Pontiac

The Tempest was introduced as an entry-level compact in October 1960 at the Paris Auto Show, following the success of the Chevrolet Corvair. Built on GM's first unibody chassis, its new platform was shared with the Buick Special/Skylark and Oldsmobile F-85/Cutlass. It was fitted with a four-cylinder, 3,187 cc engine, created by basically halving the Pontiac GTO V8 block. The combination of a rear-mounted transaxle and front-mounted engine very nearly gave the car an ideal 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. This, along with a four-wheel independent suspension, helped make the Tempest a nimble-handling car for the era.