Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO Sports Coupe
Pontiac slipped a full-size-car V8 into its mid-size LeMans and paired it with four floor-shifted gears.
1964 Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO Sports Coupe · Elise240SX · CC BY-SA 4.0
What did this one sell for?
Make a guess, then reveal one identity-matched completed auction result. It is a comparison point, not a price promise.
Reveal the auction result
Based on a completed sale at Bring a Trailer, an estimated value for this vehicle is $45,750.
Why this sale: Exact 1964 U.S. model 2227 pillared Sport Coupe with a factory four-barrel 389 and four-speed manual. The car had been converted to Tri-Power, but the removed factory four-barrel carburetor and intake accompanied the sale. 8k miles shown with total mileage unknown, Marimba Red refinished in maroon, older passenger-side body repair, converted Tri-Power induction, power front-disc conversion, replacement steering box, rear sway bar, aftermarket exhaust and radio, and a Classic-branded Oklahoma title.
Winning bid; Bring a Trailer's 5% buyer service fee then capped at $5,000, taxes, title, transport and later work are excluded. One auction result is a reference, not an appraisal; condition, history, options, location and market timing can change value. Accepted as the strongest completed sale found matching year, 2227 Sports Coupe body and four-speed identity while clearly disclosing the reversible induction change and other modifications. Non-sale, Tri-Power-only and hardtop results were excluded.
More than a set of wheels.
The first GTO was an option package on the 1964 Tempest LeMans, not yet a separate Pontiac model. Buyers could choose three bodies; this profile is the pillared Sports Coupe, model 2227. It combines the standard GTO's single-four-barrel 389 with the optional four-speed manual and deliberately excludes the better-known Tri-Power engine.
Look a little closer.
In 1964, 'Sports Coupe' meant the two-door body with a fixed center pillar; the hardtop looked similar but had no pillar between its side windows.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
An option code created a new kind of car
Pontiac packaged the 389 V8, firmer suspension, wider wheels, dual exhaust, hood scoops and GTO badges onto the LeMans. Because the big engine was sold as an option rather than a separate intermediate model, the team worked around GM's internal displacement policy. Demand reached 32,450 cars, far beyond the early sales forecast.
Source: GM Heritage Collection · 1964 Pontiac GTO ↗Four speeds need a variant label
The base GTO package included a three-speed manual. The four-speed was extra-cost, and a later brochure revision added a close-ratio GTO version. Gear ratios therefore depend on whether a car received the wide- or close-ratio box. This profile identifies the optional four-speed but does not claim one ratio set without a build record.
Source: Over-Drive Magazine · preserved 1964 GTO brochure ↗Read the 1964 GTO instrument panel
The GTO option added simulated engine-turned aluminum panel inserts and a GTO badge to the LeMans dashboard. A tachometer was optional and, when fitted, occupied the far-right dial. An original-looking panel without that tachometer can therefore still belong to a GTO; the insert and badge are stronger package clues than assuming every car had the same gauges.
Source: GM Heritage Collection and preserved 1964 Pontiac mid-size facts ↗A 1964 LeMans VIN does not prove the GTO option
PHS Automotive Services identifies manifest code 382 as the 1964–65 GTO option and supplies VIN-specific Pontiac billing-history or dealer-invoice records. Because the 1964 GTO was still a LeMans option package, exterior badges, dashboard trim or a decoded base VIN are not enough to authenticate an individual car; the option record must match the claimed vehicle.
Source: PHS Automotive Services · Pontiac manifest decoding notes ↗Where these facts come from
- GM Heritage Collection · 1964 Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO
- Over-Drive Magazine · preserved 1964 GTO brochure
- Over-Drive Magazine · 1964 Pontiac mid-size AMA and brochure fact compilation
- Automobile-Catalog · exact 325-hp four-speed Sports Coupe cross-check
- PHS Automotive Services · Pontiac manifest decoding notes
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.