Despite being discontinued in 2010, Pontiac is still one of the most well-known car companies of all time. They produced several celebrated rides during their time on the market. Some of them are the Firebird, the G8, and the Grand-Am. However, like most companies, Pontiac also had concept cars to test out features for production vehicles without the risk of extreme failure.

Perhaps most notably, the company began the Banshee series of concept cars in 1964. The first was called project XP-833. Later, the name Banshee was retroactively added. The final of the series of Banshees was unveiled in 1988. It was known within General Motors as the Banshee IV. There were four models in total, and they were referred to as dream cars due to their experimental nature.

These truly were exciting cars but given that the Banshee IV was the last, it is often considered to be the most exciting. Here is a detailed look at the 1988 Pontiac Banshee.

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Overall Specs of This Iconic Concept Car

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1988 Pontiac Banshee

The 1988 Pontiac Banshee is powered by a naturally aspirated 4-liter V8 engine with a displacement of 4042 cc. This ride has a max 230-hp at 5,600 rpm. The final Banshee also has a double overhead cam. This is a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. The transmission paired with all of this is a five-speed manual.

Like many concept cars, this one was mostly constructed of fiberglass. This ride is also generally appreciated for its low center of gravity, which the company felt truly made it a Pontiac.

For people who are familiar with this concept car from Pontiac, it is often most remembered for its futuristic exterior appearance. However, there was a great amount of detail that went into the interior as well. It matched the exterior in its experimental and futuristic nature. Pontiactransamforum.com even said that it was “a blend of 1988 and 2008”. It was extremely high-tech for the time.

It came with a head-up instrument display. This was cool because it projected an image onto the windshield to show things such as speed, fuel level, and turn signals. As you can imagine, this feature made it so that drivers did not have to look down to get this valuable information, which made the car safer.

Right below this was a cluster projected to show things like oil pressure, speedometer, battery voltage, and engine temperature. Not only this but the shift indicator and rearview monitors were both seen on this area of the windshield. Also, to clarify, the rearview monitors were replacements for normal mirrors.

The interior of the 1988 Pontiac Banshee also featured smart seats that adjusted up and down. These seats also included position memory, which is a huge convenience for anyone who values their comfort. This made for the perfect seating alignment.

But that’s not all. This concept car also features an ETAK navigational system that used a TV monitor. It displayed things like the weather and road conditions. It also showed an overhead computer-generated shot of the road ahead. At its full potential, the system did things like suggest speed for current conditions, data on nearby cars, and presented a picture of the surrounding terrain and traffic.

Some people may look at the technology used in this car and call it a waste. However, the goal of concept cars is to test out new things that could potentially be added to production models. Because of this, the Pontiac Banshee has often been called the most influential car that never was.

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The Banshee Made History

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1998 Pontiac Firebird 

None of the Pontiac Banshee models were ever sold on showroom floors. Luckily, Pontiac made it clear that these cars were meant to be used as test subjects. Companies do this because they can try new things without the risk of public or financial shame. The auto industry is risky, so this is a great tool for automakers to use.

What many car enthusiasts know is that the 1988 Banshee inspired some aspects of the Pontiac Firebird. This can be seen on the body of the Firebird as well as some trim characteristics. The other great thing about concept cars is that car companies can tweak the technology to ensure it’s right for production before spending millions only to have to recall the vehicles in the future in the event of failure.

People will be happy to know that the 1988 Pontiac Banshee has survived. The latest report stated that both cars were owned by private collectors, which means they are well taken care of. This car truly represented the future. This can be seen in the way it looks, the attention to detail that went into the interior, as well as the fact that it influenced one of the most important sports cars of all time. Although it never made it to production, this is one of the cars that prove why Pontiac was actually a great car brand that simply lost its way at some point.