The Pontiac Banshee is a line of concept cars designed by Pontiac, assuming the role previously established by General Motors' Firebirds of the 1950s. Four Banshee "dream cars" were fabricated through 1988 as design exercises intended to establish exterior and interior themes that could be modified for production versions of Pontiac sports and performance cars. Banshee was also the leading candidate for Pontiac's version of the Camaro before being named Firebird in light of any deathly associations of the word Banshee. Banshee (XP-833) In 1964 Pontiac developed the XP-833 project, a small two-seater with a long, sweeping hood and a short rear deck. Several different versions were constructed, but only two drivable prototypes were ever built. One was a silver hardtop with a straight six engine and the other is a white convertible with a V-8. A 4-seater version was also developed codenamed XP-851. The Banshee name was retroactively given in 1971 when engineer Bill Collins installed the leftover Banshee badges taken from the later XP-798 project, XP-833 was never referred to as the Banshee during its development. The styling on these cars is highly reminiscent of what appeared on third-generation Chevrolet Corvettes in 1968, as well as the Opel GT. Another styling cue that made production was the design of the taillights, which are nearly identical to that found on first-generation Pontiac Firebirds. Indeed, the high performance and sensuous styling of the Banshee may have led to its demise. Head of Pontiac John DeLorean called this car the "Mustang Fighter" and rumor has it he fully intended to bring it to production. However, his bosses at GM felt that it would be a threat to the Corvette, cannibalizing its sales, and (if DeLorean had his way) outperforming it as well. This did not sit well with GM execs who had marketed the Corvette as their top performer; even today, models such as the Camaro and Firebird - even though using the same engine as Corvette - have had those engines de-tuned slightly so they will not have as high a horsepower rating as a Corvette. The Banshee would have had equivalent horsepower, yet weighed less than the Corvette and so would have been a potent package. It was able to reach in second gear. GM executives instructed DeLorean to cease further development in 1964, though a direct successor was developed as XP-858. In a move loaded with irony, a