[1]America’s automotive industry has a rich history that includes hundreds of drop-dead-gorgeous concept cars that pushed designers’ imagination to the limit. The now-defunct Pontiac brand in particular offered up some of the most outlandish and fun concept cars to ever take the stage. And while Pontiac may no longer exist as a standalone brand, many people remain devoted to this storied marque.
People like Joe Bortz, whom Hemmings Auto Blog [2] reports will be bring not one, not two, but four classic Pontiac concept cars to the annual Pontiac-Oakland Club International gathering in St. Charles, Illinois.
The two most interesting concept cars just happen to be the two sportiest models. The 1954 Bonneville Special, which was never intended for production, sported a quad-carbureted 268 cubic-inch inline-eight engine and borrowed heavily from the ‘54 Corvette in the looks department. Alas, the bubbletop Bonneville was just an exercise in engineering, and nothing more.
The 1964 Banshee XP-833 was also based on the Corvette, and almost made it to production. Eventually, Chevrolet’s protests were heeded, and just two Banshee concepts were ever built. This one sports a 326 cubic-inch V8 engine and again, borrows heavily from the Corvette for its styling.
The other two cars, the 1953 Parisienne and the 1960 X-400, were more luxury people movers than sports cars. The X-400 sported a supercharger, as well as every other option in its bid to be the “ultimate Pontiac”. The Parisienne was a glorified limo with a roof that left the driver exposed to the elements. How…quaint.