1961~1963
Since
imports accounted for more than 10% of new car registrations in the US in 1959,
with more than a third consisting of VW Beetle and Renault Dauphine, the
introduction of compact cars by the three major US manufacturers in the fall of
that year, this fell below 5% in 1962, but due to the growing popularity of the
VW Beetle, which then represented more than half of imports until 1965, the
share of foreign cars rose again to more than 10% in 1968 (18.5% in 1977), and
with the help of the Japanese and later Korean brands, it wasn't until 2008
that they accounted for more than half of sales in the United States, and by
2021 Toyota overtook General Motors as the best-selling automaker.
Unlike
Ford, which opted for the traditional engine/rear-wheel drive layout and
produced more than 1.5 million first-generation Falcons, Chevrolet was partly
inspired by the VW Beetle, with its air-cooled rear engine with swing axle rear
suspension (and litter box behind the rear seat), but also by the
Cadillac-built M41 Walker Bulldog tank, powered by a six-cylinder, air-cooled,
supercharged boxer engine (Ed Cole extensively flew a Beechcraft Bonanza with
such an engine), and stuck at 1 million Corvairs over that period, after it
responded to Ford in August 1961 with an equally conventional Chevy II,
developed in just 18 months.
These B-O-P
‘luxury compacts’ on the
Y-Body 112″ wheelbase, derived from the 108” Z-body Corvair, adding 4 inches ahead
of the cowl mainly to house the engine, more or less retained the Corvair’s
basic unibody passenger compartment, but with the front fenders bolted on,
instead of welded, and without sharing any exterior body panels, even if the B-O-Ps themselves shared doors and roofs, with the Pontiac roughly using
the rear quarter of the Oldsmobile, although the Buick's looked better,
especially on the 2-door models with a kickup in the fender crease. Pontiac added tiny tail fins for 1962.
On the
Pontiac Tempest, the Corvair’s transaxle and rear suspension were retained to
improve foot space for the center passengers by using a flexible propeller
shaft, although six people rarely sat down, and ironically the transmission
took some space of the rear compartment, though not that much as on the Corvair. Pontiac’s independent rear suspension
improved ride comfort, not so much handling.
By 1962 the lower wishbones were slightly tilted.
The Buick
and Oldsmobile did an easier job to reduce tunnel height by using a two-piece
driveshaft, retaining a rigid coil-sprung rear axle. To compensate the camber changes in the rear
suspension, the Pontiac had 15” wheels, were also offered on the Oldsmobile
(next to 14” wheels) and Buick as an alternative for the 13” wheels.
So the
vehicles were there, but an air-cooled engine, needed in the rear of the
Corvair, wasn't what B-O-P wanted, so Pontiac cut its 1959 389 V8 6.4L in half
into a 4-cylinder, and Buick, in the second year launched a 198 V6 3.2L,
chopped off from the "Nailhead" 264 V8 4.3L of the economy full size
"Special" series, which had taken the place of the straight-eight in
1954. Oldsmobile stuck with a revised
aluminum 215 V8 3.5L, made and used by Buick from the beginning for its Y-body
models, and also offered (but not promoted) by Pontiac, with less than 2% sold
in 1961 and slightly over 1% in 1962, giving a poorer front/rear weight
distribution, being 72 kg lighter than the Trophy 4.
The manual transmission in the Pontiac had a
floor lever to shorten the linkage to the rear-mounted gearbox. In 1962 and 1963, about 40% of Buick Special
buyers opted for the V6, which in enlarged form would be shared with Oldsmobile
from 1964.
Initially,
one out of five Buick and Oldsmobile had power steering, vs one out of 16
Pontiac. By 1962, these figures rose to
over 40% of the Buicks, over half of the Oldsmobiles and 8.7% of the Pontiacs. Three-quarter of Buick and Oldsmobile (nearly
90% by 1962) had an automatic transmission, vs two-third of Pontiac (nearly 80%
by 1962). Power brakes became optional
on Buick and Oldsmobile automatic models by 1962, which were equipped with
12.1% and 2.6% respectively.
Original
body styles were a 4-door saloon with 6 side windows and a 4-door wagon,
introduced in early October 1960 (Pontiac early November), followed by a pair
of 2-door coupes in May 1961, one complementing the lower range as an
entry-level model, the other topping the range as a sports model, naming Skylark
at Buick, Cutlass (a sword) at Oldsmobile, both using the similarly
labeled (the latter for 1962) aluminum V8 upgraded from 155 to 185 hp, which
had become optionally available late in 1960, while the Le Mans at
Pontiac joined the Tempest Custom Coupe only by the 1962 model year, then
called Sports Coupe. Pontiac never
competed in the 24 hours of Le Mans race.
Due to
Pontiac’s independent rear suspension, only Buick and Oldsmobile offered
(rearward-facing) 3-seat wagons, but Oldsmobile deleted these by 1963.
The Le Mans
was actually an option pack on the Tempest while the Cutlass belonged to the
F-85 line, retaining these names on the exterior badges through 1962 and 1963,
when the Le Mans became a separate model.
Both bucket seat models (initially optional on Buick’s Skylark, and
standard also on the 1961 Tempest Custom Coupe) created a new market, soon to
be beaten by the Falcon-based unique-body Mustang.
By 1962, bucket seats were installed in a quarter of the Y-body Buicks, in
nearly 40% of the Tempest/Le Mans, and in almost half of the F-85/Cutlass
models, a figure only beaten by the Corvair (nearly two-thirds), apart from the
100%-equipped Corvette and Thunderbird.
Body-wise
the coupes differed only in the roof end, sharing the side windows, and
interior space, while the Sports Coupe had a smaller back window. All Y-body styles shared the windshield.
Also for
the 1962 model year, so after five months the Buick Skylark turned into a
hardtop, while in April Oldsmobile added the Jetfire 2-door hardtop
(code-technically an F-85 Deluxe), with a turbocharged engine, released two
weeks after the Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder Turbo,
which was the first turbocharged gasoline production car (trucks became
available with turbo-diesel engines in the mid-1950s). Pontiac did not get the hardtop, but did get
the convertible that was also added this year.
At Buick, one out of six was a convertible in 1962. Buick didn’t offer Y-body Sports Coupes after
1961.
1963
While the
1961 and 1962 Y-body cars had a sculpted appearance with expansive coves, the
1963 ‘senior compacts’ with a longer deck for the
non-wagons (proposed by Pontiac to balance the front/rear weight distribution
with the cast iron V8 in front, and to increase the trunk) and cleaner sheet
metal, shared only front doors and roofs,
which were the same as before. This
time, Buick and Oldsmobile added tiny tail fins.
The front
fender/door mouldings on the Pontiac were optional, while the base Oldsmobile
F-85 models had semi-long mouldings, extending the length of the rear quarters
over the rear doors, and below the front door handle on the Coupes. This made the basic 4-door F-85s look so
weird that relatively more people opted for the Deluxe models.
By 1965,
AMC imitated this F-85, as the Rambler Classic, with the base model without
mouldings and the 660 with mouldings that reached halfway through the front
doors. The distinguishing feature of the Rambler was the curved ridge over the
rear quarter wheelhouse lips, while the F-85 here had a bolder, straight
forward ridge and no lips.
Only
Oldsmobile could increase sales, but remained the least popular of the three,
with the slab-sided Buick the best selling, though the Pontiac with its
"Knudsen arch" at the rear fender (introduced in the 1961
full-sizers) is looking better. Without offering
a real sports coupe, Buick named its regular coupe ‘Sport Coupe’ by 1963, but the Special
4-door Sedan remained the most popular.
In 1963,
bucket seats were installed in one-third of Y-body Buicks, nearly half of
Tempest/Le Mans and more than half of F-85/Cutlass models (Corvair 80%), all
well ahead of the competition (except for Corvette, Buick Riviera and Ford
Thunderbird).
Power
brakes were now fitted on 21.1% of the Y-body Oldsmobiles, 9.5% of the Buicks
and 3.1% of the Pontiacs. Nearly 60% of
the Oldsmobiles, almost half of the Buicks, and about one out of five Pontiacs
now had power steering.
The
exterior and compartment width of the 1963 Tempest and F-85 models was 12 cm
less than that of the B-bodies, but the difference in outer width increased to
20 cm on the then 3 cm narrower slab-sided 1963 Buick Special models (w/o
wheelhouse lips), after it had been 16 cm for all models before. The length of the rear compartment was 10 to
15 cm less than that of the B-bodies.
For 1962,
Olds engineers moved the rear seat cushions back into the sedan's body to
increase legroom by about 5 cm, which was a difference of less than an inch
from the 88, but it didn’t affect sales, and the next year, the legroom was
comparable with that of the Buick. The
1963 restyling worked better, but the F-85 was still near the bottom of the
compact car market.
The swing
axle rear suspension of the Tempest got reshaped lower control arms, while the
front and rear track were widened, promoting the Tempest to a Wide-Track
Pontiac. A true double-joint independent
rear suspension was granted to the all-new 1963 Corvette Sting Ray.
The slow
selling and costly aluminum V8 in the Pontiac made the weight distribution
worse, and by 1963 was replaced by a more powerful and 120 kg heavier cast iron
Pontiac 336 (actually 336.9) V8 5.5L, which was a 1959 389 V8 6.4L (dubbed
‘Tempest 420‘, by 1960 ‘425’, the ft-lb torque for the 4-barrel), made
undersquare by a reduced bore size (renamed ‘Trophy V8’ by 1961, when it was
sawed in two to create the ‘Trophy 4’ for the Tempest car), developed for GMC
light and medium duty trucks to replace the 336.1 engine that was based on the
shorter-stroked 1958 370 V8 6.1L ‘Tempest 395‘ engine. The ‘336’ delivered 352 ft-lb torque vs 230
for the previous V8.
The
displacement of these truck engines was less than in engines used in cars to
provide lower torque that was within the capacity of existing light truck
drive-line components, and both GMC 336 engines developed 200 hp and 307 ft-lb
torque.
Above
mentioned 336.9 engine (of which production ended in 1959) was apparently
hastily revived for the 1963 Tempest, after Ford decided to withdraw from the
1957 AMA (Automobile Manufacturers Association) race advertisement ban in June
1962. The engine was advertised by
Pontiac as a 326 (‘V-326’) V8 5.3L (with corresponding bore and stroke),
thereby suggesting the total size under GM's 330-cu.in. limit for
under-standard-sized cars (not valid for the Corvette), to keep in line with
AMA’s agreement to cease promoting performance.
The ‘326’
sold nearly two out of five, and nearly half of the Le Mans, and with 260 hp
was far more powerful than its Oldsmobile and Buick companions. A 4-barrel kit became available soon, and
towards the end of the model year was promoted as 326 HO (High Output) engine
with 280 hp and dual exhausts, a sign of things to come.
|
my |
body style |
Coupe (May 1961) |
Sports Coupe (May
1961) |
2-door Hardtop |
4-door Sedan |
4-door Wagon |
Convertible |
|
1961 |
Buick |
'Special Coupe' |
'Skylark Coupe' |
Special (Deluxe) |
Special (Deluxe) |
||
|
1962 |
Buick |
'Special Coupe' |
'Skylark Coupe' |
Special (Deluxe) |
Special (Deluxe) |
Special (Deluxe) &
Skylark |
|
|
1963 |
Buick |
'Special Sport Coupe' |
'Skylark Coupe' |
Special (Deluxe) |
Special (Deluxe) |
Special & Skylark |
|
|
1961 |
Oldsmobile |
'F-85 Club Coupe' |
'F-85 Cutlass Coupe' |
F-85 (Deluxe) |
F-85 (Deluxe) |
||
|
1962 |
Oldsmobile |
'F-85 Club Coupe' |
'F-85 Cutlass Coupe' |
Apr. '62: Jetfire |
F-85 (Deluxe) |
F-85 (Deluxe) |
F-85 & F-85
Cutlass |
|
1963 |
Oldsmobile |
'F-85 Club Coupe' |
'F-85 Cutlass Coupe' |
Jetfire |
F-85 (Deluxe) |
F-85 (Deluxe) |
F-85 Cutlass |
|
1961 |
Pontiac |
'Tempest Coupe' |
'Tempest Custom Coupe' |
Tempest (Custom) |
Tempest (Custom)
Safari |
||
|
1962 |
Pontiac |
'Tempest Coupe' |
'Tempest Sports Coupe' |
Tempest (Custom) |
Tempest (Custom)
Safari |
Tempest & Tempest
Le Mans |
|
|
'Tempest Le Mans
Coupe' |
|||||||
|
1963 |
Pontiac |
'Tempest Coupe' |
'Tempest Sports Coupe' |
Tempest (Custom) |
Tempest (Custom)
Safari |
Tempest & Le Mans |
|
|
'Le Mans Coupe' |
|
1961 |
1962 |
1963 |
1961 |
1962 |
1963 |
1961 |
1962 |
1963 |
export: low |
|
|
engines |
Buick |
Buick |
Buick |
Oldsmobile |
Oldsmobile |
Oldsmobile |
Pontiac |
Pontiac |
Pontiac |
compression |
|
Pontiac 194.5 L4 1-bl |
110-140 hp |
110-140 hp |
115-140 hp |
|||||||
|
Pontiac 194.5 L4 4-bl |
155 hp |
166 hp |
166 hp |
|||||||
|
Buick 198 V6 2-bl |
135 hp |
135 hp |
||||||||
|
Buick 215 alu V8 2-bl |
155 hp |
155 hp |
155 hp |
155 hp |
155 hp |
155 hp |
155 hp |
145 hp |
||
|
Nov '60: 4-bl |
185 hp |
185 hp |
200 hp |
185 hp |
185 hp |
185-195* hp |
185 hp |
165 hp |
||
|
Nov '61 4-bl |
190 hp |
190 hp |
||||||||
|
Apr
'62: Jetfire: Buick 215 alu V8T 1-bl |
215 hp |
215 hp |
||||||||
|
Pontiac 326 V8 2-bl |
260 hp |
250 hp |
||||||||
|
Pontiac 326 V8 4-bl |
280 hp |
|||||||||
|
(initially a kit, by May '63 an engine) |
* Cutlass auto |
Sources:
Ward’s Automotive Yearbooks wildaboutcarsonline https://www.xr793.com/