Pontiac Banshee: The Rebel Coupe That Took on the Corvette and Lost

In 1964, Pontiac was feeling frisky. While the GTO was busy inventing the muscle car, a skunkworks project inside the company was brewing something even wilder: the Banshee.

This sleek, fiberglass-bodied coupe wasn’t just a car—it was a middle finger to GM’s sacred cow, the Corvette. Spearheaded by none other than John Z. DeLorean (yep, that DeLorean), the Banshee was Pontiac’s bid to blend muscle car swagger with sports car finesse.

Spoiler alert: it never made it to showrooms, but what a story. Let’s peel back the hood on this forgotten legend.

A Design That Screamed Futuristic Cool

The Banshee was a looker, no question. Picture a low-slung coupe with a long hood, pop-up headlights, and a minimalist vibe that felt like it rolled straight out of a sci-fi flick. Its fiberglass body kept weight down to about 2,600 pounds—light for the era—making it nimble enough to dance with European sports cars like the Porsche 911.

The interior? Pure Spartan chic: simple gauges, bucket seats, and none of the chrome-heavy fluff of ‘60s land yachts. It was like Pontiac built a Batmobile for the everyman.

Under the hood, the Banshee packed a 230-cubic-inch inline-six churning out 165 horsepower, solid but not earth-shattering. The real magic was the optional 326-cubic-inch V8, pumping out 250 ponies—enough to hit 0-60 mph in about 7 seconds, per period estimates.

That’s not GTO fast, but for a sports car built for handling as much as straight-line grunt, it was plenty spicy. The suspension, with its independent front setup and live rear axle, borrowed tricks from Pontiac’s racing playbook, promising a ride that could carve corners without rattling your teeth.

The Banshee’s design was also influential. Look at the 1968 Corvette (the C3), and you’ll see echoes of the Banshee’s sleek nose and tucked-in rear. Even the Opel GT, GM’s Euro-market darling, cribbed some of its curves. DeLorean’s team knew they had a hit, but GM’s suits had other plans.

Why GM Shelved Their Own Prodigy

So why did the Banshee get the axe? Two words: corporate politics. The Corvette was GM’s golden child, the halo car that defined American performance. By 1964, it was already a cultural icon, despite early sales hiccups.

Pontiac pitching a rival sports car was like a sibling stealing the star quarterback’s playbook. GM’s top brass saw the Banshee as a threat to Corvette’s throne, and they weren’t about to let Pontiac crash the party, as detailed in Hagerty’s deep dive on the Banshee’s demise.

Then there was the money. Developing a new car from scratch isn’t cheap, and the Banshee’s price tag was steep—around $400,000 in 1964 dollars, which is roughly $4 million today when adjusted for inflation. That covered engineering, tooling, and testing for a low-volume car that might’ve retailed for $3,000-$4,000 (think $30,000-$40,000 in 2025 money).

Compare that to the Corvette’s $4,200 sticker in ‘64, and you can see why the project flinched. Pontiac was a muscle car brand, not a boutique sports car maker, and GM didn’t want to risk the cash.

Just Two Ever Made

Only two Banshees were ever built: a silver coupe and a white convertible, both hand-crafted prototypes. They were show-stoppers at auto shows, drawing crowds who didn’t know they were staring at a ghost.

After GM pulled the plug, the prototypes were nearly crushed—standard practice for one-offs—but DeLorean and his crew reportedly begged to save them, as noted in Silodrome’s Banshee history.

Today, both survive in private collections, popping up at auctions like unicorns. A 2015 sale saw the coupe fetch $1.2 million at Dragone Auctions, and experts say values have only climbed since.

The Banshee’s Lasting Legacy

Even in defeat, the Banshee left tire marks on history. Its styling DNA shaped the third-gen Corvette, especially the C3’s sharp angles and aggressive stance. The Opel GT, launched in 1968, leaned hard on the Banshee’s aesthetic, proving GM wasn’t above recycling good ideas—just not under Pontiac’s badge. DeLorean himself carried the Banshee’s spirit forward, channeling its bold vision into his DMC-12 years later (pop-up headlights, anyone?).

For collectors, the Banshee is the ultimate “what if.” Its rarity—only two exist—makes it a holy grail, with Hagerty’s 2024 data pegging values well into seven figures for either prototype. Vintage car forums on X buzz with fans dreaming of a modern Banshee revival, though GM’s focus on EVs makes that a long shot.

Still, the car’s legend grows, fueled by grainy photos and stories from old Pontiac engineers who swear it could’ve outrun the Corvette on a twisty road. For gearheads, it’s a reminder of an era when designers took risks, when a guy like DeLorean could sketch a game-changer on a napkin and almost pull it off.

Next time you see a C3 Corvette’s curves or an Opel GT’s silhouette, tip your hat to the Banshee—the rebel that got away. Got a Banshee story or another classic you’re itching to hear about? Drop a comment!