DeLorean's Dream Car - The Banshee

Chevrolet's designers came up with a series of racy looking concepts to battle the Mustang. While the project, code named, the F car, dragged on, DeLorean pursued his own designs for a sporty new car.
DeLorean wanted to build a car that was more of a Corvette fighter. He knew that there was a limited market for a two seat sport car so he had been preparing something with Corvette performance and handling -- and four seats.
It had all independent suspension, concealed wipers and head lamps, a 421 cubic inch V8 and flip up roof panels. Its fold down rear seats gave it ample luggage room without sacrificing sportiness.
But GM's President ordered it removed from its display stand before it was to be shown to the public at the 1966 New York Auto Show. GM wanted Pontiac to leave Chevrolet's Corvette alone and concentrate its resources on fighting Ford's Mustang and a car Mercury was about to introduce, the Cougar.
That was the end of the Banshee and soon DeLorean would have to abandon another sporty pet project -- the XP833.
AU Firebird

[@Freedomquest08]

@1:58 "GM wanted Pontiac to leave Chevrolet's Corvette alone. Meanwhile at the Corvette board meeting, GM and Chevrolet were plotting the poaching of DeLorean's Banshee body lines for the C3 Corvette.

[@atarigames]

Exactly right. Couldn't leave that man's swag alone.

[@markkohli2086]

This video would have been great if they only could have added some OVERPOWERING background music to drown out the narrator.

[@michaelbarlanti7412]

Man was so ahead of his time

[@johnnymason2460]

GM will do anything to protect the Corvette's top status! The Pontiac Banshee could have been a 2+2 seating high performance car without stepping on the Corvette's toes! As long as there was a Corvette with the highest performance numbers, it shouldn't have mattered!

[@knytrydr73]

GM should have listened to DeLorean

[@officialpennsyjoe]

The banshee can come back since the Corvette went midship in it's 8th generation.

[@randyscott3386]

Imagine walking into a new car dealership showroom today and seeing a brand new corvette with whiplash seats in it , the steering wheel stuck on a piece of pipe , no airbags and a salesperson who doesn't even know what the hell a whiplash seat is .

[@pontiacmaniac7772]

GM made them remove it from the display. Wow.

[@pl5624]

Pontiac was great back then...shame it was a division of general motors...

[@fidelcatsro6948]

Is this the same DeLorean man who made the car from back to the future?

[@KingRoseArchives]

It is. One of the reasons he left GM was to be able to finally build the dream car that they wouldn't let him create. The Banshee eventually becomes the DMC car of the Future.

[@fidelcatsro6948]

wow he realized his dream finally!

[@fidelcatsro6948]

shows nothing is impossible if you set your mind into it and work hard for it!

[@showgirlsaroundtheworldada4484]

Delorean didn't make that car in the movie...it was a delorean car but modified for the movie.. Add ons

[@vassa1972]

Interesting video it kind of looks like a late 60's- 70's corvette with the Long Coke bottle hood, too bad that John DeLorean didn't come out with it to market

[@phoenixashes1371]

GM made several bad decisions through out the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. Not just with Delorean but trying to limit Pontiac for their pets at Chevy. Cancelling the Pontiac Firebird and selling the Trans Am logo so they would never have to deal with their die hard fans alienated many who never purchased another GM product. Now GM has become China Motors like it or not...

[@Thinker669]

John DeLorean has created the Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird.

[@knytrydr73]

General Motors created the Camaro. DeLorean wanted to build his own sports car for Pontiac, the banshee being his original idea. But it is an unwritten rule that no division of General Motors is allowed to build a car that can out perform the Corvette. So,GM management made Pontiac build the Firebird off the Camaro platform. Interestingly enough, many of the design cues from DeLorean's Banshee concept made it into GM's F-Body cars. It is also believed that the Fiero is actually one of DeLorean's concepts. Compare the interiors of both the Fiero and the DMC-12 and you will notice some similarities.

[@pl5624]

Actually it wasnt called banshee until the early 70s when leftover emblems were affixed to them.

[@Wookieherder]

DeLorean should have told GM to piss off and gone to work for another car company.

[@1983jblack]

I have the proper documentary that is word for word with a different narrator and same music. It was called "Automobiles" on The History Channel in the mid '90s and this one was about the Firebird

[@judasplow25]

Delorean was a visionary. I wish his coke deal would have went well.

[@ObiTrev]

Can I get a list of the concept cars shown before the Banshee?

[@showgirlsaroundtheworldada4484]

Music way too loud

[@Yohan5]

i love commentators/ narrators from the 1900s now they sound like shit

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

1964 Mustang would Smoke a Corvair.....Of course the Corvair would smoke itself.....

[@rancosteel]

GM pinheads. That is why DeLorean left. Boring cars.

[@billdeburgh]

Can't hear the narrator for all the useless background music.

[@stanleymasterson1135]

Thank god for the completely useless, annoying background music. Don't know how I'd watch without it