1962 Pontiac Tempest LeMans Parked for 50 Years Is Amazingly Original

Before it became an intermediate car for the 1964 model year, the Tempest hit the market in 1961 as a compact car. It featured GM's then-new Y-body platform, which also underpinned the Buick Special and the Oldsmobile Cutlass.

All three vehicles debuted about a year before Chevrolet launched the Chevy II/Nova. At the time, Ford and Chrysler had already joined the compact market with the Falcon and the Plymouth Valiant. The niche was also contested by the Rambler American and Studebaker Lark.

Unlike the competition, which relied heavily on inline-six engines, Pontiac dropped a straight-four into the Tempest. Called the Trophy 4, the 195-cubic-inch (3.2-liter) powerplant was created from one bank of Pontiac's 389-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) Trophy V8. This enabled it to be produced on the same assembly line. So not only was it more fuel-efficient, but it also helped the company save money while in production.

The Trophy 4 was available with a single-barrel carburetor, generating 110 to 140 horsepower depending on the transmission and fuel type. Pontiac also offered a four-barrel version rated at 155 horsepower.

The Trophy 4 was the only engine choice for the Tempest. The compact was also available with a Buick-built 215-cubic-inch (3.5-liter) V8 in its first two years on the market. In 1963, Pontiac added a 326-cubic-inch (5.3-liter) V8 to the lineup.

When the Tempest was redesigned into a midsize car for the 1964 model year, Pontiac discontinued the Trophy 4. The company would not produce another four-cylinder engine until 1977 (the Iron Duke engine).

The Trophy 4 isn't a rare engine by production numbers, but fully-fledged survivors are quite hard to find nowadays. If you've been looking for one of these oddball Ponchos, a 1962 LeMans recently popped up for sale in Oxford, North Carolina. The compact emerged from storage after over 50 years. It's also a one-owner vehicle.

Reportedly stored inside an old chicken house, this Pontiac hasn't seen daylight since the mid-1970s. That's an awful long time for any vehicle, but the Tempest LeMans is in surprisingly solid condition. There's not a lot of rust to worry about at first glance, while the interior is complete and in pretty good condition.

The Trophy 4 engine is all-original and sports the range-topping four-barrel carburetor. But after over 50 years without a sip of gasoline, it's safe to say it will need a rebuild to run again.

Pontiac sold a whopping 143,193 Tempests in 1962, including 55,221 LeMans-trimmed models. This barn-found gem is one of 39,662 coupes produced. It's unclear how many units got the four-barrel four-cylinder, but the seller's "very rare" claim is a bit of a stretch. On the flip side, it's a hard-to-find vehicle in this condition.

The seller is asking $15,000, which feels like a lot for a classic that doesn't run and requires a thorough inspection.