ALT-1 Pontiac Lemans
Throughout the sixties, Pontiac made a name for itself as one of the premiere designers of what would later come to be known as the muscle car. With impressive, though simplistic styling the Pontiac lineup was a real eyecatcher, but there were also great accomplishments being made under the hood with every new product they let loose upon the streets.
The Ram-air hood scoop was an impresive addition to the already-powerful Pontiac powerplant. Pontiac set no boundaries for itself however, offering a 4-barrel carb option for it's massive 350", 400", and 455" motors. The GTO was one of Pontiac's triumphs and relied heavily upon the idea of "a lot of air, a lot of fire, and a lot of GAS!" With tht arrival of the Firebird, the Pontiac product line was strong and rivaled Chevrolet's Camaro and Corvette nameplates. Very soon however, concerns over gas regulation not only brought about an end to Pontiac's dominance of the local dragstrip, but it effectively cut short the lifespan of the muscle car.
With fuel consumption and regulatory issues presuring them, in 1971 Pontiac designers tuned all engines to a low compression. This allowed the models of 1971 to run on either "low-lead" or "no-lead" gasoline. The Pontiac lineup was not exampted from the consequences of this change however, during this period of change the popular GTO model was phased out and soon replaced.
ThePontiac LeMansentered the scene in '71, and with it's T-37 and GT-37 it attempted to fill the void left by the GTO. The cars were incredibly similiar however, and the LeMans packed a heavy punch with it's 400" and 455" engine options. In fact, the front ends of old LeMans model are often replaced by the muscle car enthusiast of today and the LeMans is turned into a GTO clone.
The LeMans did have it's own unique features that set it apart however, including it's own distinct front grille and trim options. Available in a two-door coupe, two-door sedan, four-door sedan, four-door station wagon, and two-door convertible, the LeMans was adapted to be a broad product base for Pontiac in '71. The engines offered were the 400", 300 hp V8, and the 455", 335hp packages. Though it lacked much of the interior options of the GTO, such as additional guages and a tachometer, the LeMans could hold it's own. Ranked as a full size car, the LeMans had some additional weight in '71, but it wasn't until '72 that the car's frame layout entered into the '70's period of "big car" design.
A dependable car for it's time, the LeMans was of average design for the era. With a broad product base, the car was avaiable for many utilitarian purposes, including use as a taxi, or police car. Known to some as one of the last great muscle cars, many of these automobiles are dutifully sought after by restorators. Coupled with today's advances in performance products and parts, the Lemans is faster than ever, though it represents something else that is a bit more subtle. It is truly one of the last of it's kind, the last car of sixties birth that can literally "pull it's own weight".
