http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/13/ebay-find-of-the-day-1964-pontiac-xp833-banshee-concept/
You never know what you're going to find on eBay. The auction house of the interwebs routinely plays host to metal both obscure and unique – two categories the vehicle you see above satisfies without question. It's a 1964 Pontiac XP833 Banshee Concept, and while it's easy to think that the car is little more than a warmed over Corvette design, the truth is that this particular Poncho had widespread influence on General Motors design language for more than a decade.
Originally penned by none other than John Delorean, the Banshee was supposed to be a more sports-oriented competitor to the recently introduced Ford Mustang. Unfortunately, when the concept was completed, the higher-ups felt that the Banshee would threaten the Corvette throne and the project was scrapped. It's a song that would be repeated time and time again in the future.
Pieces of the Banshee design would live on in cars like the C4 Corvette and Pontiac Firebird, but the actual concepts themselves were slated for destruction. Fortunately, the studies were boxed up in shipping crates and tucked away for safe keeping, eventually sold to the GM execs who had taken part in the Banshee project. This particular example has a mere 1,500 miles on the clock and sits in its original condition. It can be yours for the right price, but with almost $50,000 on the auction and the reserve not met, it ain't gonna be cheap.
That's cool. I want one. Considering what it is, $50k wouldn't be bad, but sounds like it won't go for that.
There were two of those built, this one which has an overhead cam six, and the other one is a convertible with a 326ci V8. The convertible is in the Joe Bortz collection: http://bortzautocollection.com/
The 6 cylinder car went across one of the auctions (Mecom I think) this year. Not sure if it sold or not.
Keep in mind that the Corvette Stingray came out in 1968, so this concept was 4 years prior to that.
There's a lot of Opel GT in there too, like the lights and that hood bulge.
i think the part where it says that pieces of the concept would be used in the C4 Corvette was a typo.. the C4 came out in '84- i highly doubt that they would have sat on something that long without using it.. i'm sure they meant "C3" Corvette...
Will
HalfDork
9/14/10 5:56 a.m.
The greenhouse has a first gen Camaro feel to it, albeit smaller.
I think that was the concept car for the firebird, but I could be wrong and I'm too lazy to look it up. 
no mistaking those fenders for anything but C3 Vette.. no doubt the Banshee was really the prototype to the C3
AutoXR
Reader
9/14/10 9:17 a.m.
I was in Monterey for the historics / pebble beach etc and saw this car at mecum auction. Looked really neat - very original too as it had some patina. The OHC pontiac motor was very cool
Jay_W
HalfDork
9/14/10 10:13 a.m.
novaderrik wrote:
i think the part where it says that pieces of the concept would be used in the C4 Corvette was a typo.. the C4 came out in '84- i highly doubt that they would have sat on something that long without using it.. i'm sure they meant "C3" Corvette...
I don't know about that, man. I remember going to the L.A. history and industry museum in the '70's as a kid, and there was a GM sposored exhibit in there that centered on a model "car of the future" that looked very, very much like a C4 Vette. I think maybe thishere Banshee has had quite a late longterm impact.
Certainly not the last concept car to carry the banshee name and not get produced, wikipedia lists 4.
They had a few Banshees over the years. They had one in the early 1970's that previewed the looks of the late-70's Trans Am, with a similar nose and wrap-around rear window. The silver one is really cool, and shares similarities with the 2nd Generation Firebird and Trans Am. I have a silver-on-red 2nd gen Trans Am myself! 
Too bad the corporate guys said no to this one, it would have been really cool. 
89 fiero concept to 4th gen F-body carries a very striking resemblance as well..
Ahhh... who doesn't fondly remember the last time a Pontiac concept went into production almost unchanged.
Come to think of it...Pontiac had a lot of good ideas that were stupidly blocked by the GM brass. This is a good example, the 89 Fiero was another, but the one that really gets me is the continuation of the Turbo 301 in the 3rd gen F-Body.
Pontiac, already neutered of it's traditional V8 after 1979, had only the turbocharged 301 as a performance-oriented engine. For the 3rd gen Firebird and Trans Am, they planned on installing in that car a multiport EFI version of their carbed turbo 301. They had development mules running around and everything, and then GM pulled the plug, forcing them to use the SBC as the V8 option. If this had gotten off the ground, then it would have probably bested the V6 Grand National. 
