The Pontiac Banshee XP-833 - Corvette killer from Pontiac!

The Pontiac Banshee is unloaded at Pheasant Run for the Pontiac Show. This was one of 4 Pontiac concept cars that Joe Bortz brought to the event.

[@smithperformanceracing5848]

Mix of Corvette, and Opel and firebird. I dig it 👍

[@billiebobbienorton2556]

Well said!!!!

[@piercehawke8021]

Exactly! Hard to believe the C3 Vette was released 4 years later and, was a def nod to the Banshee.

[@Drifter6942]

I was thinking exactly the same thing !!!

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

I was unaware the opel deserves any praise. As youngsters, we once tore up an opel-gt on the dirt bike course.

[@larryhymer187]

You forgot to add GTO, it has 66 GTO tail lights

[@pontiacmaniac7772]

God I love this car. It’s like a trans am and a corvette combined. I wish they made a version of this and mass produced it. That would be bad ass.

[@petewiltfang]

Not to mention that the 326 HO, was a bad ass 326 engine

[@rosewilliams6513]

Those guys building those new Trans Am would be a perfect fit to make new models

[@heyrod59]

The silhouette of the car is what Corvettes in the '70's looked like, even with the soft top and A pillar position....

[@johntempest267]

It looks to me Chevys C3 Corvette design borrowed heavily on the lines of the Banshee. This car doesn't resemble a 1965 Corvette, it resembles the yet to be made 1968 Corvette.

[@bradleyweiss1089]

John Tempest The middle brother between the Opel GT minivette and a full size vette

[@johntempest267]

@@bradleyweiss1089 Can you imagine if Pontiac had been given the green light on this car, with J DeLorien on deck? Tri power 389 missile!

[@gr7673]

@@bradleyweiss1089 421?

[@wanderinggentile]

455.

[@johntempest267]

@@gr7673 Oh man, 421 SD in a car like that would be Pontiac's L88. No wonder GM pulled the plug.

[@metalwaves4154]

Any time Pontiac came out with greatness GM KILL IT

[@ronalds2080]

This is what you would get if the Corvette and firebird had a baby. 😂🤣

[@ronnieboucherthecrystalcraftsm]

car sex = wow now your talking !

[@irelandgrt]

This is what you'd get if GM didn't take Pontiacs ideas and give them to Chevy.

[@rickdaystar477]

Looks like firebird tail and Corvette nose.

[@CaptainDayne]

Its a c2 corvette frame chassis , and c3 body. You do realize chevy and Pontiac are gm ? Use the same equipment.

[@number62]

When firebird saw this, he knew Corvette had been sleeping with Opal.

[@evil_musclemuscled3814]

I've mentioned the banshee in Corvette groups and nobody talks about it . The truth must bother them but it was here before the c3 💪💪💪💪💪

[@dmfb68]

You are 100% correct. Chevy cried to GM and that killed the car. Then 4 years later chevy stole the design and used it for the 68 Vette.

[@lanejohnson7656]

@@dmfb68 Pontiac designers continued to rub better styling in chevy’s face with the firebird and even the Grand Prix.. Grand Prix was always a better looking car and the only times someone could make a coherent argument the Camaro was better looking was from say 79 to 85ish. Chevy was a bunch of cry babies and GM screwed up and should have got rid of Chevy rather than Pontiac.

[@DtRockstar1]

I love seeing concept cars like this come to life. It's such a rare and special occasion.

[@bigaparker1977]

Part trans am part Corvette.

[@sailingspark9748]

You know this car predates the 3rd gen vette right? The XP833 was built in 64, the 3rd gen vette didn't come until 68. It was obviously a successful design as it more or less directly influenced the looks of the C3

[@bigaparker1977]

@@sailingspark9748 yeah I know

[@livewire2759]

​@@sailingspark9748 Actually, this car is predated by the Corvette Mako Shark concept car, designed by Bill Mitchell in the late 50's when he also designed the C2 'vette, and therefore influenced the design of the Banshee.

[@SupraBdub]

@@livewire2759 thanks

[@negativeindustrial]

I love you people that act likes there’s a difference between Camaros and Trans-Ams. They’re the same fucking car with minor differences. This car is obviously just an early concept of what would eventually become the C3 design.

[@camberwellcarrot420]

Apparently American car executives are incredibly short-sighted.

[@DocWolph]

You have NO idea.

[@rickdaystar477]

That's what happens when the suits get involved with the creative area.

[@marilynredmond8902]

GM will go down in history for many reasons but killing off concept cars that would have been winners was one mistake. Think they did not want a Pontiac or other brand that was better than a GM brand. Killing off Holden in Australia another huge mistake but just a small market for them and the manufacturing industry there could have been saved Had they had the guts to take on the powerful unions - and instead of asking for Govt. subsidy, ask for an extra 5% import duty on overseas cars. Money in the taxpayer pocket AND making local cars more competitive and also the Govt was asleep at the wheel (pun intended) as they could have leglisated to ensure every Government t federal and State Government has to buy Aussie made vehicles wherever possible. Local council also. All brain dead as thousand put out of work and skills lost to the country while they paid millions in unemployment benefits and reemployment packages with less dollars being spent in the economy. The other mistake and sure it happens in America is the all profit destroying issue of selling more than Ford... I have driven a few Fords and many GM Holden cars and they are great and would have happily paid a little more for what I desired - a rear wheel drive 6 cyl petrol which had cheap service and parts and were generally much more reliable than a lot of imports. They were designed here for local conditions OK Toyota had good vehicles too and if GM had hung in there when Ford closed (first) and Toyota followed they would have picked up all that business and Aussies were proud to buy a car made here. OK - not all but enough that GM would survive. Holden was Our biggest selling car but now the imported "Holdens" are not wanted and GM does not even rate in the top 10 now. Talk about a fall from Grace.

[@gregfair1749]

Man I miss Pontiac!!!!!! Too bad GM was so jealous of one of their own divisions!!! We would've had so many more wicked cars!!!!!!!

[@Fuji086]

Production blocked just to protect the sacred cow known as the Chevrolet Corvette. Proof positive that sacred cows don't have a place in the automotive industry, they become stagnant without a proper alternative to keep it fresh and competitive.

[@livewire2759]

I agree that competition is the key to improvement, but that's not exactly how it happened. The Corvette Mako Shark concept car was designed in the late 50's/early 60's by Bill Mitchell, and John Delorean "borrowed" the design for this concept car. Since the Corvette was scheduled to receive the new design in '67 (even though it didn't actually get it until '68) the Banshee was doomed from the start. If they had built it on the same "platform" as the Corvette, it might have survived, similar to the Camaro/Firebird relationship, but since it was made smaller and had no shared parts with the 'vette, the executives decided it wouldn't be profitable, considering how the early Corvettes struggled to break even as a stand alone car just 10 years earlier.

[@Fuji086]

@@livewire2759 I see. The most well known explanation for the Banshee's cancellation was that it was "faster than the Corvette". Never heard anything that the car would struggle in the market like the Vette did. Does put a new perspective on the Banshee XP-833 story.

[@livewire2759]

@@Fuji086 Yeah, I can understand the "sacred cow" argument, which usually comes from die hard pontiac guys, and that did have something to do with it, as the Corvette was well established by the mid 60s, but that's the thing about it, it wasn't so much that they didn't want competition for the vette as it was that they didn't' think the Banshee COULD compete with the vette. Had they introduced it in the mid 50s when the vette still hadn't made a profit, then I could see them canning it to save the vette.

[@jimzimmerman2073]

The 6cyl coupe has been sitting in our showroom for the past 14 years.

[@Death666wish]

Chevy would've been doomed if Pontiac wasn't owned by GM. Such a shame, GM killed my favorite american brand slowly but steadily. Now, it no longer exists. I'm glad though, they ruined the brand for long enough. Pontiac should only come back if some one bought it off of GM.

[@joeblack8491]

Death666wish IKR

[@mannfan12]

They'll never sell Pontiac because it could be serious competition to Chevy. Think of the possibilities of all the great designs of the 60's reimagined for today.

[@vannjunkin8041]

Imagine one of those with a fresh 421 SD... cobra who? Corvette what? It would have laid waste to the competition. A little SD tempest beat the pants off the worlds best.

[@leroylightfoot7358]

@@vannjunkin8041 389 3 duesed 4 speed was going in it but nope ,so the stuck it in a tempest and called gto

[@jeffcochran2195]

I couldn't agree more, and the Oldsmobile as well

[@stevenkoski228]

Wow, what a sweet car, truly an abbreviated version of the Corvette, & dare I say more beautiful? JD was an exceptional visionary of future performance cars👍.

[@Adam-ku2yu]

This came out before the stingray we all know. GM shot this down and two years later this became the Corvette stingray. Smh

[@gibsondrummer]

Imagine that car with a ram air 4, 400 dual quad

[@livewire2759]

I imagine it with cowl induction, a 421 and three deuces.

[@plmcrzy6789]

@@livewire2759 Now your talking!!!! That would be the ultimate

[@Colorado_Native]

No, a 455.

[@manicmechanic448]

I need this machine in my life.

[@ronmiller7916]

From the days when designers didn't just copy one another

[@livewire2759]

John Delorean copied this design from Bill Mitchell's Mako Shark concept car.... But I know what you mean, there was a lot more freedom of creativity back then. The problem with modern cars is that they all HAVE to look alike, due government enforced safety standards. Lights, bumpers, windshields, wheel wells, etc. all have to meet strict guidelines which really inhibit unique designs.

[@tgwazu]

Had it been produced, that car would have changed automotive history.

[@handheldlover4004]

I own a C5 Corvette and even with the C7 one can see the influence this car had! Pontiac was my favorite brand and what an amazing sound the Banshee's engine makes.

[@gregm9230]

Awesome styling for 1964!

[@ryanhodges7101]

This looks like the inspiration for the Opel GT. They certainly took many styling features from this car when they designed it.

[@hoppysport2872]

Ryan..You are spot-on! I thought it was the Opel GT when I first saw it. Then it said it was from 1964. I owned an Opel GT, bought used. Great car.

[@flavorwaster]

Super cool Great info , I would have never known about this, had it not been for this video. Thanks for sharing!

[@logankai7427]

most people look at that beauty of a car and say "corvette?" shame this car was never given a chance

[@1972Ventura455ho]

Very cool video. Pontiac had alot of great projects that GM shot down. Pontiac was killing them in Nascar and the drag strip in 1963 when GM banned all racing.

[@deadgoatsracing234]

Holy Cats. I only j/n made the connection. Old saying goes..What wins on Sunday sells on Monday. With GM banning racing and especially in the Pontiac division I've always thot odd as hell and sucks a giant meatball when it took away the best dam races we would of ever seen. Imagine today if we could Google NASCAR race 1969 and see gtos vs. Chevelles vs. Olds442, and not the ugly turds they did allow. But by banning the competition basically and keeping the publics eyes off the top dogs that were about to lead the industry into the future of performance and machine based products. .. Hello. Anyone listening... 😂 Beyond giving Enuff. Your brains are mine. History is interesting. In school I couldn't read it. It didn't compute. I could read a paragraph over and over. Retain nothing. I guess it didn't resonate with me. I'm a machine based fuel injected prototype Pontiac maybe. Pontiac will return. Just not as we remembered it. Not talking bout a toaster or a motorbike. A bigger force. Stay tuned. 😂

[@BT59]

I wonder what kind of creative genius concept would have been achieved had Delorean and George Barris had had the opportunity to collaborate

[@herbienbrian2]

its to bad GM pulled the plug on this one. this is probably one of the best looking things from GM. headlights are a bit of an afterthought though...

[@mannfan12]

It IS one of the best looking. They took it and make the '68 Corvette out of it.

[@robertdevito5001]

I’ve never seen it with the headlights popped up, what do they even look like?

[@TheHuskyGT]

I'm going to guess they look like the Opel GT's. Cute for a little 4 cylinder sports car; not for a mean muscle beast.

[@ztwntyn8]

I love that car. Up till now I have only seen pictures. Thanks for the video! What’s cool is a 421 or whatever great Pontiac engine is same size as the 326... wouldn’t it be fun with 421/376hp 🤘🏼😄

[@midnightspecial2990]

Since I was a kid, I've always dreamed of taking a 68-69 Corvette and building a tribute to this car. Pontiac powered of course.

[@pauledwards7182]

1964 Pont. Banshee... well, we know where the body design for the 68' Corvette came from.

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

Beautiful and sounds great too!

[@studio-flash]

They had vette concept cars in early 1960's..like this .

[@markloren2133]

It would be a total blast to have one of them you know.

[@michaelotten2724]

One i wish pontiac wouldve put in production!!!

[@whyzup6593]

The 1960 monza GT concept blows that one away (Frameless windshield)

[@tjracing3243]

Beautiful!

[@thagreen72]

you mean to tell me this where the vette got it’s stingray styling from...Pontiac stayed in constant competition w/ Chevy. DeLorean should’ve tried to take over the Pontiac brand and branch off from GM. i could imagine what kinda wild designs as well as performance would’ve been rolled out, maybe would’ve been still around til’ this day.

[@livewire2759]

No, this borrowed designs from the Corvette Mako Shark concept car from '61.

[@dalemllns]

GM took this design from Pontiac and gave it to Chevrolet for their C3 Corvette. The Banshee predates that Corvette by a few years. One of the reasons I'm a bigger fan of Pontiac than Chevrolet in that division and even more so after they killed Pontiac.

[@rich_da_prophet6424]

Man, I thought you were about to *OPEN* this baby up!!!

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

Yeah, Fk'n Roast'em!

[@letmesnitch]

looks nice. Can see where they got the idea for the Mako Shark II

[@05EVORS]

This shape lived on until '83 as the C3 Vette w Shark names added to it. Pontiac had the 90s Banshee again and it lived on as the 4th Gen Trans Am

[@onfin3al6]

Now that I think a bit . Chevrolet had the Pontiac killed and kept the lame Buick because Pontiac styling was moving ahead of Cheeby . I have seen some Pontiac motors that you would not believe .

[@theedrstrangelove]

So Delorean had the rug pulled out when GM suits cancelled this and then re-badged it a Chevrolet Corvette..

[@Vin80_]

theedrstrangelove GM's so greedy they stole their own design.

[@BoilerBloodline]

theedrstrangelove That and John DeLorean snorted most of the profit up his nose.

[@smm2k13]

GM executives killed it , then used the design on the Corvette!

[@L666exx]

What are stunning looking car

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

Looks pretty cool, sounds good, not sure if I've seen one of these before

[@bradleyweiss1089]

THRASH METAL & FUN RIFFS Can you imagine one of the kids that run around in those 4 cylinder Japanese cars with 3 pound coffee can mufflers that go buzzing around town ever got behind the wheel of one of the cars we used to drive? They’d shit their pants! I had a 69 Bonneville that did 120 with 3 guys in it no problem and wasn’t topped out. Factory!

[@melvinthompson4323]

Very cool video!😎👍🏼❤️

[@carysorensen3029]

Love that car! Would choose it over a Corvette any day!

[@Frankestein01nl]

She's looking very nice!

[@td7390]

Sleek looking & back end reminds me of a 69 firebird my buddy bought in 1980...his wasnt driven at 3miles per hour though & no fear of being carboned up.//Viewed from Manitoba.

[@1972Ventura455ho]

You mean a 70's Vette looks like it. That car was built in 1964.

[@joeblack8491]

1972Ventura455ho ...wooow. thats where the 76 vette came from and the Pontiac looks cooler...wtH

[@dr.detroit1514]

Excellent video! Just a fantastic car, it's too bad Pontiac wasn't allowed to produce it. Having this sports car would have also justified Pontiac to keep producing the high performance forged internals solid lifter Super Duty engines after 1963, as Chevy could because of the Corvette. As with Chevy, these SD engines would have possibly found their way into other cars on the line such as the Firebird and GTO. It's debatable who got the "Shark" look idea first, Chevy for the Corvette, or Pontiac for the Banshee. I propose that both design staffs probably got the styling idea around the same time from GM design leader Bill Mitchell, as from what I read somewhere, he had just come back around that time in the early 60's from a sport fishing trip, and admired the lines of the Mako Shark. Pontiac got jammed continuously along the way by GM from the late 40's on to the end. The killing of this car was just another example. To add insult to injury, I read elsewhere that after the car was cancelled, GM ordered the styling makeups and interior bucks be sent to Chevy for use as styling cues for the '68 Corvette. Maddening enough, for a Pontiac enthusiast like me, and must have driven Delorean and other "car guy" Pontiac leaders and engineers to something close to rage and despair. I had owned a '71 Trans-Am in the late 70's and 80's.

[@joshriver75]

2:30 I think the passenger side airbag was deployed! Buh dum ch.... I'll see myself out

[@larryreagan6936]

That's a beautiful car! GM should have stepped up to the plate on this one.

[@MrGjr-nb6yn]

Man that badass love it Yes Sir 🏁✊🏽✌🏿🏴‍☠️

[@clarkkent5632]

That was supposed to be the new 67 Firebird, but the Camaro was already in production. They didn't have time to produce the sheetmetal in time for a 67 release of the Firebird, so Pontiac ended up using the same body panels as the Camaro. Then what was supposed to be the 67 Firebird ended being the 68 Corvette!

[@darrellmattajr9141]

Damn I can remember when I had the banshee hot wheel

[@the1onlyteagro]

Pontiac may still exist if they made this and later not made the Aztec.

[@jollyjakelovell4787]

Now this is the car Jim Rockford shoulda had.

[@timothygrant2831]

Like the OPEL GT ..!!!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Nice looking car. It's too bad GM killed the car. It would've provided Pontiac with its own version of the Corvette, and customers with an alternative to the Corvette.

[@jamesjackson8667]

If it hadn't been for this, I wonder what the C3 would have looked like.

[@livewire2759]

It would look exactly the same. Both the Banshee and the C3 were designed after the Mako Shark concept car in '61.

[@richardoconnor7112]

I used to help my brother in law clean and polish Joe Bortz' car collection and had to move this very car out of his warehouse and back in once. So I guess you can say I have driven it - even if only in a parking lot.

[@SUNIKIGAMING]

The front looks like if a 67 or 68 firebird had a stroke. It's kinda cool.

[@lv2surf]

more AWESOMENESS from John Deloran

[@jamesfalardeau3886]

No, Deloran was a P T Barnum ego monster that had top Engineers working for him that he would steal all the credit from. One of them was my father. He worked with him and hated him as did most of his coworkers in advanced design. How good was Deloran? Look at the heavy, slow and bankrupt DMC. If not for Back to the Future it would be a punchline in car jokes.

[@eskatee]

What a surprise! Kind Regards, Gert

[@RideswithChuck]

Same to you Sir!

[@Caintuckee64]

*WOW!Just a couple of tail fins and that's Speed Racers Mach 5 !*

[@moondawg3693]

Like destroying a Rembrandt for a Van Gogh, such a shame, like a combo of 2 of my faves, Firebird and Vette, actually side looks like an Opal and sounds real nice, could sing me to sleep. I really love this beauty.

[@chiefpontiac1800]

Well, maybe Chevrolet needs to suck it up and start building true Pontiac's again as a niche brand. They will sell, I just know it. Others have accepted the death of Oldsmobile, Saturn, Mercury, Plymouth, but the Pontiac faithful will never give up!

[@vannjunkin8041]

This is my supercar want. I imagine that car with a 421 Super Duty.. oh the possibilities

[@RandyTheWildHorse]

Banshee a classic cool car no doubt.

[@tomcollierblognation136]

I consider myself a car guy and.....I never new this existed 🤣

[@puppysayshi7848]

The Banshee is dead and the Corvette still lives.

[@AlanVonGoodleef]

Was hoping to get to see it race a Corvette

[@Ghost6.2]

I wanna buy one of the two and make it into what it could have been

[@RideswithChuck]

What could it have been?

[@marlonelmorefreedomisoursn9744]

I remember seeing pictures of this car as a little boy

[@CamaroZ-cr9bo]

A Pontiac version of a Corvette?! i was wondering why i never spotted that before!!

[@lesliehorwinkle]

Looks like a Vette to me. If I were the General, the Fiero would've beat the Vette to Ferrari alternative by 30 yrs. It could have easily been a Dino.

[@rayninness6303]

Leslie Horwinkle I worked on the Design of the Fiero during the Prototype phase there were several wars at test tracks between the Corvette and Fiero Squads! To the point we’re neither was allowed to test at the same times!! I also worked on the secret Twin Turbo version!! 😉😉

[@stephenkeebler732]

My brothers best friend was Jerry Korfantas ( hope I got his name right) that worked on creating the Fiero. He told us GM wanted a two seat bottle rocket that could be sold for $24,995. They developed the Space Framework, a trick suspension, and a 3.4L V6 that was powerful, dependable, and fuel efficient! They delivered; problem is, it out accelerated, turned, too speed, and fuel mileaged the 'Vette! The GM and especially the 'Vette Suites yelling bloody murder about it, got the Bean Counter people involved and said "Oh, did we say $24,994? We meant to say produce it for $14,995!" Jerry and the rest of the Team were flabbergasted! Gone was the beautiful 3.4L V6 and instead the gastly 2.5L Iron Duke 4. Gone was the fancy suspension, and in its place, the abysmal Chevy X11 Citation suspension! The only thing left was a cute little gutless wonder, with spaceframe and enduraflex panels! As soon as they went to production, Jerry had enough and retired. It was a sore spot with him every time someone found out he was an engineer with GM; he hated the Company after that...

[@TheMrmmkkpro]

I have a built 1972 455H.O. that would fit nicely in that bad boy. 👍👍🏁

[@joeyburnes25]

What was Pontiac thinking dammit GM you should have put that in production

[@w41duvernay]

This car would have been the bomb with a 428 Pontiac v8.

[@zabnat]

Interlacing welcomes you to the 90's.

[@marcusjames9811]

Damn that sounds pretty healthy

[@DrDiff952]

Just as they did with the Fiero with Buick GNX motor!

[@miken7382]

The Pontiac 389 ,428 SD was the same size as the 326 . That would have been a handful.

[@starguard4122]

Cool. I always thought most concept cars that failed to make it to production were all destroyed

[@afranca1825]

No, some of them make it out but the only sad thing is that they aren't street legal. Or at least that's what someone told me.

[@brianr5665]

They are not street legal in most states. But it's amazing to see these concept cars on the road today. This Pontiac was way ahead of it's time as the final result was a far later model Corvette. Always loved Pontiac cars, they were so much more stylish than the Chevy. I always thought the Chevy was the bare bones model. I was born in the mid 70's so that is where I get it from. In order for my preference it was always Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Chevy.

[@MesaLX666]

the 389 was good, as was the 400 and 455, thats three by my count. Also all pontiac V8s had identical sized blocks, so swapping is a quick and easy job. Throw the original engine on a stand and drop in any I mentioned above.

[@electric8668]

I see a Corvette with a different grille and Trans Am tail lights. Sorta like Camaro and Firebirds, they were basically the same car with a different grille and tail lights.

[@kvnkaveman]

The Banshee was built in 64 the Corvette didn't adopt that style until 68, The banshee was quite a bit smaller and over 500 pounds lighter then the Corvette. And the Banshee didn't share a single part with the Corvette.

[@martinhawkins5666]

Soooo much cooler than a vette, They never went into production because pontiac though it looked to similar to one. What a shame 😢

[@comander402]

hello thank you very much for reveal very good videos greetings friend ok

[@THEJIG-IS-UP]

I have an 08 solstice and it kinda looks like a mini vette

[@frankburns8871]

That steering wheel is straight out of 1967

[@gordon7443]

its a Pontivette! looks nice

[@michaelt3798]

Looks and sounds mean as hell

[@marshallmajor4971]

Looks like a vette with firebird taillights

[@donayers5925]

I had 6 Pontiac ! 3 catalina's ,1 Ventura and 2 gto's ! I miss pontiac ! At 74, I drive a Chevy impala !

[@gilbertjuarez7064]

Long live Pontiac

[@dbsimms63]

It had to be the inspiration for the Opal GT, looks like a longer version.

[@ryanwitman8672]

Hey, out of curiosity why wasn’t this ever produced?! It seems like it would have been a smashing hit on the commercial market