Banshee XP-833: The Stunning Concept That Could've Rewritten Pontiac's History

For decades, the Corvette has been known as "America's Sports Car." Though its greatness is unquestionable, the model's rise to mythical status has been - in no small part - aided by GM's relentless push to snuff out the competition.

That included attempts from within the corporation's ranks, even if those concepts weren't all-out rivals but sports cars that would've catered to a fraction of potential Corvette buyers.

One example is the Oldsmobile F-88. Based on the first-gen Corvette, it was a far more upscale take on the Chevy sports car, and apart from a small portion of wealthy Corvette buyers, it would have attracted fans of expensive European grand tourers.

On the other end of the spectrum was Pontiac's XP-833. An ingenious sports car for the masses, it would've unquestionably eaten a piece of the Corvette pie but also a healthy chunk out of the Mustang's.

Attempting to build even more excitement

Headed by John DeLorean, the "rebellious teen" in GM's boardroom, the Pontiac was transformed into one of Detroit's most popular brands during the second part of the 1960s.

With an emphasis on delivering performance-oriented products that appealed to the younger demographic, the division stayed true to its "we built excitement" motto.

Though GM's decision-makers weren't too fond of DeLorean's vision, he stubbornly pushed forward with projects like the 1964 GTO - a performance model that became immensely popular and is now credited with kickstarting the golden age of muscle cars.

But in addition to the Tempest/LeMans-based GTO, DeLorean also contributed to another project in 1963, one that produced a two-seat sports car intended to make Pontiac even more exciting.

Inspired by the Corvair Monza GT and aimed at the Mustang

APart from convincing GM higher-ups to approve funding for the project dubbed XP-833, DeLorean also played an active role in the design and development of the concept car.

Working with a small team of enthusiastic employees, DeLorean drew inspiration for the new two-seater's aesthetics from the 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT (XP-777) concept.

Nevertheless, the aim was to create an affordable sports car, so instead of the advanced mid-engine layout of the Monza GT, the team opted for a traditional front-engine approach.

This led to a long nose and short rear deck design similar to the Corvette - albeit the XP-833 was noticeably smaller than the Chevy.

But while it looked like a baby Corvette, DeLorean wanted the model to be the affordable sports car that the Mustang was not.

Recently introduced and scheduled to be a smash hit among younger buyers, the affordable Mustang had the sports car looks and was more practical with its four seats, but it was certainly not a sports car.

The future Pontiac boss figured those with Mustang money who dreamed about driving a legitimate two-seat sports car would undoubtedly buy the division's new model.

Engineered to keep production costs at bay

While the beautiful hand-crafted two-door coupe body was built from scratch, the underpinnings of the XP-833 used a mix of parts bin-sourced and new-yet-uncomplex components to keep eventual production costs low.

A modified version of GM's A-body platform, the chassis featured a 10-bolt live rear axle sourced from the Tempest. However, the four-link Watts-type linkage was custom-built for the project.

The independent, coil-sprung double A-arm front suspension was also rumored to be sourced from the Tempest, but it turns out that the setup used experimental components.

For the steering, engineers used a conventional pitman-arm manual box, while the brakes consisted of conventional A-body drums tucked away behind each wheel.

Powered by an inline-six but designed to accept a V8

Developed with affordability in mind, the initial two-door coupe was equipped with what should've been the production version's standard engine.

Rated at 165 hp, the unit in question was Pontiac's 230-ci (3.8-liter) SOHC straight-six linked to a T-10 four-speed manual. Still a prototype at that stage, the six would debut in the 1966 model year as the Tempest's new standard motor.

Nevertheless, for the two-seater, Pontiac planned an extensive options list that included a series of V8s and, in addition to the coupe, the team built a convertible version equipped with a V8.

Killed-off by the Corvette

The XP-833 was never unveiled to the press. In 1964, the two versions of the concept, along with a detailed production plan, were shown to GM management.

While everyone was excited about its looks, they saw it as a direct threat to the Corvette, so DeLorean was ordered to shut down the project, while a clay model of the XP-833 was delivered to Chevy where, along with the Mako Shark II concept, it helped shape the new C3 Corvette.

Despite being promoted to the general manager position a year later and campaigning for a production run, DeLorean failed to revive the project.

Instead, he was allowed to develop a four-seat concept loosely inspired by the XP-833. Codenamed XP-798 but dubbed "Banshee" after a fighter plane, this concept's unique badges ended up on the XP-833 several years later.

Therefore, the XP-833 became known as Banshee XP-833, even though the name wasn't used during its development.

In the following decades, Pontiac developed three other Banshee concepts, but although promising, they all shaded the XP-833's faith in order to protect the Corvette's supremacy on the market.

It could've rewritten Pontiac's story

Considering Pontiac's success during the 1960s, it's easy to forget about the XP-833 and its potential impact on the future of the division.

Thanks to the GTO and, later, the Firebird, Pontiac became one of the most popular brands of the original muscle car era.

However, if GM had granted Pontiac more independence and allowed the XP-833 to make it into production, the division would've undoubtedly become even more successful.

Though the model would've encroached on Corvette territory, especially if equipped with one of Pontiac's potent V8s in standard six-cylinder guise, it would've thrived during the first years of the Malaise era.

In addition, a more independent Pontiac with an established affordable sports car model in its lineup could've been more successful during the 1980s and 1990s.

Instead, the division was forced to live in Chevy's shadow, and when it was allowed to develop its sports car for the masses, it was hit by budget cuts and prevented from using V8s - again, to keep it from competing with the Corvette.

The Banshee XP-833 today

The resulting Fiero became America's first mass-produced mid-engine sports car, but with the aforementioned budget cuts and lazy engines, it also became a failure.

The 2006–2010 Solstice became the only successful Pontiac sports car, but, unfortunately, it came too late to save the division.

Though it never made it into production and was seen as a direct threat to the Corvette, the XP-833 coupe was saved from the crusher and is still around today.

During the last sixty years, it changed owners a few times. The last time it made headlines was in 2022, when it was listed for sale by Napoli Classics with an asking price of $1.2 million.

It's still available for the same price today, so if you're a Pontiac fan with bottomless pockets, this amazing one-off can be yours.

For a virtual tour of the Banshee XP-833, we recommend the YouTube video below by Pamela Hirschhorn.