Nice Pro Touring ’63 LeMans Ready To Hit The Road

The Pontiac Le Mans was introduced by General Motors back in 1961 as a top-of-the-line option on the Tempest model, and consisted of a trim package that had different badging and bucket seats – items that were not available on the standard Tempest. It’s obvious to us that the owner of this hot machine could care less about a trim package or bucket seats, as the car has been modified to within an inch of its life to be used for Pro Touring duty.

As we’ve watched the Pro Touring movement take hold over the last couple of years, we notice the subtle touches and hardcore modifications that many custom-car builders have taken. This path of “resto-modding” some of the hottest musclecars of days gone by has a lot of appeal. After all, what good is a cool hotrod if you can’t drive it?

And what good is a hotrod that’s so temperamental that it can’t make it to the local cruise-in without puking its guts up on the local two-lane blacktop? Or having a car that will get you there, with lots of power, in comfort and with a reasonable ride height? It used to be the Holy Grail of hotrodding, but no longer.

Builders, both professional and hobbyist, are taking the time and putting in the effort to build some unbelievable hotrods. This slick machine has a lot of nice touches and appears to be powered by a small-block Chevrolet engine wearing a set of Air Flow Research cylinder heads. A Tremec five-speed transmission, Ridetech shocks, Wilwood brakes, and a Moser Engineering 9″ rear are underneath the car.

The entire car was sprayed, and according to the owner has a new engine and paint job for the 2013 season. We dig the extra bracing underneath the car, and the fact that it’s been painted on a rotisserie – no worries about undercoating here. Although the pictures aren’t the greatest, the work done to the car appears to be top-notch, even more so when you realize the car’s not professionally built. Nice job!