Years after missing out on a factory-built Pontiac race car, Dan Loveland finally realized his dream of owning a killer 1963 Pontiac Tempest coupe, this fully street-ready beauty that, at first glance, appears to be only slightly modified. A closer look reveals the beast beneath the beauty.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Tempest 2-door, with its clean, crisp lines, would go on to become the vaunted Pontiac GTO, the first true `muscle car' -- a small-to-midsized car with a big V-8 under the hood. There's nary a ripple in the sheet metal of Loveland's '63 big-block powered machine.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
An original 1963 Tempest had no need for a hood-mounted tachometer, as most of them were equipped with a 4-cylinder economy-minded engine. Later GTO's would get the hood tach, so this one looks right on Loveland's Tempest.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another view of the interior reveals just how straightforward the build of the car was done. No unnecessary frills like air conditioning, just functional pieces.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Who needs four headlights when two will do? Especially when the inner lights can be used as smooth aluminum intakes for the big 535 cubic inch V-8 behind the grille? Note the `421' tribute emblem, paying homage to Pontiac's legendary big block V-8.
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A full, NHRA-certified roll cage not only improves the safety quotient of the car, it ties into the car's framework, stiffening up the unibody construction.
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A set of '67 Pontiac bucket seats were used in place of the original bench seat, with Simpson racing harnesses secured to the roll bar behind each seat.
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Pontiac's trademark split grille never looked better than it did on the early Tempests, as this shot illustrates.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Getting the power to the ground requires a stout 9-inch Ford rear end riding on a custom-built four-link rear suspension; Herb Gebler designed the custom headers and 3-1/2-inch stainless steel exhaust system; Loveland and Monte Griggs fabricated the low-restriction mufflers to Gebler's specifications.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The hood is highlighted by a beautifully molded hood scoop mirroring the twin grille treatment. The air intakes aren't functional, as breathing is handled by the grille intakes.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
This is what sets Loveland's Tempest apart from the crowd: a Patterson-built 535 cubic inch V-8 with All Pontiac Racing aluminum heads and a Big Stuff injection system that combines to produce a dyno-proven 802 horsepower and 776 foot-pounds of torque.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The driver's view includes an ultra-rare 4-spoke, wood-rimmed factory steering wheel, an aluminum dash insert filled with Auto Meter gauges, and the Hurst shifter that controls the Turbo400 automatic transmission. If you look close, you'll spot the hood-mounted tachometer added to the package.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Beautifully sculpted, factory-look wheel tubs make room for the huge Mickey Thompson rear tires, while an aluminum fuel cell feeds the racing motor premium gas. The clean installation is typical of the Tempest's professional build quality.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A set of Billet Specialties wheels mount huge 325/50R/15 Mickey Thompson tires at the rear of the little Pontiac, and even that much rubber has trouble handling all the horsepower the big V-8 churns out.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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