• Nov 23, 2007
Hit the picture above for a high-res image.

A truly one-of-a-kind Pontiac popped up on eBay recently. The "Buy it Now" price of $1.3 million says it all. The car is a 1964 Pontiac Banshee Prototype XP-833 Coupe. It is one of two roadgoing Banshee prototype cars designed by John Delorean, although this particular offering is the only one left standing today. The deceased prototype was a white convertible powered by a V8. The existing XP-833 Coupe features a straight 6 cylinder overhead cam engine mated to a 4 speed automatic transmission and is claimed to weigh in at 2,200 lbs. The Banshee project was cancelled due to its encroachment on Corvette territory. However, it is apparent that Corvette engineers paid note to Delorean's concept as future Vette models are stylistically similar.

The car would make the ultimate addition to any collector's garage. Its design appears to have good balance with a wide rear stance, minimal overhang past the rear axle and an engine set far back in the engine bay. Another interesting feature of the design is the bump in the center of the hood that appears to be necessary in order to provide sufficient clearance for the engine's huge cam gear. Check the gallery below for pictures from the listing.

[Source: eBay]

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    • 1 Second Ago
      • 7 Years Ago
      Ah, it's the missing link that will shut up the creationists for good!
      • 7 Years Ago
      Interesting looking car ...

      I couldn't help notice the rear plate says "Mr. Goodwrench" and that you can see a "Suzuki Aerio" poster on one of the pictures ...
      • 7 Years Ago
      didnt this go on the block a year or two back at the B-J auction?
      • 7 Years Ago
      amazing car.
      • 7 Years Ago
      This car is what the Corvette could have and should have been, and in some ways still fails to live up to here in the 21st-century.

      Instead of GM making this car back in the 60s, Nissan/Datsun wound up making it with their Z-cars, just opting for an exterior that more closely resembled the Ferrari of the times.

      In many ways John DeLorean's talents were wasted when he chose to work for American car manufacturers, because it wasn't so much he who was ahead of his time, but they who were always a decade or so behind the times, much as they are today.

      And that's why no one wants their cars other than uninformed poorly educated Americans who have been conned into long for the nostalgia of the time that never really existed outside of the minds of the marketers who sell revisionist history in this country. That's why all the American car manufacturers have once again found themselves in deep financial trouble, because the people who run GM, Ford and Chrysler either can't see the future, or refuse to go there.

      And this is why they are ultimately left behind financially and technologically, while their only solution has been to buy up other car manufacturers and try to hold them back as well, in the hopes of making themselves and their cars look better. But unfortunately for their bottom line and the people who work in American auto manufacturing, these attempts at reverse evolution aren't working out nearly as well as they'd hoped.

      All they need to do now is buyout every other car company on the planet, especially those pesky Japanese, that way consumers will have no other choice but to settle for less, because we'll never know how much better things can be when engineers are allowed to create freely, since everyone of them would be prevented from doing so by the corporate swine who have no problem hold back the progress of all humankind, if it means that could put a little extra money in their pockets in the process.
      • 7 Years Ago
      Amazing car..... plz it's a Corvette. Tired-azz rebadging.
        • 7 Years Ago
        @elprogrammer: Have you heard the term Sarchasam? It's the gap between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. Don't fall in...
        • 7 Years Ago
        Moltenauto: you are an idiot too.
        • 7 Years Ago
        You're an idiot, you know that right?
      • 7 Years Ago
      Funny the details that show up on the prototypes-- like the Cadillac shield logo on the seatbelts. John DeLorean was masterful with sheetmetal, but I won't miss his financial hijinks.
      • 7 Years Ago
      This car/dealership is actually in my home town and is run by a friend of mines grandfather. I've seen this car up close and personal and it's really a beautiful machine. If only I had the money to own this car...

      The dealership, Napoli Indoor Auto Outlet, is a funny mix of classic sports and muscle cars, used cars and brand new Suzukis. He also has another Nissan dealer in town.
      • 7 Years Ago
      Nice! The front-end reminds me of the Monkeemobile.
      • 7 Years Ago
      Pontiac was obviously just fronting for GM and testing the public's response to the future 1968 Corvette Stingray model with this concept vehicle on the 1964 car show circuit.
      • 7 Years Ago
      What a weird blend of classic Euro-italian styling cues and American bulges. BTW, if I had Leno's dough ....there is at least 50 other cars within that price range I could think of.
      • 7 Years Ago
      Thank you! Someone who knows what he is talking about! Hyperv6, you seem to be the only one on this blog to actually do some research and takes the time to make a sound case with actual facts!

      I was getting worried there for a second until I started reading your posts. I thought I would have to set everybody straight for a minute.

      If you took the time to read some of the other comments, one person actually said "And it appears that the rear was copied directly for the early 70's Firebird."

      How can a car that came AFTER this concept be the basis for said concept. What sort of twisted twilight zone does that person live in?

      What ever. The truth is that about 90% of GM was still operating as completely separate divisional entities of a large holding company. That means that althogh there was some sharing, like the Corvette and then the Old's F88 / Pontiac Bonneville concepts, most of the time each division had its own design and engineering teams.
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