The Le Mans hardtop coupe was the most popular of all Le Mans models with a production total of 78,109 units. The coupe on the picture is fitted with the "sprint" package, as can be seen by the striping.

Least produced of all Le Mans models was this convertible coupe. Only 13,080 units left the factory in 1966. Still, it's a beautiful car. The pictured convertible has the 326 cid V-8, it is stated on the badge behind the front wheel.

In the US there was also a convertible coupe version of the Tempest Custom available. It wasn't officially offered in Europe, but some ended up there anyway, like the one shown here.
Only 5,557 units of this model were produced, which makes it even less successful than the Le Mans version, though it was more affordable. Apparently most convertible drivers liked to cruise in luxury.

This is a recent picture of a Tempest Le Mans hardtop sedan. It's in a fine condition and features a wonderful blue paint job. The Tempest sedan was the most common 1966 Pontiac in Europe and quite a number of them are still around, mostly owned by American car enthusiasts.

Pontiac's 1966 attempt to enter the European car market was less than successful. The mid-sized Tempest was sold in small numbers; the full-size models very nearly weren't sold at all. Fashion and requirements in the US and Europe differed to much to make these cars a success and only until recent the interest in and appreciation of these cars is picking up amongst classic car fans in Europe.

This picture of a Tempest Le Mans hardtop coupe was submitted by Andrew Peters from the United Kingdom. He has bought this car and though it looks quite ordinary it is actually very special and rare. This car has been assembled in the General Motors Continental S.A. plant in Antwerp, Belgium.
This plant was opened in 1925 by General Motors to produce and assemble cars for the European continent. Mainly Chevrolets and Opels were made, but also some Buicks, Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs left the factory. The US cars were assembled from imported kits containing almost all parts as a way to avoid import taxes. In the 1960s the assembly of US cars other than Chevrolet in this factory was quite limited and in 1966 only 421 Pontiacs were put together, and the car on this picture was one of them.

There are hardly any visible differences between the US and the Belgium assembled Pontiacs. You have to check the VIN-plate (vehicle identification number) to find out where it came from. The Pontiacs from Belgium were also painted in different color schemes than the original US cars. If you check the VIN-plate provided here you'll see the paint code "471" where the US cars had a single letter paint code. If you have any idea what color was indicated with this three digit code (the yellow paint job wasn't original) then current owner Andrew Peters would love to hear from you. You can contact him at his website "Point and Squirt Racing".
The GM factory in Antwerp still exists and is now named "Opel Belgium N.V.", and as the name indicates it produces Opels.

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