Jaw-Dropping 64' Pontiac Banshee XP-833 Hitting Auction Block
Photo: Dragone
Pontiac had some real nice success in the 1960s but one thing that they didn’t have in their performance-driven division was a true sports car, at least back in the 60’s. Not until John DeLorean, made it happen. Under his watch, Pontiac commissioned the Banshee, a svelte, fiberglass-bodied two-seater. Intended as a shot across Ford’s bow, Pontiac’s Banshee XP-833 coupe was an answer to Ford’s Cougar II show car, and Pontiac felt confident they could bring the Banshee to market before Ford launched its own two-seater.
Photo: Dragone
This silver coupe was built using a modified chassis from a 1964 Tempest and then was fitted with Pontiac’s 230-cubic-inch OHC straight-six, hooked to a four-speed manual transmission. But alas, not everything gets its chance to shine and the Banshee never made it past the concept stage. GM brass shut it down for fear it would be in-house competition for the Corvette. Some of the design elements lived on in future vehicles like the Opel GT, the C3 Corvette, and the ’67 Firebird.’
Photo: Dragone
Out of this exercise came two Banshee concept cars that survived: this silver coupe and a white convertible (the white convertible that’s long been a part of Joe Bortz’s collection). They were stashed away by Pontiac employees who later bought the cars in 1973. The silver coupe remained with its original owner until 2006, when it sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $214,500. Now the silver coupe will head to auction later this month as part of the Dragone sale in Greenwich, Connecticut and has a pre-sale estimate of $600,000–$650,000.
Photo: Dragone
Photo: Dragone
Photo: Dragone
