Strangest Automotive Inventions: The 1961 Pontiac Tempest's "Rope" Curved Driveshaft & Transaxle

[@williamlittle7987]

My dad had a 62 Lemans with the 4 cylinder 1 barrel and 4 speed..when i was a young teenager..i would help my dad do maintenance on the Tempest...in exchange he would take me out to a empty parking lot to teach me how to drive the Tempest...that was one of the most fun times driving that awesome car !!!

[@wolfgangweimer737]

I've been a car guy my whole life,70 years,and I never new about the unique drive train of the Pontiac Tempest.Thanks for sharing the knowledge.

[@DSP1968]

I've always been kind of fascinated by these early Tempests due to their unique engineering. I'm glad you covered it, Adam.

[@tiki_trash]

My friend has a photo of his father in a 4cyl Tempest doing a wheel stand at the Christmas tree back in the 60s!

[@tiki_trash]

Any parts you could get for the Pontiac 421 you could get for the slant 4 and you got a forged and balanced crankshaft from the factory.

[@toddbonin6926]

Totally agree. I always thought if GM had continued with this kind of innovation, they would still be the world leader.

[@sp-yj5wr]

Its too bad our great grandparents never bought great ideas like this and instead bought old tech land yachts. Similar to today with huge useless trucks/SUV's. Progress stalls if customers all buy the same thing. Of course, greed ruined the US car industry too.

[@tiki_trash]

@@sp-yj5wr They did buy these cars. They were among the most popular and most affordable cars of their time.

[@kevinbarry71]

This cars layout is discussed in the movie, my cousin Vinny. Turns out to be rather important to the plot

[@soaringvulture]

It was only important because it got Marisa Tomei a well-deserved Oscar.

[@megastick9324]

No, that’s a totally different iteration. What was discussed in the movie was posi-trac rear end vs open diff rear end. Those cars were more akin to the chevelle of the time than the 61 tempest, a league of its own.

[@paradoxworkshop4659]

​@@soaringvulture although, hearing her say 'shaft' might have been nice.

[@KDoyle4]

No, that was the true mid-size car that replaced this "senior compact" for 1964.

[@SnifBelch]

My 85 year old uncle said it was his favorite car, and he said it was the four cylinder. It's neat to have just been talking to him about his favorite car the other day and I am now getting a chance to look at it! Thank you for your reviewing it!!!

[@johnpotter8039]

We had a 1961 Tempest with the aluminum V-8 and the automatic transaxle. It ran very smoothly and we drove it for many years. One really big problem- no PARK position. Our town of Sierra Madre, CA, was laid out on a slope. I had driven the car to my part-time job as a janitor in a church. I parked the car on the slope with the front wheel turned in, up against the curb, and the parking brake fully latched. I was inside, vacuuming, when I heard a very troubling sound. I knew it was the car, and I ran out, imaging that it was rolling backwards down to the main street of the town. What had happened was different. The car had rolled in a 3/4 circle, with the wheels still turned, until it was pointing to the 4:00 position, then it rolled up over the curb and sidewalk, stopping in a bed of ivy. Wow! I dodged the bullet with that one.

[@chrispnw2547]

I can't say it enough. Thank you for your channel as it does something magical: entertaining and educational.

[@christianheidt5733]

Agreed!

[@jamesbusch566]

Agreed

[@Primus54]

My family bought a ‘61 Tempest automatic with the Trophy 4 as a second car. In addition to the strange drivetrain, the gear selector was mounted to the dashboard with a very short perpendicular handle. I was only 7 at the time but I remember it well enough to attest to the pronounced vibrations from that motor. Thank you, Adam. 👍👍👍

[@stevegordon5243]

Yes! As a very young child I pushed the dashboard mounted Reverse button on our Tempest as we were going down the road at 35mph. My dad thought for sure the transmission was left on the ground behind us but it was not and it did not affect the transmission what so ever........LOL!

[@davidpancerev9658]

Yes my uncle Nestor had a '63 2dr (4)..I too recall the inherent vibrations..a true cocktail shaker !

[@beer1for2break3fast4]

Yes you're right and if I recall there was no park, just R,N,D,L

[@kenmarsh2668]

Your correct on the shifter. I was in high school when my folks got one and took it on many a date. Got my license with our 56’ Ford Fairlane Victoria but I really enjoyed the Tempest; wanted a Le Manns when they came out. Regards

[@Primus54]

@@kenmarsh2668 Ahhh… memories! 😉

[@tdvandy2]

I have been a car guy my entire life and have learned more from your channel in a couple of years than in all the years prior. Thank you, Adam.

[@RareClassicCars]

I appreciate that!

[@madmike2624]

I second that! Outstanding videos!!

[@UberLummox]

That's great! Most "car guys" are sadly lacking in automotive history knowledge. Great channel for sure.

[@UberLummox]

@@TomSpeaks-vw1zp Right on!

[@TomSpeaks-vw1zp]

@@UberLummox Thank you. I’m an 82 year old car guy. There’s always something new & interesting

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

This is some good stuff!! Well done

[@KevinCoop1]

When I was 7, my grandmother bought a Tempist with the 4 cyl and automatic transaxle. The shifter was a small handle sticking out of the dash. As far as how much power it had, I would have no idea. Her TOP speed was 45 mph. No matter back then the limits were 70 and 65. My older brother and I went on a 500 mile each way trip with her! We watched the small animals run past as she drove! Not really, but it felt like it.

[@524kirkd]

We always joked that if my grandmother was as ever in an accident it would never be because she hit someone. She drove so slow that there was plenty of time to get out of the way. 😂

[@dansmusic5749]

This must have greatly extended the service life of her Tempest. lol

[@TexJester-no8th]

My gramma wound up with a 77 Mercury Grand Marquis with the big 460 engine. Her top speed, regardless of speed limit - 35 mph!! And she never used her mirrors ... I drive a truck (18 wheeler, flatbed, 40 years now), and one day while going through town, I spotted gramma in her land yacht, pulled up beside her and tooted the horn - she JUMPED! She told me later she had no idea I was beside here, even though I drove my BIG International truck beside her for FIVE BLOCKS!! 🤣

[@Ed_Stuckey]

My younger brother had one. He referred to it as rubber band drive because of the strange noises coming from the floor when he did hard acceleration. He said the thumping was the rubber band unwinding. (jokingly or course) - I had a 1965 Corvair Corsa so we were both driving 'unconventional' cars.

[@joed5901]

I think it was a real nice simple economical car that I wouldn't mind having today!

[@RobertRuhe-ep6lw]

​@@joed5901v v

[@bruce2900]

I learned to drive on a 61 Tempest. It was my Mom’s computer car. I was in the car when it was totaled on hill in upstate NY. My Mom used the transmission to slow her decent on ice by manually shifting down, the rear end basically locked, and proceeded to swap with the front, then slid into a culvert. I was a junior Motörhead and was aware of the unique drive train. Thanks for triggering some very precious memories. Excellent video.

[@foxtrot312]

A COMPUTER car? WTf?😮

[@martinneumann7783]

I did read an article about this car and its drivetrain in my German classic car magazine. Wtih your video I do know a little bit more. Thank you! Greetings from overseas - Martin

[@jhaedtler]

When I was a kid I bought one used from a neighbour, I only paid $75.00 for the car. He was told he needed a new transmittion! The drive shaft cover had just came loose at the engine. Cost to repair was one bolt! I loved that car.

[@herbienbrian2]

Did you also buy a house for a whim and sell it for profit? Hows your 401k doing lately

[@jhaedtler]

@@herbienbrian2 Have you been an idiot all of your life?

[@detroitdan8487]

Thanks, Adam. My very first car. Dad bought this for me used in 67 so I could get to college in the Upper Peninsula. It was a good, roomy car. Automatic gear shift was on the dash. Two speed automatic made passing cars on state roads an interesting proposition. If you tried flooring it to pass, the trans down shifted to low making you go slower. So, you had to leave 6 or 7 car lengths distance from the vehicle you were passing, wait for clear road ahead, gently increase pedal pressure to get up to passing speed, and if the road was still clear you could pass. Excellent car in the snow.

[@ffelton]

Fascinating vid Adam. I’m constantly amazed at not just the high quality of your videos as far as the production goes, but moreover the creativity and amazing insight you provide viewers with each topic you explore. You taught me - a serious 60’s/70’s era Pontiac devotee - something I didn’t know and I can’t thank you enough. Keep up the good work!

[@RareClassicCars]

Thanks again!

[@radioguy1620]

Another interesting Pontiac fact you might not know is the 67 Firebird 3 speed trans was a Ford Mustang unit, Had both cars with the same tranny, seems Jim Delorean specified it knowing the Chevy unit was not as strong.

[@jedsparks7324]

I had one, liked it. Had dashboard flip lever for changing gears

[@charlesb7019]

Very interesting! I had heard of that “rope”, but never really understood how it worked. Thanks for explaining!

[@bwtv147]

It was often called the "speedometer cable" drive shaft.

[@dansmusic5749]

This is yet another example of a car that I used to think was ugly. That picture of the red Tempest with fender skirts is very beautiful and classy right down to the wheel covers. It’s a part of the past that is too distant even for me. I really think the late fifties and early sixties were some of the most interesting years for automobiles and American culture.

[@lostpony4885]

Modern cars are uglier every year making old ugly cars look a lot better

[@johnmaki3046]

Well, it LOOKED great...

[@MichaelLSeery]

Pontiac also offered some "sports car" options on the LeMans version: streamlined "Talbot" exterior mirrors, a real oddity at the time, and a frameless wraparound competition windshield for the convertible, absolutely unheard of. This did a lot to raise awareness and demand for road-race styling, in the era of the Mustang I.

[@johnwilburn8319]

Yes,I think the most beautiful art in automotive history was created between 1955 and 1966.

[@dansmusic5749]

@@MichaelLSeery Thanks for the additional info.

[@sunbeam8866]

As a teen in the early '70s, while staying at high-school friends home for the weekend, I saw their neighbor had one of these Pontiacs in navy-blue. She gave me permission to look under the hood. Wow! I'd never seen a 'tilted' 4-cylinder like that one. I didn't know about the unique drivetrain or transaxle until the late '80s, when I saw a '63 Tempest up on a lift in a shop, with the engine running. Watching that naked torque-converter spinning behind the rear-end was something else! It's the kind of engineering we should've had in the '70s, but didn't!

[@mpetersen6]

The quick and dirty way Pontiac engineered the four cylinder lead to a number of its quirks. The large displacement due shafting the bore and stroke with the 389. The Trophy Four is a very large and heavy for a four cylinder given its origins. The only inline automotive four cylinder with a larger bore center l can think of is the 3 liter four used in the Porsche 944. And as I understand it that motor was derived from the V-8 used in the 928. Myself l would refer to engines such as the IH and Pontiac four cylinders as true Slant engines given the pan rail is horizontal while the cylinder bank is inclined. Versus those engines which are merely leaned over.

[@gt-37guy6]

You are right, I would have LOVED to have an OHC six in my 70s car that actually performed like DeLoreans Sprint 6 4 BBL, put in a darn OVERDRIVE GEAR and you could get some milage and have fun too!

[@mpetersen6]

@@gt-37guy6 In the 70s l doubt you are going to have anything that really performs all that great. It wasn't until electronic controls of ignition and fuel delivery came of age that real performance started coming back. Plus the US auto industry was really slow on going to Fuel Injection.

[@sunbeam8866]

@@gt-37guy6 Yeah! instead of an OHC six, we got the malaise-era! Oversized, overweight, sluggish & thirsty, wallowing barges, with just the Pinto & Vega to take on Toyota, Datsun & Honda!

[@jameslandry5952]

​@@mpetersen6Hahahahaha! You had performance up until around '72 when the communist organized EPA CAME ON THE SCENE!!! 🙄

[@jetsons101]

That was my first car, very used..... Mine had the 215, I think it was alumiuum, it was fun car, just be careful with fast sharp turns.... Thanks to Adam for posting...

[@ryokufox2281]

59 Pontiac Catalina was my dream car with the tri power set up. I used to have one but had to sell it due to my kidney failure for medical bills. I never got over that loss

[@ced3098]

Impressive design , thanks for the video and also a beautiful car from the 60's

[@lostpony4885]

Wow that half of 8 4 cyl is surprisingly cool configuration

[@carlosdj4884]

Our 64 Pontiac convertible GTO Was a head turner a great fun to drive around the southbay Redondo - Hermosa Beach

[@tettazwo9865]

It is truly delightful to watch your videos as one notices that you actually know what your talking about!

[@johnplovanich9564]

I love your channel Adam.I am a petrol head from way back.I enjoy your content and thoroughness. Cheers mate from Eluethra, Bahamas.

[@larsongh]

I a ‘62 convertible that bought I ragged condition. I restored it whit white paint and a red vinyl interior. Wish I had not sold it. It was fast and fun! Thanks for the video!

[@67marlins]

Excellent post. I really love the elegant, clean styling of the first Tempest. I'm a Ford and Mopar guy, but I'd love to buy a first generation Tempest wagon.

[@Daniel-lv8ze]

I just appreciate that the trophy 4 was a cross flow engine. Something that couldn't be said for many other American inlines.

[@ohio0610]

Love this video. I have a 61 Tempest sedan that absolutely adore for its uniqueness and quirkiness. The engine does have some vibration issues, but overall nothing horrible. It also has pretty good ride quality for a car of that era with its 4-wheel independent suspension.

[@allareasindex7984]

Thank you for explaining this in detail. I’ve read one-sentence descriptions for years and finally know what a “rope driveshaft” is.

[@dvdosterloh]

Trans was from the corvair, they used a hollow shaft with the "rope" running through the center of the transmission to transmit the power to the torque converter literally feeding the power in from the rear. In the corvair the torque converter was driven from the other end. So really Pontiac did not develop a new trans, they used the trans and some of the rear suspension parts from the corvair

[@LongIslandMopars]

Thank you!! I thought that would be the case (the transaxle being from the Corvair). After all, it was still General Motors.

[@martinliehs2513]

That trick of driving the Corvair transaxle from the rear allowed the Tempest engine to rotate in the conventional direction.

[@mrdanforth3744]

Pontiac considered making a modified Corvair as a Pontiac but rejected the idea. Instead they developed the Tempest which had a lot of Corvair in it. The body was modified Corvair, the transmission and rear suspension and possibly the front suspension.

[@clarkinthedark1]

So it was a powerglide?

[@georgegalbraith9899]

My dad bought one of the 61 Pontiac Tempest. It was a 2 dr with a 3 sp manual transaxle that we had ro replace a couple times and I remember it was a pain in the butt to change out

[@73_f100]

This is a great video. Start to finish. Thanks for the effort.

[@billkunert7281]

Around that same time Pontiac developed an OHC straight 6. One of the car magazines fitted one into a Jaguar XKE with good results.

[@fourdoorglory]

Thanks!

[@RareClassicCars]

Welcome!

[@Finnigan9]

I had a slant 4 Tempest 3 speed manual. GREAT car, drove nice, rode nice, good in snow...loved it.

[@maxr4448]

Wow completely forgot out those cars. Thank You Adam... again for this. Great video and letting us remember these cars.

[@freshdougg]

I found this very interesting. My folks had Pontiacs in the 60’s and mom got the ‘62 Tempest station wagon in the divorce. I don’t recall the flattish floor but that car hauled me and her all over SE Wisconsin! By the time she traded it on a new Tempest T-37 in September 1970 (I was 9) that 62 was costing her a lot in various engine repairs. I just distinctly recall something with a clogged oil breather cap.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

The era when GM's engineers were willing to try different ideas. I'm sure some of the Trophy's power vs other inline motors was the fact that it had a cross flow head. I've always really loved the looks of these early tempests, a long with the other '61 compacts.

[@j.kevvideoproductions.6463]

I would like to see american auto makers step outside of their comfort zone of copying foreign vehicles and become trendsetters once again.

[@adotintheshark4848]

It's a shame they couldn't use a counter-balancer inside the engine. It would have quieted its vibrations immensely. All of the early 60s GM compacts were handsome cars.

[@HighlanderNorth1]

Although you don't see them around, I think the '61 Pontiac Ventura looks great. It's a midsized car though. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5CzhXmPedlmjq8

[@ednauseum3060]

Oh, GM engineers are STILL "experimenting" - take the 2-ton HUMMER EV battery, for example....🙄🤣😢

[@sp-yj5wr]

Its too bad our great grandparents never bought great ideas like this and instead bought old tech land yachts. Similar to today with huge useless trucks/SUV's. Progress stalls if customers all buy the same thing. Of course, greed ruined the US car industry too.

[@dennisbrookssr2903]

An era when each divisions automobiles, both full size, and compact, had power trains, unique to their division…A great era for GM, and an Awesome era for the Customers. I turned 16 in the mid 60’s, and the Pontiac line, was my preference, because they truly did ‘Build Excitement’ in the 1960’s…Beautifully designed, and Exciting to Drive.

[@timothydigiuseppe1753]

Again, an excellent presentation covering a technical development I knew nothing about. Fascinating and thank you.

[@88SC]

In one magazine article that was published at the time of the car’s introduction, it was pointed out that the curve in the shaft matched the bow that you would get from gravity by supporting each end of the driveshaft on a sawhorse. So the two bearings didn’t impose the curve by force, but merely kept it in place inside the housing. And of course, the angle at which the engine and transaxle were mounted aligned with it.

[@donQpublic]

And it spun around like jump rope!

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

@@donQpublic Chief in reefer?🤨 No, with it supported bearings in a rigid housing, no such silliness. Any whip would have had to have been minor. Actually...length of the shaft & the controlled flexibility probably aided vibration dampening....There's you some (engineering) magic to ponder.... Now I have to see why the bearings suffered.

[@88SC]

@@charlesangell_bulmtl naysayers will assume things, but what would be fun is to observe one that has windows cut in the torque tube, running on a chassis dyno. With and without bad bearings (within reason). Obviously not on a relatively pristine car, except by replacing the car’s own tube with a cut up spare! One could do a modal analysis as well. Given that the shaft has to align with the engine and transaxle, it won’t move around too freely.

[@sp-yj5wr]

Bearings are better today, but there is still no such thing as a lifetime or maintenance free bearing.... (well, except maybe full 100% ceramic bearings)

[@geekthesteve6215]

@@donQpublic Nope, smooth as silk in the one I owned.

[@joes7968]

Thank you Adam for yet another comprehensive and interesting video. It is fascinating that Pontiac was allowed to proceed with such a unique product content given it’s use in only one vehicle. I also appreciate your Pontiac centric videos. They were such beautiful cars in the late 50’s and 60’s!

[@adotintheshark4848]

Back then, even though GM controlled everything, each make was still fairly autonomous.

[@andrewadams488]

In 1962 the local Pontiac dealer donated a new Tempest to the high school for drivers ed. Quite a step up from the 1953 straight stick Chevy we were using

[@Leftycraig48]

The best and sexiest EVER explanation of the Tempest transaxle and independent rear suspension came from Marissa Tomei in the courtroom scene from My Cousin Vinnie. Funny movie.

[@62Madison]

I love the BOP unibody ‘Y’ bodies. The 215 Aluminum V8 the went the power Rovers for years. The Buick V6 that went on to power AMCs and then back to Buicks for years. The turbo Olds that didn’t go on to power anything and the Pontiac that you did a great job covering with its 4 cylinder which people preferred over the V8. GM really was on a roll in the early 1960s. I would love to collect all three, my favorite being the ‘62 Skylark hardtop.

[@davidpancerev9658]

Watch out for the rust.

[@davidpancerev9658]

Actually the Buick V-6 was adapted for Kaiser Jeep (67)

[@emjayay]

The original V8 based Buick V6 was rough too until reengineered later for even firing.

[@billdurham8477]

Back in the 80's I worked for a parts store with a full boat machine shop. Steve The Wizard says hey can you hand me that block? Sure. I almost tossed it over my head I yanked so hard. Bare block was just a few pounds. Steve thought it was funny......And that was the basis for the Rover 3.5. And back in the day at Oshkosh there was a Bede-5 with that V8. Won best engine sound of show.

[@cameronearnshaw2259]

Actually, AMC never used the Buick V6 in its cars. The engine tooling was sold to Kaiser Jeep in 1967, and AMC acquired it when they bought Jeep in 1970. The engine was used in AMC Jeeps for one year, after which they switched to the AMC straight six, but AMC still owned the tooling and sold it back to GM in 1974. The engine continued to be used in various GM cars through 1987.

[@KarlFrank-d9r]

My Grandmother bought one of these as a used car in the early 1960s (I was too young to drive at the time). It was a cute car but it had little power and the 4 cylinder engine sounded like a sewing machine at idle but its fatal flaw is that the timing chain/belt kept slipping! It was a lemon and she got rid of it after a year or two.

[@antera77]

1) 0:10 1959 Pontiacs just stunning, and way ahead of their time. Almost as much as the 1957 Chryslers 2) I get the impression the huge, rough 3.2 liter half-a-V8 four, and the transaxle / rope driveshaft -- came more from GM engineers experimenting with available parts--i.e. the Corvair transaxle reversed, than an optimized solution to a problem. Especially given the 215 cu in (3.5 liter) Buick aluminum V8 was readily available and fit under the hood, and it wasn't clear GM had any complaints about drive tunnel height.

[@rich7787]

I miss Pontiac😢

[@AlexanderWaylon]

A man I worked for is married to the owner of a Buick GMC dealership and his wife owns a beautiful yellow Tempest convertible flawless in all aspects. I never had the opportunity to discuss the car at length, compared to his classic GMC trucks some being the V6 (which I owned one myself at one point), that he works for his construction company. My uncle had an F85 which had an aluminum engine, if I am not mistaken. Nice cars. Good video.

[@machineman8388]

Great content Adam, no other channel like yours, keep up the good work

[@kevinvoyer5053]

Not mentioned in the video was the optional 3 or 4 speed transaxle that was also available in the Corvair, that in the 4 speed was robust enough for a 160 hp turbo engine. So with the 4cyl 4 brl carb, with an available 4 speed and 3:98 posi gears, along with the 4 wheel independent suspension, made for a sporty handling car. I remember a family in my neighborhood that would car pool us to school on rainy days. The mother had a 4 dr Tempest, that had plenty of room for 6 passengers, 7 once in a pinch of kids. The Dad in that family drove a LeMans Coupe, with the HO 4cyl with 4 brl carb and 4 speed with posi I remember getting a ride one day with his son and I in the car and Dad chirped the tires in second gear!

[@sparkplug0000]

I knew about the rope driveshaft but you are the first person I’ve heard explain why it could be so thin. Very interesting, and that torque converter on the back of the transaxle! As your pictures show, this car also had independent rear suspension which was rare at the time. But in all my 63 years I’d never heard of that slant 4 engine!

[@88SC]

International Harvester derived the four cylinder for the Scout the same way. V8 with the left bank omitted.

[@beer1for2break3fast4]

Yeah that torque converter was odd. If you looked under the rear of the car when it was running you could see it turning. When you put the car on a hoist the rear wheels folded in like a VW.

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

We had one of these amazing Tempests in our High School shop class in 1977!

[@tonymaglio9376]

As A GM mechanic from the 80s. You never cease to amaze me with facts.

[@wesalexander2693]

Great video, Adam, it brings back memories for me. My father purchased a then new 1962, two door Tempest with a manual transmission and the 192.5 cubic inch, 4 cylinder engine. In its day, as I recall, it was pretty quick. He had very few problems with it.

[@MrPoppyDuck]

Thanks for the education! Very interesting stuff!

[@nickbonvino]

Never knew about that drivetrain configuration.. as always, great video Adam!

[@paulmokidespaul5347]

Very critical, how nice.

[@markdc1145]

To be honest, these early 60's GM compact cars were just not on my radar as a kid. They were somewhat frumpy cars that an older teen going off to college or a newly widowed aunt would drive. Only now can I appreciate the interesting engineering they had. The Tempest grew into a truly handsome car by mid-decade and was a beast by 1969.

[@carlosstinechez5338]

It was a Monster in1965 and the most beautiful

[@rogerdodrill4733]

​@@carlosstinechez5338same as gto with different name

[@thomaswallace479]

When I was in college, my parents became so alarmed by the rusted-out wrecks i was, they gave me my mother's '61 metalic brown Tempest. I loved it. It had good acceleration, good handling

[@cameronearnshaw2259]

My parents bought my sister a used '61 Tempest for her first car. It was slow-- 2-speed automatic transmission as I recall-- but actually drove quite smoothly once it got up to speed. It rode well due to independent suspension, but the rear swing axle meant that it had the same handling problems as the Corvair and the VW Beetle, though perhaps not quite as pronounced as the engine was in the front. But like the Corvair and the Beelte, the rear track got narrower-- and the center of gravity higher-- as the vehicle cornered. Not a problem when driven properly, but an inexperienced teenage driver going a little too fast was asking for trouble, and my sister found this out on a twisty road one afternoon. I was with her, along with another friend of mine. The car didn't go completely over-- the back end came around and she hit a dirt bank on the inside of the turn. That pushed the car over onto its side and it just stayed there. We were able to climb out the top window and push the car back over onto its wheels. Just scuffed up the sheet metal on the driver's side and bent an axle, and we drove the car home with a wobbly rear wheel.

[@christopherkraft1327]

Hello Adam, thanks for sharing this interesting & informative history lesson on the Pontiac Tempest!! 👍👍🙂

[@AbcDef-iq4no]

In my opinion, the 1960 Corvair was created as a direct competitor to the VW Beetle, whereas the 1961 GM compacts were direct competitors to Ramblers, which gained quite a bit of popularity in the late 1950s especially after the 1958 recession.

[@johnking6252]

Strange that you mentioned the 1958 recession in retrospect. 👍 Same as it ever was.

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

A GD shame Nader screwed that pooch...It was a very well executed car considering it a GM 1st. Actual problem: Nader(aspiring political noob) / inexperienced with rear weight bias (noob) public. A far better execution than it's descendant Vega... Had GM not cheep assed with the Briggs and Stratton engine and built the Vega with a V8 capable front substructure...they would have had a winner👍

[@nlpnt]

@@charlesangell_bulmtl Lee Iacocca killed the Corvair. If anything Nader indirectly put its' body on life support. People wanted their "sporty" compact with conventional engineering and long hood/short deck proportions, Mustang was that, and by the time Nader's book came out GM had already zeroed out the Corvair development budget and launched the crash program that led to the 1967 Camaro. If it weren't for Nader, the last Corvair might well have been the 1966 model. GM built 3 model years' worth out of pure spite and not wanting to be seen as capitulating to an activist. He did screw the pooch by spoiling the 2000 election, though.

[@toyyoda3710]

@@charlesangell_bulmtl No ... The Corvair was garbage. it didnt even have independent suspension. It had these awkward seesaw designs that made the car handle worse than a shopping cart

[@AbcDef-iq4no]

@denniswilson8013 Those Larks sure were some bulletproof cars. I have always wanted one with the 289 V8.

[@Ogsonofgroo]

I never knew about the drive-train in these but always been fond of the looks. Thank you for my daily learning curve, well done Sir!

[@carlosdj4884]

That Tempest was a great little car

[@Piggypongtheavgeek]

My father had a 62 tempest. Two door. Same color silver as the 4door you showed in the video. I have a picture of him standing next to it when he was a young man.

[@analogdesigner-Jay]

That four cylinder engine was good at destroying timing chains. My family owned two of these, a '61 and '62. The main culprit was the crankshaft which was compromised when the 389 crank was modified to be compatible with four cylinders. The crankshaft had poor torsional stiffness, it was a "banjo string"!. Every time a cylinder would fire, the flimsy crankshaft would whiplash the timing chain. I even tried a Cloyes Trueroller chain and even that didn't extend the life very much. The tiny drum brakes were a problem too, so I switched to metallic linings. Thanks for a great video.

[@TaylorZ2]

Do you know if the modified powerglide trans (for rear mounting) had a park position?

[@analogdesigner-Jay]

@@TaylorZ2, no it didn't. The dashboard selector for the transmission had four positions, R N D L. The car did have a good parking brake.

[@sp-yj5wr]

US mfrs always look for a home run in the first year. If no homer, they dump the whole idea. Meanwhile foreign mfrs just look to get on base and then improve upon the design.....Its been a long game, but foreigners won.

[@alsavage1]

@@TaylorZ2 No, it shared the no-Park design of the pre-existing Corvair transaxle with the same PG. Well, except the '63 Tempest with the 326, I hear.

[@johnbattista9519]

Thanks, nice informative video.

[@markhardin6186]

My first car in 1981 was a '62 two-door hardtop Pontiac Tempest Lemans - $500. Red on White, with that incredible, thick naugahyde upholstery mentioned below. Those deep, channeled seats were lipstick-red, just like the rest of the interior, it was a knockout to look at. The 1962 model had a pursed lip, chrome-edged fins, beveled fenders, that little 2-speed lever on the dash and socially incorrect red Indian dash light for the brights. It must have had the four-barrel on it, because those four cylinders drank like a proper Irishman. The engine vibration was just part of the experience. The weight of that iron engine was unkind to the front suspension, so the poor thing wallowed around like Aunt Myrtle in the kitchen. No problem with the drive train, boxed into its curving channel. By 1981 you couldn't buy replacement shocks - mine must have been original - so, i was cautious about the independent rear end. I sold it to a friend who wrecked it within a couple of months. But, I still have fond memories of that old girl.

[@DavidSmith-vm3cu]

Another innovation of this car was it was assembled on the same production line as the full-size Pontiacs at the plant in Pontiac, Michigan. Lots of innovative tooling to accommodate two different wheelbase and tracks, etc. I got to tour the line in 1961 while in high school. My uncle who worked at Pontiac suffered a puncture of transmission pan in Canadian wild, plugged with bubble gum and made it to dealer. A friend had 63 with 326 V8, which was a de-bored 389. Fun on Woodward Avenue.

[@emjayay]

Are you sure? The full-size cars were body on frame and the compacts were unit bodies and didn't share much other than some small bits like interior door handles etc. They did later assemble all the intermediates on the same line at least in Fremont but they were versions of the same car.

[@uraniumcranium]

You forgot to mention that this was one of America's first (like the Corvair) with front and rear four-wheel independent suspension and that elements of this transaxle system were incorporated in the Porsche 928 and the C4 Corvette.

[@williamwixon]

I had no idea! I had never heard this before! Absolutely fascinating. I’m not an expert, but I would never imagined an American automobile, build manufacture, creating such a freakish drive train. Pretty cool, pretty amazing! fun trivia! Thank you! 5/8 inch diameter driveshaft! Jesus!

[@christinecrawford]

That 59 Bonneville at the beginning - chef's kiss! It's beautiful! My dad had a convertible version for many years so it holds a special place in my heart. 💟

[@lsimpson50]

Great video. My first car (1966) was a '62 Tempest LeMans, 2-Dr, 4-cyl, 3-speed manual with floor mounted shifter. I have great first-car memories of this arguably, so-so car.

[@GereDJ2]

When I was 16 my dad bought a 4 door, 3 speed stick, white, 1961 Tempest. I loved it immediately and he actually let me take it out a few times, which I immediately raced with my friend who had a 1961, 6 cylinder Ford Falcon. The Tempest just edged it out. It seemed to have a little more torque although the Falcon was quicker out of the hole. As mentioned in the movie "My Cousin Vinnie", the 1961 Tempest did indeed have independent rear suspension and a Positraction transaxle. It was nice and clean inside and had a decent looking body. It would get near 30 mpg if you kept your foot out of it. Would love to have that car today.

[@hawk00055]

Hi Adam, Thank you for this wonderful video. If you could please make a video about the 1961 and 1962 Buick Special/Skylark and its wonderful all aluminum V-8 engine it would be great.

[@objetty11]

I owned a 1963 tempest wagon w/auto rear window button with the back seat folded down we could fit 4 long boards, wet suits etc and 4 people 3 in the front and the skinniest in the back with all the stuff....Aloha

[@jack002tuber]

We had one of these. You should show the dash and the tiny flipper handle to shift the transmission. I guess it was a long cable to the rear.

[@emjayay]

Probably from the Corvair too.

[@Pauley_in_GP]

Good video - as always, thanks for the memories. I was 10 years old when a friend of my mother bought one of these (light green), trading in his '54 Chevy. I remember that the Tempest felt kind of futuristic, inside and out to me - I think it was the first compact car I had ever seen or ridden in.

[@UberLummox]

They've always looked like such a grandma mobile. Love the plain jane '61 4drs. Tons of character!

[@paulbates4775]

I had a two door automatic Tempest from 1961 and it was fantastic. White body with blue roof, two door. Many trips from Pittsburgh to Rhode Island while in the Navy. Thanks. Great video.

[@What.its.like.]

Awesome video Adam thank you so much for covering this car =)

[@timberwolfdtproductions3890]

Very interesting and informative!

[@danreagoso3939]

When automotive engineers colarorated and came up with ideas and solutions . Products of the War ! Great men and minds.👏

[@jthampshire]

Great story. On toque multiplication. Engine torque is multiplied by not only the torque converter but by the gear ratio of the transmission. A 3to1gear reduction equals a 3to1torque multiplication. So in the Tempest the drive shaft was always at a 1to1 torque ratio.

[@RareClassicCars]

Great point.

[@atikovi1]

Back in the 80's I had two 62 LeMans coupes and a 61 Tempest coupe. Even back then when they were just 20 something year old cars, nobody knew they were ever made. The 4 cylinder engine came in four versions. High and low compression, and one or four barrel carb. You could mix or match either one. Mine were all one barrel but always thought the 4bbl on a 4 cylinder would be cool. I bought a 4bbl manifold at a junkyard and a carb on Hemmings but sold the cars before installing them.

[@wayneknodel3347]

This is the first time I had ever heard of the unique engine and driveshaft, although I'd previously been aware of the transaxle. It would seem it should have decent handling with what I would imagine was even weight distribution. Cool car, and interesting video!

[@elicaul6506]

That was a very unique machine for the US industry at the time, and I learned a lot about GM's early innovations today. They used to try things, purely mechanical tech back then, very interesting in retrospect. Thank you, for another great video!

[@jeffarthur322]

When I was 6 we were stranded in Atwood Kansas do to a broken drive shaft ( for 2 weeks waiting on a drive shaft) no driveshaft available so it was welded, made it maybe 50 miles when it broke again. Called a relative and was towed behind a big Mercury back to Ohio .

[@eddietucker3334]

Fond memories of my dad's 62 Tempest LeMans. Went on my first dates in it. I loved that car!

[@acehandler1530]

Pontiac, RIP 😞 Owned 2 and loved them both ('67 Stratochief Safari and '72 LeMans). Great video thanks 🙂

[@jeffdonofri8027]

My Dad worked for a Pontiac dealership at least 20 years. He liked this model. I remember all the Ponyacs fondly myself. Currently own an anniversary edition Trans Am.

[@discerningmind]

Adam, thank you. I've always been fascinated by this driveshaft, but I've never seen one. If I'm understanding correctly, since the driveshaft is flexible that its structure must have been a type of cable. But as stated in the Popular Science page 1:07 being about as thick as a man's thumb, a cable wouldn't seem up to the forces involved. As well, you stated "forged." But I don't understand how a solid rod can flex without ultimately developing stress cracks and eventually snap. As well, I understand your description of the Tempest automatic transmissions running hot and weakening them. That surprises me as I've never heard of this issue in regard to Corvair's equipped with automatics. It seems that it would be a Corvair thing with the air-cooled engine. Would you fill us in on these?

[@adrianmonk4440]

My swag guess, there was a FAN off the Corvair engine that provided overall cooling, including the transaxle. Just a guess. +++++++++++++++++ In addition, I am assuming the driveshaft was of sufficient property, NOT totally hardened steel (not Samurai) and able to flex torsionally (on axis) within a given range. Again, I was unaware of reduced lb.-ft of engine torque PRIOR to Torque Converter. ++++++++++++++++++ The calibrated "Tangs" used on impact wrenches flex at specific lug torque to avoid individual torque wrench tightening. They come in a set of different ratings.

[@donaldhollums3278]

Adam, you can come up with some interesting content for your films. Keep up the great work!

[@FreddieVee]

My first car had a 389 and then I picked up an old 1961 Tempest with ½ of a 389. I'm surprised that you didn't mention the next Tempest engine, the single overhead cam straight 6 which came out in 1966.

[@ChasOnErie]

I had one ..ITVWAS A GREAT FUN CAR !!! Bought new in 62!!