Cyber barnfind: 1963 Pontiac LeMans Super Duty sells for over $226,000

Plenty of car collectors dream that the car fertilizing their backyard looks a little different from the rest because it is something special. While usually they’re wrong, there is an occasional jackpot disguised as a rust pile. Such is the case for one eBay seller of a 1963 Pontiac LeMans, who originally thought this was not much more than a used-up racer with plexiglass windows and an odd rear-end suspension. What he soon discovered was that this was one of only six LeMans factory racers.

Pontiac in 1963 made six Tempest wagons and six LeMans Tempest sedans specially designed to go racing. Although the cars carried a 326 badge, the engine was a Super Duty version of the 421 cubic inch V8. The official factory rating was 405 hp, and that was considered to be well underestimated. General Motors put a ban on all factory racecars in 1963, so these were the last Super Duty cars to squeak out the door.

The whereabouts of only four of the twelve racers, including this one, are currently known. Many are feared destroyed at the hands of hard racing or unknowing owners. All were considered a dominant racing force, so all are prized by collectors today. The end price for this Super Duty, even without engine or transmission, was $226,521.