The Pontiac Banshee Was a Corvette Ahead of Its Time
Both the Mako Shark II and this concept here, the Pontiac Banshee, were critical in the styling of what we now know as the C3 Corvette. John DeLorean — the one you’re all familiar with — played a critical role in the design of this 1964 concept. Powered by a straight-six motor, it was never really designed to compete against the Corvette. Rather, it was intended to be an affordable and lightweight sports car to square up against Ford’s brand new Mustang.
Styling elements of this car can be found all over GM’s portfolio in the following years. The door shape and rear 3/4 panel is almost indistinguishable from the production C3. The front end and headlights would find their way onto the “baby ‘Vette” Opel GT. And those rear tail lights are quite similar to those used on the Firebird.
This one-of-one concept from GM was ultimately headed for the scrapper, but a GM employee convinced some upper management to let him buy it. It was driven sparsely, and now has just 1,500 miles on the odometer. You can find the listing on Hemmings for an undisclosed price.
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Via [Hemmings]
