(Motorsport-Total.com/Motor1) – There are stories in automotive history that sound like a gripping economic thriller. One of them is that of the 1964 Pontiac Banshee XP-833. When you stand today in front of the flat, silver coupe, you inevitably ask yourself: Why was this car never allowed to go into production?
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The answer lies deep in the thicket of General Motors’ corporate politics and is one of the most fascinating “what-if” stories in US automotive history. Behind it is none other than John Z. DeLorean, the man who would later achieve worldwide fame (and notorious headlines) with his own gull-wing DMC-12.
But in the mid-60s, DeLorean was still the brilliant mind at Pontiac. Together with Pete Estes, he wanted to radically sharpen the sporty image of the brand. His goal: a compact, lightweight two-seater that was to be positioned as a cheaper but still performance-oriented alternative between the Corvette and the later Camaro.
The “Corvette Killer” DNA
The XP-833 project was not just a show car but a fully drivable prototype, understood as an indirect response to the emerging pony car wave around the Ford Mustang. DeLorean and his team relied on a fiberglass body over a massively revised chassis derived from the GM A-body architecture. With an ultra-short wheelbase of only 2,286 millimeters (90 inches) and an empty weight just under 1,000 kilograms, the Banshee was a real lightweight.
The Veto from the Carpet Floor
But it was precisely this brilliance that became the Banshee’s downfall. The GM executives, especially those responsible at Chevrolet, got cold feet. They feared that the cheaper Pontiac could steal the show—and above all the customers—from the prestigious Corvette. The Chevrolet leadership saw the XP-833 as a direct threat to their sanctuary.
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Photo series: Pontiac Banshee XP-833 Concept (1964)
The verdict from corporate headquarters was devastating: project stopped. Officially, Pontiac was instructed to focus on the market for four- and five-seaters. At least: the spirit of the project later flowed into the Firebird, but the dream of a pure two-seater was shattered.
Last-Second Rescue
Normally, such prototypes end up in the crusher. The fact that we can still admire the Banshee today is thanks to brave employees who literally hid the vehicles in private garages until they could officially acquire them later.
Today, the silver Banshee XP-833 is not only a multi-million dollar collector’s item but a rolling monument to John DeLorean’s spirit of innovation. It remains the “ghost” that probably haunted the Corvette developers in their dreams for a long time—as the best car Pontiac was never allowed to build.
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