1971 Pontiac LeMans
The 24 hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest active sports car endurance race and is held in France. Due to that it made perfect sense for Pontiac to adopt that name and apply it to one of their vehicles starting in 1961. It was originally a trim upgrade based on the Tempest but became its own model in 1963. They were produced for 6 generations with a small gap between the 5th and 6th. This 1971 belongs to the 3rd generation and has remained in the same family since 1991 when it was purchased out of Houston, Texas. Considering it has been in Texas for a long portion, if not all of its life, it should be no surprise that it is all rust free including under the Black vinyl top. It is painted in its original paint code 42 Limekist Green but you will note a few primer spots on the nose which could be easily repaired. The front/rear chrome bumpers are in excellent condition as is that iconic split grill. In back the car has been modified with a GTO rear valance and exhaust splitters. All the lights work with no issues. The car has a great stance and rides on a set of 14" Rally II wheels with new BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires.
1971 was an interesting year for these cars because Pontiac offered an array of V8 options including the 350, 400, and 455. This car was originally ordered with 400 2 barrel carb V8 but it has since been upgraded with a fully rebuilt 455 with a date correct block. It has been bored .030 over and the rebuild was done by a Houston machine shop. This is all documented and it comes with the receipts. While there, the short block was assembled and balanced. It features a Erson E310222 cam, roller rockers, Edelbrock 750 cfm carburetor, #96 heads with SS valves, high torque mini-starter, new timing cover, double roller timing chain, HEI ignition and high flow water pump. The heads, intake, and exhaust manifolds were port matched by Floyd Hand. The car sounds great through the Ram Air III exhaust manifolds into the Pypes stainless steel 2 1/2 inch exhaust with Street Pro mufflers. The motor is combined with a Turbo 400 automatic transmission that shifts well. The suspension has been entirely rebuilt with polygraphite bushings, KYB gas shocks, new ball joints, new tie rod ends, new pitman arms, new rear lower control arms, and new front/rear sway bars. The car has a 3.08 limited slip differential and cruises well whether you are in town or going down the highway. It was ordered with factory front disc brakes and factory power steering. It also had factory A/C but that currently needs to be re-installed and charged. It does have a new heater core and that system works properly. The brakes are all new and utilize stainless steel brake lines.
The interior is original and in excellent condition. It is done in Green and there are zero splits in the seats or dash. It has dual bucket seats that sit to each side of the factory center console with console shifter and a storage compartment. The dash and console feature its factory style wood trim which is in good shape. The dash is mostly stock with its stock gauges but at some point the radio was upgraded to a Pioneer AM/FM/Cassette player along with the speakers. The trunk offers plenty of storage space and houses the original spare.
This car comes with an original broadcast sheet, additional parts, receipts, car cover and an original owners manual. Documentation shows that in 1991 it had 43,922 original miles and the odometer now reads right around 45,000. It was built by the current owner and is rock solid. It really is a great opportunity for somebody. Where it is currently priced someone could easily purchase it, tweak a few things and make money on it or have a super clean show car.
It won't be around for long at the very reasonable price of $24,500.00!
