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
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
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 ↗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
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.