[John V.]

The Champ, great scans but....

Are those from the Salesman's Catalog?

I contend they slightly misidentified the Lemans!

They depict and identify the 2237 Lemans but they call it a Hardtop Sports Coupe! The Sports Coupe is the 27 Body Style (same as depicted and identified for the Tempest Custom as a 2127).

The 37 Body Style should have been identified as the Hardtop Coupe.

Often the 2 dr. Hardtops were called a Sport Coupe (note the singular form of "Sport"), but at the outset of the '64 Model Year, the 27 Sports Coupe was offered in the 20, 21, & 22 Model Series. Shortly after Model Year intro, PMD announced the 37 Lemans Hardtop Coupe. I have seen confused designations for this Lemans Body Style elsewhere in Pontiac lit, but officially, I believe it was supposed to be simply the Hardtop Coupe.

Main weight difference between the Lemans and Tempest Custom or Tempest (20 Series) would be the Bucket Seats vs. the lighter Bench Seat.

Haven't checked the AMA specs, but the MPC shows the '64 Tempest Custom 25 lbs. heavier than the Tempest (basically the extra chrome trim I guess plus the carpeting, deluxe horn ring, and the dual horns) and then the Lemans is 20 lbs. heavier than the Tempest Custom due to the bucket seats. All as 27 Sports Coupes, all in base trim.

Hard to believe the 326 HO weighed even 25 lbs. less than a 4 bbl 389. So yeah, the HP was "worth" it.

Anybody know what the 326 HO option list price was?

I think the 2 bbl 326 was $108 on the Window Sticker. I figure the 4 bbl was at least $150.

Truth be known, I believe the GTO option was highway robbery at $295. You were paying a lot of that for the chrome engine dress up and the faux scoops on the hood. But I'm glad it happened for the history it made.

BTW, according to an engine production log with 1 month of '64 production remaining, PMD had produced right about 8000 326 HO engines (auto and man trans combined), that should tell you how rare they were. About the same no. of GTO Tri-Power engines had been produced with the vast majority of those being man trans.