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His objective was for the new model to be more than just an ordinary compact car. DeLorean, Pontiac's chief engineer and general manager, went to work on a car that would meld components GM already produced. The division wanted to produce a clone of the Corvair, but instead GM gave Pontiac the lead to develop a new car in an interdivisional program coded named "X-100." John Z. The Tempest was a decision by the Pontiac division to enter the compact car market following the success of the Chevrolet Corvair. South Gate Assembly South Gate, California In Canada, Pontiac also marketed a rebadged version of the compact L-body Chevrolet Corsica under the name Tempest from 1987 to 1991. The GTO was subsequently split off as its own model line in 1966. By 1964 the Tempest, Tempest Custom and Lemans are separate models in the new GM A-body platform. The line offered the optional LeMans trim upgrade, beginning with a few 1961 LeMans coupes and adding a performance aspect in 1962. An innovative design, it shared the new unibody Y platform, GM's first, with the Buick Special/ Skylark and Oldsmobile F-85/ Cutlass, and featured the "Trophy-4" four-cylinder engine with a flexible drive shaft to a two-speed rear-mounted transaxle automatic transmission. The Tempest was introduced as an entry-level compact in October 1960 at the Paris Auto Show for the 1961 model year. The Pontiac Tempest is an automobile that was produced by Pontiac from 1960 to 1970, and again from 1987 to 1991.