The unique 1964 Pontiac Banshee coupe concept is once again for sale, this time in a listing on Hems. The asking price is $1.2 million.
The Banshee was one of General Motors’ first attempts to combat the Ford Mustang. Known internally as XP-833, it was the idea of John Z. DeLorean, who was head of Pontiac at the time. More sports car than compact car, it featured a sleek fiberglass body reminiscent of the later Chevrolet Corvette C3 and Opel GT.
Instead of a bespoke sports car platform, though, the Banshee borrowed mechanical hardware from the first-generation Pontiac Tempest. He used that car’s unusual rear transmission, driven by a flexible metal driveshaft, often called a “rope drive,” to send the power of an inline-6 engine to the rear wheels.
GM passed on the Banshee after two prototypes — this silver coupe and a white convertible — were built, reportedly because executives were concerned that the Pontiac would steal sales from the Corvette. Instead, Pontiac bought the Firebird like its Mustang fighter, sharing the GM F-Body platform with the Chevy Camaro.
Pontiac Banshee Coupe
The two Banshee prototypes were hidden until they could be acquired by GM employees. The coupe remained with its buyer until 2006, when it was purchased by dealer Len Napoli of Milford, Connecticut, for $210,600 at a Barrett-Jackson auction. Napoli is a noted Pontiac collector whose family ran a Pontiac dealership from 1958 until GM shut down the division.
Napoli tried to sell the Banshee coupe several times. It first appeared for sale in 2010 and was last listed for sale through the Kia dealership in Napoli in 2020 with an asking price of $750,000. Napoli appears to be the seller once again, as the car is still listed as being sold by a dealership in Milford, Connecticut, with the same 1,498 miles as the last time it was offered for sale. Will it finally find a buyer this time?