Nameplate year of origin: 1950.
Current bodystyle lifespan: 1960 through 1961.
Predecessor to this model: Suburban (1957 to 1959).
Replacement for this model: Savoy, Belvedere and Fury Wagons (1962 to 1964).
Percentage of division’s sales volume: 9.97%.
Corporate siblings: Dodge Polara.
Primary competition: AMC Ambassador, Chevrolet Biscayne/BelAir/Impala, and Ford Galaxie.
Notable changes: Completely restyled.
Major standard equipment: Deluxe features similar to Savoy plus 7.50 ×14 BSW tires. Custom adds: features similar to Belvedere plus 8.00 ×14 BSW tires on 9-passenger models. Sport adds: features similar to Fury.
Measurements
Wheelbase 122.0"
Length 215.0"
Width 80.0"
Height 55.4"
Legroom — front 45.5"
Legroom — rear 42.5"
Headroom — front 35.7"
Headroom — rear 34.6"
Cargo capacity (cu. ft.) 95.8 Fuel capacity (gals.) 21.0
Models Available
Change from Shipping Change from Style Number Base MSRP LY Wt. (lbs.) Production LY
Deluxe Sub. 2-Door, 2-Seat Wagon 255 $2,604 +0.08% 3675 2,464 -55.22%
Deluxe Sub. 4-Door, 2-Seat Wagon 256 $2,670 +0.07% 3715 12,980 -29.77%
Custom Sub. 4-Dr., 2-Seat Wagon 266 $2,763 +0.07% 3730 13,553 -21.70%
Custom Sub. 4-Dr., 3-Seat Wagon 367 $2,992 +0.07% 3985 * *
Sport Sub. 4-Door, 2-Seat Wagon 376 $3,026 +0.07% 3890 2,844 -14.67%
Sport Sub. 4-Door, 3-Seat Wagon 377 $3,136 +0.06% 3995 3,088 -27.39%
TOTALS Avg. price $2,865 +0.07% Production 34,929 -38.71%
*Production included with the 6-passenger Suburban.
PONTIAC
“It’s all Pontiac! On a new Wide-Track!”
In a year when nearly all General Motors cars were to-tally new for 1961, the biggest newsmaker for Pontiac was
the Tempest. “The Balanced Car,” so called because of its near perfect weight distribution, was the most ambitiously
engineered of the three GM compact models introduced this year. Wanting a car that handled well on the road, Pon-tiac put much effort into balancing the weight of the car.
At the front, power came in two forms. First was the all-new 194.5 CID 4-cylinder Trophy 4 (or Indy 4 as it is sometimes called) engine. This large displacement 4-cylin-der engine was unique in that it was essentially one half of a 389 CID V8 engine. This design was already known to be reliable, mechanics knew how to service it, and there were numerous part interchange possibilities. The second choice was the all-new aluminum block V8 engine devel-oped by Buick for its new compact Special. This engine, while good in design, put out no more power than the 4-barrel version of the 4-cylinder yet cost significantly more, and customers worried about durability issues presented by the aluminum blocks. As a result very few Tempests were sold with the V8 engine. The next part of the balancing act came from the rear-mounted transmission. By placing the transmission at the rear of the car, a significant portion of weight was moved to the back axle, thereby balancing the car. Since Chevrolet had already developed transmissions for its rear-engined Corvair, Pontiac adapted the existing units to suit its own needs. This left the problem of trans-mitting the engine’s power to the transmission. For that job, engineers developed a “rope” style driveshaft. Flexible in all directions, it eliminated the need for U-joints and also allowed a smaller floor hump down the middle of the car.
Without a typical rear axle, independent rear suspension
(IRS) was adopted. Unfortunately, what should have made the car handle and ride better ended up causing many prob-lems, as drivers were not experienced in handling a car with IRS. Handling issues would become the downfall of the Corvair, but the Tempest weighed enough to lessen its problems and did not suffer from the Corvair’s tail-heavi-ness.
The big Pontiacs were redesigned along the lines of other GM cars. Slightly smaller than previous years, the new cars used thin rooflines, sculpted body sides, and an aggressive twin grille design up front. The 1959 grille de-sign had proven so popular that it was imitated by none other than the Edsel for 1960, but Pontiac had returned to a full-width grille, not knowing at the time that the split grille theme would be so well received. When the 1961 Pon-tiacs returned to that styling, it was once again a very pop-ular look. This time it was retained for good; the basic de-sign still characterizes new Pontiacs some 40 years later.
Sales of big Pontiacs, as well as many other larger cars, dropped about 40 percent due to the introduction of the new compact models, but they would soon recover. All prior body styles and nameplates were retained, except for the Star Chief 2-Door Sedan, which had been a two-year-only style. With the rise in popularity of the 2-Door Hard-top, it seems odd in retrospect that a Sedan was ever made part of the line, when a Hardtop would certainly have been a better seller.
1961 • Pontiac 128
Bonneville 2-Door Convertible Catalina 2-Door Sedan Catalina 4-Door, 9 passenger Safari Wagon
Star Chief 4-Door Hardtop Tempest, Motor Trend Car of the Year
129 1961 • Pontiac
1 9 6 1
Model year production: 340,250, down 14.12% from 1960.
Domestic market share: 6.35% (5th place).
Base price range: $2,167 to $3,530.
Industry average base price: $3,048.
Pontiac average base price: $2,899.
Introduction date: October, 1960.
Assembly plants: Baltimore, MD (B); Southgate, CA (C);
Doraville, GA (D); Linden, NJ (E); Framingham, MA (G);
Fairfax, KS (K); Pontiac, MI (P); Arlington, TX (R); Fre-mont, CA (Z).
Data plate identification: Eight to ten digit code read as fol-lows: 1st digit identifies the series (the second digit of the body style number in the charts below); 2nd and 3rd digits 61 for 1961; 4th digit is assembly plant code; and 1001 and up for serial number. A separate plate contains body style number. Example: 361X1001 is a 1961 Pontiac Catalina, serial number 1001, built in Fairfax, KS.
Powertrains
Gross Transmission Catalina &
Engine HP* Availability Tempest Ventura Star Chief Bonneville
194.5 CID Trophy 4, 1-bbl., 4-cyl. 110/130 3-speed manual S - -
-TempesTorque 2-sp. Auto. $173 - -
-194.5 CID Trophy 4, 1-bbl., 4-cyl. 120/140 3-speed manual No cost - -
-TempesTorque 2-sp. Auto. $173 - -
-194.5 CID Trophy 4, 4-bbl., 4-cyl. 155 3-speed manual $26 - -
-TempesTorque 2-sp. Auto. $199 - -
-215 CID Tempest, 2-bbl., V8 155 3-speed manual $216 - -
-TempesTorque 2-sp. Auto. $389 - -
-389 CID Trophy E, 2-bbl., V8 215 3-speed manual - S S
-230 Hydra-matic Automatic - $231 $231
-389 CID Trophy, 2-bbl., V8 267/283 SC Hydra-matic Automatic - $231 $231
-389 CID Trophy, 4-bbl., V8 235 3-speed manual - $24 $24 S
4-speed manual - $205 $205 $188
287/303 Hydra-matic Automatic - $255 $255 $231
389 CID Trophy, 4-bbl., V8 333 3-speed manual - $293 $293 $280
4-speed manual - $481 $481 $468
Hydra-matic Automatic - $524 $524 $511
389 CID Tri-Power, 3 ×2-bbl., V8 318 3-speed manual - $120 $120 $110
4-speed manual - $308 $308 $298
Hydra-matic Automatic - $351 $351 $341
389 CID Tri-Power, 3 ×2-bbl., V8 348 3-speed manual - $396 $396 $386
4-speed manual - $584 $584 $574
Hydra-matic Automatic - $627 $627 $617
*Ratings vary with model and transmission attachment. Many other combinations possible due to dealer installations or factory limited-outputs.
Major Options
Tempest Catalina Ventura Star Chief Bonneville
Deluxe heater and defroster $74 $94 $94 $94 $94
Air conditioning $319 $430 $430 $430 $430
Soft Ray tinted glass $37 $43 $43 $43 $43
Power steering —
variable-ratio $75 $108 $108 $108 $108
Power brakes - $43 $43 $43 $43
Power driver’s seat/
Bench seat - $97 $97 $97 $97
Power windows - $q06 $106 $106 $106
AM radio — manual $62 $89 $89 $89 $89
White stripe tires
(base size) $35 $40 $40 $40 $40
Paint Colors
Code
Regent Black A
Shelltone Ivory C
Richmond Gray Metallic D Bristol Blue Metallic E Richelieu Blue Metallic F
Tradewind Blue H
Jadestone Green Metallic J
Seacrest Green K
Coronado Red Metallic L
Bamboo Cream M
Cherrywood Bronze Metallic N Ranier Turquoise Metallic P
1961 • Pontiac 130
Tempest Catalina Ventura Star Chief Bonneville Aluminum (8-lug)
hubs and drums - $107 $107 $107 $107
Options common to most models (- = Not Available.) Items may be standard equipment, optional at different pricing, or unavailable on certain models. This chart is only a guide.
Code
Fernando Beige R
Dawnfire Mist Metallic S Mayan Gold Metallic T