Early Tempests were flawed compacts from a period when General Motors seemed willing to try anything, but I still love them. I think they’re the best looking of the Special/F-85/Tempest triumvirate, and they’re certainly the weirdest: rope drive, slant four, rear transaxle. I caught this long defunct ’61 at a junkyard in Central Michigan last fall, and at the very least, it reminded me how much I like ’61 Tempest wagons.
This poor Tempest has likely gone to that great Pontiac dealer in the sky, and was certainly past the point of a practical restoration anyway. With only 22,000 or so produced in ’61, that’s sad, but if this picture at all makes you want a Tempest, even a little, then my job here is done.
What I don’t get is how a tree managed to grow where the engine was. It doesn’t look like it’d be possible.
Trees can manage just about anything! Looking at this from a woodcentric view, the empty engine compartment would have more water than the nearby soil thanks to runoff from the windshield and wheelwells, and it would protect against wind and evaporation and trampling until the tree got large enough to take care of itself.
Can’t say I’ve ever tried for a ‘woodcentric’ point of view, as you so neatly put it. Makes perfect sense. Thanks!
Step 1. Pull engine from junked car to put in another one.
Step 2. While doing step 1. remove junker’s hood for easier access.
Step 3. For whatever reason, do not reinstall hood or even place it on top.
Step 4. ?????
Step 5.
Profit.Trees.Amazing that at one time GM built a front-engined, RWD, V8-powered station wagon and a rear-engined, RWD, air-cooled flat 6 powered station wagon on the same platform. Then, 40 years later, the best they could manage to differentiate an Olds Cutlass and a Chevy Malibu was ribs on the tail lights and a different grille.
LOL! And 40+ years ago they didn’t even have the benefit of whiz-bang CAD systems to model everything virtually first.
The Tempest had a rear transaxle, curved “rope” drive shaft and swing axle suspension. Provided perfect balance: 51-49.
Amazing that at one time GM built a front-engined, RWD, V8-powered station wagon and a rear-engined, RWD, air-cooled flat 6 powered station wagon on the same platform.
There was a time when GM could really get things done. Read up on the recovery operation when the Hydramatic plant in Livonia burned to the ground in 53.
A far cry from the ossified hulk that went bankrupt six years ago.
Here’s an article on the fire.
http://www.autotran.us/TheGreatHydraMaticFire.html
I had a ’63 (IIRC) Tempest Wagon in the early 1970’s , it had the thinwall i6 216 CID and Slip ‘N Slide Powerglide tranny , P.S. , P.B. & a dead Delco AM radio ~ I paid $150 for it , right at 10 years old .
I fixed the radio and it played great , that thing got terrific fuel economy and the bronze colored upholstery was *perfect* underneath the grime , even the carpets .
Trees love growing up under the shade of old cars or anything else , if you go to remote Junk Yards you’ll see this often .
In Budville , New Mexico I once found a very clean ’41 Chevy DeLuxe four door with a 6″ tree growing between it’s bumper and the perfect grille .
Right off old Rt 66 .
-Nate
This is the rare three-on-the-tree, tree-through-the-hood version. (And a real shame to see a rare wagon end up like that.)
Tree drive.
Tree bark instead of Tempest-Torque?
When I saw this I gasped at the horror of seeing my own wagon like this. I have a 62 exactly the same colour – same patina, original paint, but fully restored mechanically and the interior is perfect. I drive it every day and it turns heads. I never get tired of hearing “Hey, what a cool car”. Note all that perfect glass just sitting there, I should go find this car.
\ken
You could load all the parts you want in the back. Buy the car. Snag everything you can grab as these are reaching unobtanium status. Glass, door handles…everything. It’ll all fit in the back and on the top. Sell the husk back to the yard for eventual conversion to a chinese Haier Refrigerator. Sounds like a good idea for a road trip and a multi-article post here on CC. 1) The trip there 2) The salvage op 3)The trip back
Wow–it’s as if the featured car didn’t get junked in a parallel universe. Eerie similarlties. Very, very cool wagon though!
What would be awesomely creepy is if the VINs differed by only one number.
Seems that the Tempest (Safari) won’t “escape” as it is trapped by that Tree… 🙂 Once I took seat inside IT’s Oldsmobile sibling… It had two toned body color and was fully restaured. The engine was an InLine 6. Body: sedan.
If I was going to remove that car, I would probably try to remove the front clip and drag the car our rather than cutting the tree down. If I cut the tree down, it might fall on the car and it would be hard to lift the car over the stump. Also, it would be a shame to cut down a perfectly good tree.
Although if the tree is behind the front cross member, then it might have to be cut down.
I don’t think that would work. It’s a unibody, so there is a welded box section right around it, nothing that can be unbolted.
Ummm…a matter of environment protection vs. automotive archaeological finds saving… It must be solution for both of them… I’d rather cut (or dismantle if possible) the car against the Tree… The car could be rewelded/reassembled. The Tree not.
IF the only solution IS to cut the car… I have made a follow up on a 1991 Buick Park Avenue’s front end body repair… The car was totaled. The owner thought that he would like to save IT. So he imported a complete front end from the U.S.
Brought IT to the “Mr. Maestro” WHO cutted off the damaged front end and replaced it with the “new” one. THAT bodywork was an expert’s weldwork. After the car has met a so called “Atest” Commission where IT was released to the MOT where IT successfully passed and has brought back to daily use. A happy restart in a once disgraced car’s life…
Amazed that the glass is intact, consordering there is a TREE growing through the car!
Thanks for the explanation Occam!
I, for one, am amazed at the condition of the Tempest (tree notwithstanding!). Considering how long it must have been sitting there, it looks remarkably straight and restorable.
that’s what I was thinking. In the other shot the trees barely give room for the car to get into that space so it must have been there for a good 15-20 years?
I like the way GM handled the taillight treatment on this car — just take the horizontal unit from the sedan and mount it vertically — looks great!
Also, apparently the (very) young President Obama had a Tempest of this era in the family.
And Obama has another Tempest brewing right now-the fallout over the Iran nuclear bomb deal.
Ok, its not about the Tempest, although Mom had a “61 Olds F85 once, but rather my comment is regarding the “63 or “64 Caddy next to it. Wifey and I went for a walk today and noticed a neighbour has a FWD Biarritz from the early 90’s I guess mouldering in his yard. I did the mental math and realized more time has gone by and that Biarritz is older than a “64 Coupe De Ville was when I did a resto on it in the early 80’s. I was 18 or 19, the car was 19 or 20 years old, but seemed ancient at the time…Frikin time bandit…Im gonna break his little wings off sometime. Nice woody wagon though…
Caddy looks like a 1960, either way, when I consider the fact that a 1990 Cadillac would be now technically be an antique, It’s rather sobering!
“With only 22,000 or so produced in ’61, that’s sad, but if this picture at all makes you want a Tempest, even a little, then my job here is done”
Well done, indeed, Mr. AARON65. I have never considered a Pontiac Tempest wagon, but it would definitely make a fine ride. All the better because of it’s rare status. The question is, would you keep the drivetrain original, rope drive and all, or, retrofit with a modern set-up? Hmmm… Suggestions anyone?
I like the rope=shaft design with the forward/aft weight balance and four wheel independent suspension – like a skateboard. Converting this car to a regular drivetrain would require a lot of work (there is no transmission “hump” on the floor). Not sure if the effort would be worth it. My Tempest rides smooth and has decent power for my purposes. I can even get a full sheet of plywood or drywall in the back (over the wheel wells), with just a foot hanging out. I should definitely try to secure this “junker” as an insurance plan over any rear-end damage that I may suffer in future.
\
I’m guessing that this Tempest was crushed before this New Year, Ken. The yard was crushing out when I was there last fall; it was really sad, because there were thousands of cars in the lot going back to the ’30s, but they were mostly Michigan trashed.
The prices on parts weren’t exactly what I considered to be “sale” prices either.
That’s a crime that they would crush that car. It took me over a year to find a windshield for mine and I think I got the last one on the planet. I paid $800 for it. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was $1800, I would still have bought it.
Attached is a picture of my “Drywall Hauler” rack. I placed a plywood wall behind the seat to prevent the load from taking my head off if I was in an accident.
Very well done!
There is a carglass manufacturing company in my nearby area of living and they were (still are?) willing to manufacture anything custom among their standard vehicle glass production. They are manufacturing laminated, securite as well as tinted glasses, etc. I have kept in my hands brand new windshields for rare ’50’s/’60’s Chevrolets, Cadillacs, Pontiacs, Benzes, etc. as a car restaurer pal of mine asked me if I could help him around it to be remanufactured. These custom made windshields and glasses are also wearing the usual DOT / E marks… They are usually asking the broken sample because of the proper measures, angles, thickness, etc. but some replacement items were made only by hand made blueprints as samples didn’t existed…
“Converting this car to a regular drivetrain would require a lot of work (there is no transmission “hump” on the floor”
It has been done in the past.
Yes, I knew of these conversions, for drag racing or demolition derby. I just don’t understand why anyone would go to all the hassle AND ruin the car, in my opinion.
Ken, you can give them a call if you want…but I think it’s too late. Here’s an article from Old Cars Weekly about it…
http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/blogs/salvage-yard-ron/last-call-parts-hilliards-auto-salvage-michigan
Well, since it it was done when it was new, I doubt ruining it was on their minds.
Interesting. A different sentiment then.
If I had more money than I knew what to do with I would hire Chip Foose and top automotive engineers to redesign the Tempest’s suspension to modern standards, keeping the idea of the driveline true to the original “European Competitor” that DeLorean was striving for. Something along the lines of a new Corvette. The rear suspension on the Tempest is a disaster, but I love the independent rear suspension. The car can be a death trap if (heaven forbid) you get into a high speed (over 20 mph) under-steer. I almost drove it into someone’s front yard when I had to make a quick correction to avoid another car on a quiet residential street. The car was riding like a Caddy today with four sheets of drywall in the back, in a straight line that is.
I called that scrap dealer this afternoon but only got robot answer. I going have nightmares of that old ’61 in the crusher. “Oh, The Humanity!!” So much good stuff on that wagon. The front bumper looked perfect. The tailgate alone is so irreplaceable. I also have nightmares of someone rear-ending my old girl so this is very poignant for me (sorry guys). I have been driving her for 20 years.
I get it, Ken. Honestly, the whole day I was there made me queasy, knowing all of those hundreds (thousands?) of cars were headed to the crusher. It was kind of a helpless feeling.
Luckily, most of the cars were well beyond repair and had few usable parts, just because everything had been sitting so long outside, but obviously some stuff would have been useful. I thought about pulling the beltline trim from one of TWO ’53 Special Rivieras, but the windows and mechanisms were so rusty and locked solid that they would have been nearly impossible to get out, so I didn’t even bother.
Thanks Aaron. Your presence there and sharing the moment has it’s own rewards, albeit solemn. The sunlight glint on the rear chrome trim is like it is calling out, “I’m still alive” amongst these corpses. I agree, most vehicles looked like they should be crushed, but I think the tree, or something, preserved this old Tempest much better than it’s counterparts. Either that, or these old girls just take a long time to fall apart by the looks of this wagon, and the condition of my own car’s sheet metal, stainless and glass. I’d bet those were original T3 headlamps and the bias ply spare was still in there. I found mine on a farm in Southern Manitoba, not roadworthy at the time but 20 years hence, the body looks pretty much the same. I even drove it through a couple winters. Just tonight I was out for dinner and three different people stopped me to talk about the car.
Thanks again for the post.
There was a U-Pull-It scrap yard in central PA that looked just like this- acres of classic cars from the 40s to the 60s basically rotting away in old fields and untended forest growth.
The owners of the yard thought they were sitting on a gold mine but ultimately took scrap prices for the entire lot. I hope someone was able to strip the chrome and trim pieces off before they crushed them.