An optional Buick V8, was not popular when it was available for 1961 and 1962 in the Tempest. For 1963, Pontiac replaced with a new "326" that was actually V8 with a bore of 3.78 and stroke of 3.75 (same stroke as the 389). It was based and shared parts with the 389, but an altered, reduced bore. The car's body and suspension were also changed to be lower, longer, and wider. The response was that more than half of the 1963 Tempests and LeMans (separate lines for that one year only) were ordered with the V8, a trend that did not go unnoticed by management. The next year, the 326 became a true 326 with a new bore size of 3.72. The Tempest's popularity helped move Pontiac into third place among American car brands in 1962, a position Pontiac would hold through 1970.