Z06LMB

Remember the 1963 Auto Expo with the proto type Pontiac Banshee XP-833?
It had the HD overhead valve inline 6 cyl. With a 4 seed trans. GM made 2 of these, one a convertible, but they didn't shred this one - in fact GM sold it to an employee. It sold to a private collector in 2010.
Apparently GM didn't want to see this car compete with the Corvette.
It would be interesting to see some of the Banshee styling made into C3 modifications even today.

terrys6t8roadster

Do you think Mr. Delorean had his fingers in on this?. T

Z06LMB

Pete Estes gave Cheif engineer Jon DeLorean the green light to go on the Banshee. This car only weighed 2,200 lbs (DeLorean made it we'll known he wanted a car produced at that weight with a 175 hp motor calling it "Ideal engineering"

panic

It looks like a '65 Opel GT...

Z06LMB

Don't Panic but you might have a typo here. Opal GT (first generation) was made from 1968 to 1973

Z06LMB

I knew a couple girls in high school that drove an Opal GT. We used to laugh because one was so rusted every time it got really wet from a soaking rain the rust would make fizzling sounds like Alka-Seltzer in a glass of water.
From what I remember Opal had good mechanicals, it just rusted out at an unbelievable rate.


Rich

panic

I know but its design debutted in Paris and Frankfurt '65 motorshows.

OldCarBum

I had a 73 Opal GT. Fun car to drive and it would fly through the canyon roads. I kept it for about 5 years with no problems and over 100,000 miles. Always thought it would be cool to drop in a V6 from a Buick Skyhawk.

Mr D.

The Opal GT was a poor mans Vette.

L-46man

I've actually sat in this car. B-J. Scotts. All Access VIP PASS.

Johnny Z (before cocaine) dreamed this up. GM brass shot it down.
Notice the 'sprint 6 engine' which he thought would NOT make it compete with the V8 Vette.
Essentially it is a 6 cylinder C-3.

Alex66

It has the headlights like the Opel GT, is the Banshee Body also smaller than the Corvette C3? I have a hard time telling in the Pictures... The Opel GT is a very cool small car, when I was a kid you saw a few of them over here in Germany. Now, you see them even less than a C3 over here... They are small by their dimensions.... It is like a Midget Vette

L-46man

Had a bunch of OPEL GT's....The originally 53 Corvette was called PROJECT OPEL....to throw the parparazzi off the track.

The car in question had absolutely nothing to do with the Banshee.

Repeat after me...OPEL/OPEL

BTW...it's not CAMERO either! lol

Great car GT....1.9 litre 102 hp 2200 lbs RWD, tranverse FRONT spring.

Designed by the same guys who did our beloved C-3 David Holls/Henry Haga/ Larry Shinoda.

First year in north america was 68 (to 73) not 65.

LOVELY CAR killed by the 240Z, which was the same amount of $$$

SPCL FX

Back in the "80"S I was at a local drag strip south east of Orlando, Fl. and there was an Opal GT there with a 454 in it that I believe was punched outa little bigger ! To say the least that puppy could move !

Alex66

WOW! How did they manage to stuff a Big Block in there? There is absolutely no room in the engine compartment... The engine must have been sticking halfway into the cabin... A friend of mine put a 1992 Opel Calibra Turbo Engine in there with Ford Cossworth 16V heads and a Manual Mechanical Turbo Boost Regulator from the cockpit like the 1st gen 911 Prsche Turbo's had... and there was no space left in the engine compartment, because of that to get rid of heat underhood heat is a big issue... But it is very fast and a blast to drive that Little Thing Easy 300 HP on the rear wheels, that is very much for such a light small car!

L-46man

I have seen the big block GT....It had a fiberglass tilt nose...You cannot stuff a BB in a conventional GT. The Buick V6 goes in and that's about it.

dmaxx3500

240z Datsun was better

Alex66

Makes sense, the 16V Calibra Turbo engine is a inline 4 cylinder and that was allready tight with the Turbo....

Priya

Yes. Much more so.

SPCL FX

Sorry , with the storm and all it's been a little busy for me .

They didn't just stuff it in like you would a big block where a small block was ! There was a drivers seat only and they rubbed out the rear so the seat was just forward of the axels ! The firewall was cutout completely and moved rearward! Along with all the other mods necessary to make it functional!

I noticed it because of the big block in it since at the same time I had a 73 Nova with a 454 that I built in it !

And yes you were right ! There was less than no room in there !

Ray

The13Bats

My first car was an opel gt,
It didn't have any horrible rust, a little on the rear deck,

The stock engine wasnt bad, but when i needed a new carb that wasnt cheap
i had a rev head buddy suggest a buick v6, swap that turned into the buick v6 and the auto trans, cutting , fabbing cussing,

So now it was mean, and even at 15-16 yo i had to mod it,

My gt had the stock headlights which rolled sideways with cantankerous linkage replaced with recessed 4 x 6 rectangle lamps, it had a smaller l88 hoodscoop, that flowed into the stock hood bubble,

Front spoiler,

I also had steel flares all 4 corners,
The orange paint was wet sanded with comet cleanser for a satin sheen,

I kind of miss that car to this day,