The Rare Muscle Car That Inspired the GTO

The biggest mystery in automotive history is GM’s decision to ban its divisions from equipping engines bigger than 400 cubic inches in intermediate vehicles on the cusp of the Golden Age of American Muscle. It can actually be argued that GM’s random edict resulted in the creation of muscle cars because then-chief engineer, John DeLorean, of Pontiac was annoyed by the corporate rule and put as much power as he could, following the rules, into the GTO, which launched the craze in 1964. The OG GOAT was amazing and spawned dozens of imitators, but it could have been so much better.

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The 1964 GTO was actually a high-performance trim of the Pontiac Tempest, and the first muscle car of the classic era, but it was limited by GM’s iron fist to a 348-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V-8. That’s not actually terrible, but just a year before, Pontiac developed a monster version of the Tempest, equipped with a 421-cubic-inch V-8, that was a drag strip superstar, with ETs in the 12s and even 11s. This was the car John DeLorean wanted to build, but was handcuffed by GM’s pointless ban. It could be said that the 1963 Tempest Super Duty turned more heads than the GTO, but it was so rare that most people never even saw one; however, it definitely snapped more necks with its explosive acceleration.

1963 Pontiac Tempest Super Duty Perfect Storm

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GM actually sent cease and desist letters to Chevrolet for their 427-equipped factory drag car Impala Z11, as well as to Pontiac for the equally track-ready Catalina Super Duty. Pontiac, which was developing the 421-cubic-inch V-8 for NHRA and possibly NASCAR applications, was keen on the fact that GM was going to ban racing participation as well as high-performance engines, so they scrambled for a solution to use up their existing stock. The Catalina was a full-size ride that they stripped down and lightened, including drilling holes in the frame of the infamous 1963 “Swiss Cheese” Pontiac. Some genius at Pontiac had the idea of putting the 421 in their compact model, which was already lightweight, and thus the Tempest Super Duty was born.

’63 Pontiac Tempest Super Duty Specs

The second-gen Tempest, which served as the basis for the 1964 GTO, was an intermediate ride, but in 1963, it was a compact with a shorter wheelbase and less girth than the car that would launch the Golden Age of American muscle. On the other hand, as a compact with a high-performance engine, the ’63 Tempest SD was doing all of its launching off the line with great fury. This car was basically scrapped together to beat GM’s impending big engine ban, so it wasn’t something to meet homologation requirements and, because of that, was produced in extremely limited numbers. Only 12 were ever built, with six two-door coupes and six two-door wagons. They were also never sold in dealerships, which many factory drag cars were, and instead distributed directly to drivers or racing teams, though apparently one of the wagons found its way to a non-pro for the ultimate grocery getter.

The Dual-Quad 421 SD V8 Remains A Marvel To This Day

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Usually, shoehorning a big engine into a compact requires extensive retrofitting, but the 421 had similar dimensions to the 389 it replaced under the hood of the Tempest SD, so there weren’t many issues. The battery was moved to the trunk, but that was more for weight redistribution purposes. The engine was fitted with two Carter four-barrel carburetors, and its “bathtub” manifold is considered one of the best intakes ever made. Further evening out the weight was the Tempest SDs rear-mounted transaxle Powershift transmission, which was essentially two automatics paired into a single four-speed that allowed for clutchless shifting. The 421 SD V-8 was underrated at 405 horsepower, but was definitely closer to 500 ponies, and even more when tuned for the track.

Super Performance That Is The Real Stuff Of Legends

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The reason why there’s no way the 421-cubic-inch SD V-8 was a 405-horsepower engine is that drivers were getting quarter-mile ETs in the 12s, and that amount of ponies, even in a compact like the Tempest SD, usually equals a 14-second ride. There aren’t any automotive press test drives of this car, so no official acceleration numbers exist, but word-of-mouth accounts suggest that Tempest SD could run in the 12.0-12.5 second range. There is an unverified account of the car blistering a quarter-mile in 11.87 seconds, albeit with a race-tuned engine and other performance enhancements. There’s no reason to doubt that blazing time; it’s just not officially recorded anywhere. The bottom line is, this sucker could fly straight from the factory and unleash hell when properly tuned.

A Super Duty Barn Find

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In 2008, someone listed a 1963 Pontiac Tempest LeMans on eBay with an opening bid of $500, which at face value seemed like a pipe dream. The car was in rough shape with tons of rust and no engine, but some tantalizing aspects of the car piqued the interest of enthusiasts. In the listing, the seller noted the car had Plexiglass side windows, which were definitely not a factory option, but certainly the mark of a factory drag car. Next, the Tempest had an aluminum front end, which is another trademark of a track car, and then some Internet sleuths decoded the serial number to learn it was a one-of-six Tempest Super Duty coupe drag car. This wasn’t just some random ride, but actually the car that driver Stan Antlocer campaigned in the 1963 NHRA AF/X class and was sponsored by Stan Long Pontiac in Detroit.

Antlocer tuned the engine and modified the transmission, as well as the rear end, transforming it into an 11.87-second car, which prompted him to paint “World’s Fastest Tempest” on the quarter panels. Antlocer sold the car and lost track of it, which somehow ended up engineless in a random barn, where it was neglected for decades. Once eBayers identified it, the sad $500 Tempest blossomed into a unicorn car that sold for $226,521. The winning bidder eventually restored the car to Antlocer condition, including the side lettering. The craziest thing about this story is that the seller tried to ship it off to the car crusher, but there wasn’t enough room on the truck, so he thought he’d try to get a few bucks from it on eBay, which worked out quite well for him.

Super Duty Cars Are Super Collectible

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At 12 units (six coupes and six wagons), the 1963 Pontiac Tempest Super Duty is already one of the rarest muscle cars of all time. There is, however, reason to believe that only three of them still exist, which is close to making the unicorn a Holy Grail car. There have been five noted auction sales, but that only represents three cars, and one of those auctions is in dispute. Hagerty claims a ’63 Tempest SD was sold in 2007 for $588,000, but there is no corroborating evidence that this ever happened, and in their 10 Most Expensive Pontiacs Ever Sold At Auction list, the vehicle is not listed.

1963 Tempest Super Duty Auction Sales

• 2007: Tempest Super Duty Coupe – $588,000 (Mecum)
• 2008: Tempest Super Duty Coupe – $226,521 (Ebay)
• 2010: Tempest Super Duty Wagon – $450,000 (Mecum)
• 2010: Tempest Super Duty Coupe – $482,000 (Mecum)
• 2014: Tempest Super Duty Coupe – $335,500 (Russo & Steele)

That wagon picture above was for sure sold by Mecum in 2010, as was a coupe the same year. The Stan Antlocer car was sold in 2008 as a project, and the restored version was listed at Mecum Kissimmee 2013 but failed to hit the reserve, eventually selling the next year at a Russo & Steele auction. It’s possible that the second surviving coupe was once owned by John DeLorean’s brother, George, and there are rumors that “Wild Bill” Shrewsberry still has his Tempest SD, but there is zero evidence of that. Five of the six wagons are unaccounted for and presumed gone, while two or possibly three coupes still exist, making for one of the greatest muscle car collectibles of all time.

The ’63 Pontiac Tempest Super Duty Legacy

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While it seems unusual for a car most people have never heard of being important, the 1963 Pontiac Tempest Super Duty may be the most consequential American performance car ever. This is what John DeLorean envisioned as a cool and fast car that would appeal to younger buyers. Unfortunately, GM banned badass engines in 1963, so DeLorean had to get creative in 1964 with his idea for an affordable, youth-oriented speed machine. With the biggest sub-400 engine available to Pontiac, Delorean crafted a 348-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V-8 with three two-barrel carburetors, and put it under the hood of a second-gen Tempest, dubbing it the GTO.

The GTO was such a roaring success that every other automaker scrambled to replicate it. This was the launch of the Golden Age of American Muscle, with Chevelles, Chargers, and Road Runners all trying to capture the public’s attention the way the GTO did. There would be none of the killer rides of the classic era had the GTO never happened, and that first Pontiac muscle car owes its existence to the ’63 Tempest Super Duty. The obscure and decidedly awesome factory drag car was the seed that grew into the classic muscle cars of the Golden Age, which is why it can be seen as the most important set of wheels in American performance history.