Guy puts car for sale on ebay with opening bid of $500.....car sells for $226,521

[EJ25RUN]

Autoblog

The eBay auction for this 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest started out innocently enough. Obtained after owner died. Appears to have original interior but no motor, no transmission. Body has a little rust and some dents. There's stuff in the trunk, but no key to open it. Opening bid nine days ago was a mere $500. After one week, eBay seller 123ecklin will pocket $226,521 before auction fees. What happened between Day 1 and Day 9 is an amazing story.

The car's plexiglass windows, unusual suspension setup and a dash plate bearing the name of a racetrack tipped the owner to its racing history. But what he didn't know is that the car is one of only six 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest Super Duty coupes ever made. Hemmings recently did a story on the rare cars in which they listed all ever built. This one looks to have been driven by Stan Antlocer and was the fastest drag car in 1963 before disappearing.

Reading through the questions on the auction gives us reason to believe the seller truly didn't know the car's provenance. In his answers, he seems both surprised by the car's potential value as well as overwhelmed by the attention. He turned down an offer of $160,000 to end the auction early because he feared getting negative eBay feedback. That decision paid off. With only seven minutes remaining, the highest offer was $95,000. When the virtual gavel fell, eBayer ccsi2000 had bought a very rare, if a little rusty, LeMans for $226,521.

All pictures

Remember the "swiss cheese Pontiacs?"

[RL...]

interesting....

not something I would've payed that much money for but hey...whatever floats your boat...

[EJ25RUN]

interesting....

not something I would've payed that much money for but hey...whatever floats your boat...

But how much do you really know about cars that were made before 1990?

[Elbow]

lol truth^

Cool story

[RL...]

But how much do you really know about cars that were made before 1990?

not much, honestly I don't know much about cars at all other than my maxima and a few other nissan models. I don't claim to know alot about cars either.

But I do know I wouldn't spend 200k on a junkyard car, I'd buy a house. my 2 cents...

[OneSlow5pt0]

cool stuff......but im not seeing any gear shifter?

[RL...]

cool stuff......but im not seeing any gear shifter?

tru tru

[Sammich]

I DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT CARS PRIOR TO THE 80S..BUT LOOKING AT THAT, I REALLY WOULDNT SEE MYSELF PAYING THAT MUCH FOR THAT CAR, ESP IN ITS CONDITION

[Atlblkz06]

"These cars were secretly built by Pontiac engineers over Christmas break in late 1962. One of the engineers involved in this project was Mickey Thompson. General Motors put a ban on these programs and ended their factory involvement in racing.

Were shipped to dealerships as "used" cars. Had used tires on front and drag slicks mounted on the rear. Contained the potent 421 Super Duty engine. 405H.P. was their conservative rating. They produced closer to 500H.P.

There were no factory cars that could the factory S.D. Tempests. Some guys would drive them to the track (they could only be fitted with 3.90 gears in the carrier they had - transaxle unit) and blow the doors off the Chevrolet, Ford and Mopar competitors.

Equipped with an ultra-rare aluminum frontend. Yes, the car had aluminum fenders, front header panel and hood.

Specs
Factory Options
421 SD
3.90 gears
Aluminum frontend
sound deadner delete
radio delete"

A little more history from "Howstuffworks.com"

"Pontiac seemed determined to adapt their Tempest to fulfill just about any automotive need. Next up was the Pontiac Tempest Lightweight Super Duties, designed to compete on the drag strips of America.

By 1963, Super Stock drag racing was a solid motorsports phenomenon, capturing the attention of competitors, spectators, and manufacturers alike who wanted to be able to say definitively who made the fastest car around. Though Pontiac had started the Sixties strongly with its Super Duty parts program and factory-built SD Catalina and Grand Prix race cars, the competition was posing a major threat, particularly Dodge and Plymouth. Their powerful 426-cid wedge-head race engines and lightweight bodies were beginning to steal Pontiac's thunder.




©2007 Publications International Ltd.
Though currently modified, one of two prototype
Super Duty coupes still exists.

Pontiac initially responded to the 200- to 300-pound weight penalty the Super Dutys suffered by offering aluminum body panels. The weight-loss program culminated in the building of Catalinas that featured large holes drilled in the frames. (Automotive journalist Roger Huntington dubbed them "Swiss Cheese" frames-for obvious reasons-and the nickname stuck.)

Unfortuately for Pontiac, these efforts weren't as successful as hoped. In addition to having frames break due to the removal of too much metal, the cars were still too heavy once the Chrysler makes responded with aluminum body parts of their own. Something drastic had to be done to keep the "Max Wedge" Mopars out of the winner's circle, so the Tempest was called upon to defend Pontiac's honor on the drag strip.

Actually, the idea of dropping Pontiac's brutal 421-cid Super Duty race engine in the compact Tempest body had been in the works since 1962, when racer Mickey Thompson, Detroit-area dealership Royal Pontiac, and even Pontiac Engineering cooked up their own versions of the swap. Though the independents relied on conventional transmissions and rear ends gleaned from the full-size line, Pontiac wanted to explore the idea of retaining a rear-mounted transaxle to put additional weight over the drive wheels. This would help compensate for the limited tire technology of the day.

The only problem was that stock transaxles were hardly strong enough to handle the 421's output. Engineers came up with a new four-speed transaxle known as the "Powershift." At the risk of oversimplification, the Powershift was essentially two Corvair Powerglide two-speed automatic transaxles mounted inline to offer four forward speeds. The actual nuts and bolts of the project was handled by combining off-the-shelf parts with more than 200 new components unique to this design and then casting a new case to hold it ail together.

Though the Powershift was by no means "bulletproof," it was quite a bit more durable than a stock production unit. The rear-mounted four-speed could use either a clutch or a torque converter, giving racers the opportunity to choose the best arrangement for their intended type of competition. The only available final-drive ratio was 3.90:1 and only 14 were built, one for each car produced. No spare cases were built.

With the transaxle situation under control, attention was turned to the engine. A lower-profile dual-quad intake manifold was cast to clear the Tempest hood. Also, the crankshaft had six extra holes drilled in the end flange to mate it to the curved drive-shaft. This version of the 421 Super Duty boasted a 12:1 compression ratio and was rated at 405 bhp, though the actual power figure was somewhere closer to 500.

To save weight, the compact Pontiacs were fitted with full aluminum noses and the doors had much of their inner bracing removed. Production of these racing specials came to two prototype Tempest coupes, six LeMans coupes, and-amazingly-six Tempest station wagons. The idea was that the wagon would put even more weight over the rear wheels than the coupe. Considering that even the big Catalinas had traction problems, these hyperactive compacts needed all the help they could get to put the power to the ground.

Unfortunately, all the effort came to naught. On January 24, 1963, General Motors, fearing an antitrust suit from the U.S. Department of Justice, announced that it was pulling out of all factory-supported racing activities. Apparently, the "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" marketing philosophy was working too well, pushing GM's market share dangerously close to the 60-percent figure that would trigger a federal investigation.

Pontiac's Super Duty program was halted and most teams quickly jumped ship to seek factory deals with Chrysler and Ford. Those few 1963 Super Duty cars that made it out of GM before the doors slammed shut ended up in the hands of privateer racers and collectors. They're incredibly rare and highly cherished icons of the factory racing days. Currently, only four coupes and one wagon are known to survive, and of those, just one coupe and the wagon seen here have been restored to original condition.

Originally named "Instant" and driven by Harold Ramsey, it's commonly referred to as the "Union Park wagon" (after sponsor Union Park Pontiac). It is now owned by Randy and Jean Williams of Columbia City, Indiana, and was restored by Scott Tiemann, of Supercar Specialties, in Portland, Michigan. Faithful to its factory-built configuration, the wagon is equipped with the correct 405-horse 421 Super Duty V-8 and rear-mounted four-speed Powershift trans-axle. The restoration was one of extremely high quality, painstaking research, and nearly 20 years of parts collecting.

The Union Park wagon made its post-restoration show debut at the 1999 Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, where legendary Pontiac racer Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick made a gentle 12.4-second pass at more than 112 mph-on the original tires-with Randy in the passenger seat. (Beswick estimated the car was capable of 11.5s.) The Union Park wagon now resides in the Williams' Pontiac museum in Columbia City, along with several other original Super Duty race cars."

[RL...]

These cars were secretly built by Pontiac engineers over Christmas break in late 1962. One of the engineers involved in this project was Mickey Thompson. General Motors put a ban on these programs and ended their factory involvement in racing.

Were shipped to dealerships as "used" cars. Had used tires on front and drag slicks mounted on the rear. Contained the potent 421 Super Duty engine. 405H.P. was their conservative rating. They produced closer to 500H.P.

There were no factory cars that could the factory S.D. Tempests. Some guys would drive them to the track (they could only be fitted with 3.90 gears in the carrier they had - transaxle unit) and blow the doors off the Chevrolet, Ford and Mopar competitors.

Equipped with an ultra-rare aluminum frontend. Yes, the car had aluminum fenders, front header panel and hood.

Specs
Factory Options
421 SD
3.90 gears
Aluminum frontend
sound deadner delete
radio delete

badass, sounds like a great car. I think this car was also in my cousin vinny if I'm not mistaken lol.

[Atlblkz06]

This purchase wasnt for someone like you and me. It was for some super rich car nut with a ton of resources to spend on a super-elite project.

Great find, and an even more awesome story. I bet this car will see Barrett Jackson someday!

Thanks for the post EJ

[jc91sc]

badass, sounds like a great car. I think this car was also in my cousin vinny if I'm not mistaken lol.

You are mistaken...slightly. They had a reference to the Tempest in that movie, but it wasn't actually in the movie.

James E.

[Jecht]

Cool, its always a good thing to rediscover a piece of automotive history.

[LQQKITZME]

Thats a badass car when restored priceless..

[ttman]

great story but wow 200k for a rust bucket & a bag of bolts

[EJ25RUN]

Pontiac initially responded to the 200- to 300-pound weight penalty the Super Dutys suffered by offering aluminum body panels. The weight-loss program culminated in the building of Catalinas that featured large holes drilled in the frames. (Automotive journalist Roger Huntington dubbed them "Swiss Cheese" frames-for obvious reasons-and the nickname stuck.)

I learned all that on a speedtv's American Musclecar. They had a special on all the pre GTO Pontiac factory drag cars. The ban on racing affected everyone from the 409 Impala to Zora Arkus Dontov's upcoming Stingray.

Factory drag cars from the 60's are not THE most expensive muscle cars along with Hemi Cudas and Challengers.

[MachNU]

lol at everyone laughing at the price and car have no idea what they are looking at. like someone said, this car will see barrett jackson auction one day. the owner will most likely have the funds to completely restore this car, and turn around and sale it at the auction for alot more than he paid and has into it!

[SLOWR/T]

lol at everyone laughing at the price and car have no idea what they are looking at. like someone said, this car will see barrett jackson auction one day. the owner will most likely have the funds to completely restore this car, and turn around and sale it at the auction for alot more than he paid and has into it!

OFTMFT! Id pay every penny for what that car sold for. I love to see stuff like this. No telling how many car like this get sent to the crusher or junk yard and nobody knows what they had.

[RL...]

lol at everyone laughing at the price and car have no idea what they are looking at. like someone said, this car will see barrett jackson auction one day. the owner will most likely have the funds to completely restore this car, and turn around and sale it at the auction for alot more than he paid and has into it!

lol It was a badass car 40 years ago. We get it. But for someone like me who has no idea what a barret jackson auction is, a house is more valuable than a junkyard car. And considering if one of us were handed 200k, I would hope they would invest that money into something other than a piece of scrap metal. Like a house, retirement account, a NEW car, college aducation...

Even if I was filthy rich like the owner who bought the car must be, that car would still be at the bottom of my list.

But hey I get it, some guy is filthy rich, and likes the car, so he bought it. Good for him, and life goes on....

I would rather have an m3, porsche 911 turbo, and a gt-r in my driveway than that tempest LOL

[alpine_aw11]

lol It was a badass car 40 years ago. We get it. But for someone like me who has no idea what a barret jackson auction is, a house is more valuable than a junkyard car. And considering if one of us were handed 200k, I would hope they would invest that money into something other than a piece of scrap metal. Like a house, retirement account, a NEW car, college aducation...

Even if I was filthy rich like the owner who bought the car must be, that car would still be at the bottom of my list.

But hey I get it, some guy is filthy rich, and likes the car, so he bought it. Good for him, and life goes on....

I would rather have an m3, porsche 911 turbo, and a gt-r in my driveway than that tempest LOL

If he fully restores that and puts it up for auction he will be able to buy two of each car you listed. We know you obviously don't appreciate automotive history(not bashing you, just stating fact) so this wouldn't be relevant to your interests.

[boostedb16]

lol It was a badass car 40 years ago. We get it. But for someone like me who has no idea what a barret jackson auction is, a house is more valuable than a junkyard car. And considering if one of us were handed 200k, I would hope they would invest that money into something other than a piece of scrap metal. Like a house, retirement account, a NEW car, college aducation...

Even if I was filthy rich like the owner who bought the car must be, that car would still be at the bottom of my list.

But hey I get it, some guy is filthy rich, and likes the car, so he bought it. Good for him, and life goes on....

I would rather have an m3, porsche 911 turbo, and a gt-r in my driveway than that tempest LOL

by the way you spelled education, i would hope you would spend the money on "hooked on phonic's" lol.........j/k but someone was going to do it.

[RL...]

If he fully restores that and puts it up for auction he will be able to buy two of each car you listed. We know you obviously don't appreciate automotive history(not bashing you, just stating fact) so this wouldn't be relevant to your interests.

He might or might not be able to sell it at a profit. A car's value is only as much as someone elses opinion. So just because that owner thinks the car is worth 200k, doesn't mean someone else thinks the same.

I appreciate auto history, I said it was a badass car 40 yrs ago, but it obviously isn't a badass car now because it's just a shell. Does it have potential, yes it does..

But your right, this isn't relevent with my interests....

[alpine_aw11]

He might or might not be able to sell it at a profit. A car's value is only as much as someone elses opinion. So just because that owner thinks the car is worth 200k, doesn't mean someone else thinks the same.

I appreciate auto history, I said it was a badass car 40 yrs ago, but it obviously isn't a badass car now because it's just a shell. Does it have potential, yes it does..

But your right, this isn't relevent with my interests....

Imo that thing will land 500k at Barret Jackson. You would be very surprised what people have done with rust buckets like that.

[EJ25RUN]

lol It was a badass car 40 years ago. We get it. But for someone like me who has no idea what a barret jackson auction is, a house is more valuable than a junkyard car. And considering if one of us were handed 200k, I would hope they would invest that money into something other than a piece of scrap metal. Like a house, retirement account, a NEW car, college aducation...

Even if I was filthy rich like the owner who bought the car must be, that car would still be at the bottom of my list.

But hey I get it, some guy is filthy rich, and likes the car, so he bought it. Good for him, and life goes on....

I would rather have an m3, porsche 911 turbo, and a gt-r in my driveway than that tempest LOL

How is what you would rather spend it on relevant to anything?

Filthy rich? hmm.....Filthy rich is someone that buys a Ferrari to crash it.

This person was probably warned by a group of people in the know that one of the most important GM vehicles has come up for sale. The person buying it might me be from a museum house or even Jay Leno.

This car, the same one you are calling a piece of metal, is obviously more than just that. Why else is a piece of rust going for $200k+?

And here is the big thing about this post and all your other posts.

Instead of saying "I don't like it, i don't get it, and i definitely don't have the capability to go learn something new about a car (which this site is about btw), why not just hold the opinion about what house your gonna buy, and learn something. Seriously.

That is why you love your GTR so much yet i know 1000X more about it than you do. We are on this site to learn about stuff. I knew many people might not have known about that "tempest LOL", but looking here, they learn.

See why people bash you? You are just purely and utterly ignorant.

How bout next time, Ask some intelligent questions like:

Why is it worth more than 5 GTRs when it doesn't even have an engine and trans?

[MachNU]

LOL anyone now the name of the show on its either speed, tlc or spike where they take rust bucket classic cars they find fully restore them then take them to auctions and see how much they make over car + cost? the last time i watched the retro modded a 68/69 camaro put almost 60k into it, and sold it for 12k more than everything into it?

[EJ25RUN]

LOL anyone now the name of the show on its either speed, tlc or spike where they take rust bucket classic cars they find fully restore them then take them to auctions and see how much they make over car + cost? the last time i watched the retro modded a 68/69 camaro put almost 60k into it, and sold it for 12k more than everything into it?

name change?

[K-Rock]

$5,000,000 for a one-of-a-kind 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C "Supersnake" (2007 auction).
$4,000,000 for a 1950 Futurliner "Parade of Progress" tour bus (2006 Auction)
$3,000,000 for a 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 concept car (2005 Auction).
$2,800,000 for a 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special concept car (2006 Auction)
$2,000,000 for a 1932 Hispano-Suiza J12 Binder (1990 Auction).
$2,000,000 for a 1938 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante (1990 Auction).
$2,000,000 for a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible
$1,600,000 for a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe "Rondine" Concept Car (2008 Auction).
$1,242,000 for a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6
$1,100,000 for a 1957 Jaguar XKSS roadster
$1,000,000 for a 1928 Duesenburg J Dual Cowl Phaeton (2008 Auction).
$1,000,000 for a 1952 Chrysler D'Elegance concept car
$1,000,000 for a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette
$1,000,000 for a 1954 Dodge Firearrow II convertible concept car
$1,000,000 for a 1954 Dodge Firearrow IV convertible concept car
$1,000,000 for a 1993 Hummer H1 used by CNN in War in Iraq (2007 auction.)
$1,000,000 for a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Coupe (2008 Auction).




thats a taste of barrett-jackson for ya

[K-Rock]

LOL anyone now the name of the show on its either speed, tlc or spike where they take rust bucket classic cars they find fully restore them then take them to auctions and see how much they make over car + cost? the last time i watched the retro modded a 68/69 camaro put almost 60k into it, and sold it for 12k more than everything into it?

chop cut rebuild? i love that show

[EJ25RUN]

$5,000,000 for a one-of-a-kind 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C "Supersnake" (2007 auction).
$4,000,000 for a 1950 Futurliner "Parade of Progress" tour bus (2006 Auction)
$3,000,000 for a 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 concept car (2005 Auction).
$2,800,000 for a 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special concept car (2006 Auction)
$2,000,000 for a 1932 Hispano-Suiza J12 Binder (1990 Auction).
$2,000,000 for a 1938 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante (1990 Auction).
$2,000,000 for a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible
$1,600,000 for a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe "Rondine" Concept Car (2008 Auction).
$1,242,000 for a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6
$1,100,000 for a 1957 Jaguar XKSS roadster
$1,000,000 for a 1928 Duesenburg J Dual Cowl Phaeton (2008 Auction).
$1,000,000 for a 1952 Chrysler D'Elegance concept car
$1,000,000 for a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette
$1,000,000 for a 1954 Dodge Firearrow II convertible concept car
$1,000,000 for a 1954 Dodge Firearrow IV convertible concept car
$1,000,000 for a 1993 Hummer H1 used by CNN in War in Iraq (2007 auction.)
$1,000,000 for a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Coupe (2008 Auction).




thats a taste of barrett-jackson for ya

Christies doesn't auction cars anymore but the were the ones that auctioned the 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe in 1987.

Nowadays people buy 1950's Ferraris for 10 Million.

I don't think we should show him how much a Ferrari 250 GTO is worth.

[K-Rock]

lol, fact of the matter is the car is rare whether it looks like crap or not, they made six of them...theres one.... im pretty sure if i remember correctly, they knowof 4 coupes still in circulation and thats one of them which makes it even more rare, and its a sick car even if it is rusty, its cool if you don't have knowledge of classics and value and all that but please please dont say id rather buy this or that, if you would have bought this car for 200k and restored it you wouldnt have any regrets after what youd get on a resell

[Double_0_Rusty]

Christies doesn't auction cars anymore but the were the ones that auctioned the 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe in 1987.

Nowadays people buy 1950's Ferraris for 10 Million.

I don't think we should show him how much a Ferrari 250 GTO is worth.

That's funny you said that..You are talking about a 1962?..We are in the process of buying one....for the cheap....dad owes the guy about 8k more and it's ours. The guy has had it for years, and its been sitting out in the weather for years. So, he sold it to us for more than a Gt-r but a helluva lot cheaper than what it's valued at. When we get her home, I will plaster it all over IA. They are really fucking expensive these days.

BTW, I would give my left nut for the car in the OP.

[EJ25RUN]

That's funny you said that..You are talking about a 1962?..We are in the process of buying one....for the cheap....dad owes the guy about 8k more and it's ours. The guy has had it for years, and its been sitting out in the weather for years. So, he sold it to us for more than a Gt-r but a helluva lot cheaper than what it's valued at. When we get her home, I will plaster it all over IA. They are really fucking expensive these days.

BTW, I would give my left nut for the car in the OP.

um.....

A Ferrari GTO can sell for $15,000,000

Are you sure we are talking about the same GTO?



then there is stuff like this.

ferrari-250-gto-rumored-to-have-sold-for-28-5-million

[Kevykev]

That guy hit a small lotto, good for him. Didn't even have to clean it up.

[Double_0_Rusty]

um.....

A Ferrari GTO can sell for $15,000,000

Are you sure we are talking about the same GTO?



then there is stuff like this.

ferrari-250-gto-rumored-to-have-sold-for-28-5-million

This is true, and I know what you are talking about.

Hell, I sent you a PM with more info on ours.

[JITB]

I bet he thought it was one of those dudes from Africa tryin to get him to ship the car...lol

I wonder what happened to the rest of the 6. Imagine buying that car at a used car lot, and driving it home a 400hp prototype.. thats why i love old cars..

[cobalt9123]

Some people just don't know the sentimental and collectible value of a car like that.

[2turbo4u]

Good thread I must say!

[Halfwit]

cool stuff......but im not seeing any gear shifter?

it said there was no trans/motor......

[MachNU]

chop cut rebuild? i love that show

THANK YOU! i have been trying to remember the name of that show for awhile, i can finally set it to record on the dvr!

[MachNU]

shit i was pissed when i found out my grandfather sold an original 72 charger that was 1 of 46 made! sold it for next to nothing! they go for around 100k at the barrett jackson!