorean car connection to the ‘Back to the Future’ movies.
Movie nerds would know nothing about DeLorean’s connection to the legendary Pontiac GTO and the Firebird, but those cars were spawned from a quirky little car called the Pontiac Tempest.
Jerry Sutherland
The Pontiac Tempest came about when Chief Engineer DeLorean decided to apply some engineering magic to an early 60s compact car from Detroit. The Tempest was built from 1961-1963 and it featured stuff you’d never see from the Big Three in 1961.
They called the 195.5 cubic inch 4-cylinder under the hood the ‘Trophy 4’ because it was the right half of the legendary Pontiac 389 cubic inch ‘Trophy 8’ V-8. The Tempest also had a rear transaxle and independent four-wheel suspension, so it had almost a 50-50 weight balance in an era when most cars carried most of their weight at the front end.
Sylvia Kiel didn’t buy her 1962 Pontiac Tempest LeMans convertible because of those features. She bought it because she “always wanted a convertible”, so the little Pontiac was a good replacement for her ’64 Valiant.
She’s owned her Tempest for over seven years—the previous owner’s wife didn’t like it because it didn’t have power steering, so Sylvia became the next owner. This was an as-is purchase—but it was already restored so Sylvia literally had a turn-key car—not a long-term project.
The experience has been very positive. Sylvia drives the Tempest to shows every summer, plus she’s made serious connections with the Alberta Iron Indians Pontiac Club—in fact, she handles the membership for the club, so Sylvia is totally immersed in the classic Pontiac culture.
There’s a lot of support in most car clubs, and the Alberta Iron Indians is no exception because they welcomed Sylvia’s Tempest to the club because they all know how rare and significant the car is to Pontiac history. There would be no Pontiac GTO without the Tempest.
Sylvia runs the LeMans at highway speeds (65-ish) and she said the car handles like a dream thanks to its innovative suspension. She’s added a high-tech sound system to the Tempest because AM radio extends only so far in the 21st century. The top-down experience is magic in a convertible, but it gets even better when you attach your own personal soundtrack to the experience.
This car only has 35,000 miles on it, so it may be one of the finest examples of a ’62 Pontiac Tempest LeMans convertible in the world. It’s in good hands because Sylvia definitely appreciates what she has and she’s an expert on the history of the Pontiac Tempest.
The future is simple for the car—more quality miles on it and more time spent with vintage Pontiac club members. Sylvia didn’t buy a car—she bought a lifestyle.
That may not have been John DeLorean’s game plan when he put the Pontiac Tempest on the drawing board—but that’s how it turned out over 60 years later.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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