GM Almost Let The Pontiac LeMans Live On

"Blake Noble" (no-bull) 03/20/2014 at 18:21 • Filed to: Forgotten Cars, GM, Pontiac, Daewoo, LeMans

1

25

Few cars from the early '90s were as utterly wretched as the Pontiac LeMans. Built by Daewoo during the Jurassic period of South Korean cars, it's hard to justify the existence of this undercooked entry-level washout other than the fact it gave the Yugo GV tough competition for the title of America's Most Abominable Car.

The Pontiac LeMans first debuted in 1988, just in time to see the dawn of a new self-depreciated flannel-clad era overtake the camp hairspray-stiffened 1980s. It replaced the old Chevette-cum-T1000 and was more or less based around the last-generation Opel Kadett. But the fact that it was built by a prepubescent Daewoo Motors meant that the build quality was frighteningly leprous instead of obsessively Germanic.

Other than the fact it was poorly made, it was also hatefully slow. Even if you ordered it in the (and I say this liberally) performance-spec GSE trim with a blistering 95 horsepower on tap, you'd still find your car was slower to 60 mph than wind erosion.

Thankfully, a year before the Grunge rock scene tragically burned out with a black tar induced bang, someone at GM decided to do the sane and proper thing in 1993 by allowing the LeMans to quietly fade away, declining to introduce a replacement model.

Except they almost did.

As the images above clearly show, General Motors was seriously on the verge of introducing a follow up to the LeMans, likely to be introduced in the mid '90s.

Despite some intensive digging, there isn't much information out there about it. But, going by what we can assume, it was more than likely going to be based around GM's front-drive T-Body platform again, which was used by the Opel Astra F.

Unlike its predecessor, it didn't look completely terrible. The way the tailgate glass integrates with the rear taillights and filler panel is especially a fairly nice design touch. Around front, the styling was more Bonneville and less boner-kill.

Even more interesting is that it appears GM considered renaming the LeMans for its second go-round, which would've been wise considering that at one time the LeMans name was sort of legendary — after all, the original model spawned the mighty GTO back in the '60s — and the unwholesome Korean hatchback certainly wasn't doing it any favors. Although it's hard to decipher, there appears to be a new name starting with an "s" plastered to the rear quarter panels just aft of the front doors.

With a lack of information on the next-generation LeMans project, it's hard to assume what engines were going to go under that sloping hood or where it was going to be built. But despite its prettier design, it's probably best that GM left this one high up on the shelf if they were going to let Daewoo take the helm again.

Photo credits: GM, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Follow me: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! | Contact me: theignitonist@gmail.com

AMC/Renauledge > Blake Noble 03/20/2014 at 18:57

0

GM actually went to the trouble of facelifting the LeMans for its swan song 1993 season. I'm pretty sure that GM was planning on offering it for a couple more years, but because the '93 sold so abysmally, they mercy-killed the facelifted car off after just one year. The Shitfire was about to debut for 1995, so they probably figured that was as small as they needed to go, since gas was hovering down under $1/gallon in most of the country.

I haven't seen one in years, however, it's clear from the '93 facelift the direction GM was planning to go with the replacement you've shown above. And the car you're showing is actually fairly attractive. It might have even sold.

It's not so much that the design was terrible (though the styling details were). It was Daewoo's "execution" (and I'm sure many owners felt like they were being executed, too) of the design that gave us the shitty, bargain-basement product this thing was.

duurtlang > Blake Noble 03/20/2014 at 19:04

1

It, however, did live on in the US. Like you mentioned the LeMans was a (poor) remake of the Opel Kadett/Astra E. It had a predecessor in the Kadett B that was available in the US at Buick dealers.The Astra F and G were never available in the US, but the Astra H sure was. And you can get a brand new Astra J at your Buick dealer right now.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Blake Noble 03/20/2014 at 19:16

0

My mother had one YEARS ago. what a dreadful little car. Its fate was sealed by an accident.

Blake Noble > AMC/Renauledge 03/20/2014 at 19:17

1

After reading your response, it dawned on me that I've never seen the facelifted LeMans in person. I've seen the pre-facelift model more times than I care to mention.

I typically like Opels, but the styling of the Kadett E just turns me off. The sedan is awkward. The hatches look cheap, no thanks to the rear quarter glass.

Blake Noble > duurtlang 03/20/2014 at 19:20

0

The big difference here is that neither the Buick Verano or Saturn Astra were built by Daewoo.

Blake Noble > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 03/20/2014 at 19:22

0

Growing up, a friend of mine's mother owned one. I remember the exhaust note sounded like a blender trying to puree gravel.

AMC/Renauledge > Blake Noble 03/20/2014 at 19:30

0

Yeah, that quarter glass was truncated with a black plastic triangle on the Kadett D before it, as well. Ford did the same thing with the Fox Mustangs, too. It must have been a thing back in the late '70s and into the '80s.

Luckily, they dropped that nonsense for the Astra F, and probably would have for the Pontiac version, as well.

Autolegend86 > Blake Noble 03/23/2014 at 01:19

0

Living in the USA, The Pontiac was nothing but a giant POS. In Europe and South Africa, everything was a different story for this car.

Back in 1988, Opel ran a DTM effort with the front wheel drive Opel Kadett GSi 16V. Its naturally aspirated 2.0L I4 was outclassed against 2.3L BMW M3s, 2.3L (eventually 2.5L) Mercedes 190e Evos and 2.0L turbo Ford Sierra Cosworths which kept getting its minimum weight reduced. Even with the power disadvantage and lack of fwd differential tech of today, the car was a strong performer in qualifying races taking multiple podiums in them but never having the speed in the main races.

In Britain, the most Scottish man in the world; John Cleland would become overall BTCC champion of 1989 with the Vauxhall Astra GTE 16V. (The Opel Kadett GSI's twin)
1989 was the final 4 class season of the BTCC where the overall championship winner was the car that scored the most points in its own class.

South Africa, Group N competition was mega between BMW and Opel. BMW
couldn't race the E30 M3 since they didn't produce it in South Africa so they made the special 325is. To combat this, Opel of South Africa created the incredible Kadett Superboss to challenge the BMW.

Michael Briggs would be South African Group N champion in 1991 with the Superboss.

Chris Harris even drove the Superboss a few years ago against the BMW.

Rallying was the next front for this car.

With many European brands being unable to create FIA Group A8 4wd production cars to homologate race cars, they needed a class that would allow them to compete for wins in a 2wd class. This was the A7 class. Opel's Astra would finish second overall in the 1992 Cote d'Iviore rally but Sepp Haider would be 1989 German national champion in the Opel Astra.

Plus, here are the other specials made from the Astra.
http://www.ynet.com.au/index.php?n=Op…

Vie Ventar > AMC/Renauledge 03/23/2014 at 03:31

0

I hate to break it to you, but the Daewoo version still lives.

Yep, they are still building it today in Uzbekistan, though they are calling it the Nexia II these days.

It's usually sold as a Chevrolet.

Cé hé sin > duurtlang 03/23/2014 at 05:50

0

I wouldn't have known the last Astra - the American disguise is quite effective!

duurtlang > Cé hé sin 03/23/2014 at 05:56

0

It is. However, part of the reason for this is, at least for me, that I never see the Astra sedan in real life.

Cé hé sin > duurtlang 03/23/2014 at 06:05

0

Saloons are more of an Eastern Europe specialty because (I'm told) in cold winters they don't like to have a car where you open a hatch and have cold air coming in at you.
Oh and I think our Astra looks much better but that's probably down to the colour. White doesn't suit it.

LongbowMkII > Blake Noble 03/23/2014 at 07:44

0

We can see where the aztek hatch came from

mythrenegade > Blake Noble 03/23/2014 at 07:55

0

This was the car that killed Pontiac. To shove this pile of crap out there and throw the Pontiac name on it was the end. When I heard a GM executive claim that Pontiac was the performance division of GM, this was the car that came to mind. Laughable and sad.

QQXQXL123 > Blake Noble 03/23/2014 at 08:49

0

It did live on. Here's an image from the Chevrolet Uzbekistan website of one of their current cars, the Chevrolet Nexia. Look closely.

http://www.chevrolet.uz/cars/opisanie/

The World of Vee > Blake Noble 03/23/2014 at 09:13

0

I have a really fun Daewoo Racer memory. My buddy in the Caribbeans had a Racer that he bought for like 700$ that was literally the biggest piece of crap I've ever witnessed. It was steel (I doubt there was paint on it) with GTI-esque plaid seats that had ripped and turned basically into foam, the windows stopped rolling up (yes, even with a manual winder) and the starter motor flamed out every week so he was usually using his right leg to scoot it backwards in neutral and then pop start it (it was light enough to that at least).

But in a world built on 70s/80s sized cars with hardly any safety rules it was a lot of fun to drive around in. Going 50 miles an hour in that was an adventure of a life time haha. The hood was held on with a bungie cord, the steering lots all power fluid and yet for the most part it always got to wear it was going.

Not as good as my Sprinter hatch, but these little shitbox cars made island life that much more exciting.

BlueSoap > Blake Noble 03/23/2014 at 12:09

0

Am I the only one that sees a little bit of Mazda 323 Neo in the mockup?

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Blake Noble 03/23/2014 at 13:44

0

I dated a girl in 1997 who had a red '91 GSE hatch. It was dismal. The shifter was this weirdly huge knob on a spindly little shaft. It had alloy wheels which were pitted all to hell after only six years in North Carolina. The clutch was absurd. I remember its catch point was all over the place — possibly because of bad hydraulics and possibly for other reasons. I don't even know. I drove it a few times and it was either "hit my knee on the back of the steering wheel to release," or "hair-trigger hope you don't stall."

She bought it for $1,200 with only 80,000 miles. It was already showing signs of imminent engine failure — blue smoke on startup and under full throttle and a strong rattle when the engine was cold.

It sucked.

Blake Noble > LongbowMkII 03/23/2014 at 19:23

0

Interesting you mentioned the Aztek. The design for the aborted LeMans above was penned by the same man who did the Aztek's sister vehicle, the Buick Rendezvous.

medr13 > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 03/24/2014 at 05:58

0

This was my first car, between its sick automatic asphyxiating seat belts, getting it airborne, reverse 180s, neutral drops to D, and topping it out around 95mph while the headliner was flapping vigorously in the wind with that sweet exhaust note, it met its fate when I landed hard in a huge pothole with a manhole cover protruding out of it. Gutted the transmission pan and poor little guy was bleeding all over the place, I think at the time the pan was worth about as much as the car so it was promptly scrapped.

medr13 > Blake Noble 03/24/2014 at 06:01

0

This was my first car, between its sick automatic asphyxiating seat belts, getting it airborne, reverse 180s, neutral drops to D, and topping it out around 95mph while the headliner was flapping vigorously in the wind with that sweet exhaust note, it met its fate when I landed hard in a huge pothole with a manhole cover protruding out of it. Gutted the transmission pan and poor little guy was bleeding all over the place, I think at the time the pan was worth about as much as the car so it was promptly scrapped.

Shallow Rewards > Blake Noble 03/24/2014 at 09:35

0

Cruelest LeMans dis on record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFazq…

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > medr13 03/24/2014 at 11:32

0

Ouch, that's unfortunate. I'd be surprised if there are any of these cars still around.

funkdat1234 > Blake Noble 03/24/2014 at 23:31

0

Dude was performing abortions left and right it seems

LEMANSinEurope > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 02/15/2016 at 14:00

0

Sourced a 1988 Pontiac Le_Mans 4 door 3 speed A/T in 2015 with approx. 90.000 miles in it. I am using it as a daily driver since then. No problemos with IT anyway. No rust either. It’s imported used around 1992 from USA to Europe. With Opel Kadett-E / Daewoo Racer, Nexia/Cielo, GM, Daewoo Motor and/or aftermarket parts IT could still be maintained and kept alive. The 3 speed THM-125 was an old-style automatic transmission. Paired with the 13" wheels the engine reaches 3000 rpm at 50 mph. Certainly it isn’t for the autobahn use. The Le_Mans successor Nexia/Cielo with 4-speed automatic (Aisin?) and with 14" wheels in total is faster on lower rpm. As well as the Opel Astra-F. The 4-speed automatic was available since 1991 at Opel/Vauxhall SO I really don’t understand why GM did not built it into the Le_Mans for the Americas between 1991-1993 as well??? On the drawing of Mr. Scott Dolan the “LEMANS” lettering is visible under lower right corner of the rear window... By my opinion THIS STUDY influenced the mid and late ‘90s Firefly and Sunfire...and maybe the Aztec (?)...