1988, the year I turned into a gearhead. That was when I fell in love with a white Type LT Camaro, that was when I could hitch a ride with my cousin Vance and get shoved into the seats when he opened the taps on his big brown Newport. It was the year where cars other than the ’57 Chevy and the ’65 Mustang started to appear and stand out, when a rusty, battered 1970 Chevelle with “SS” on the bumper for some reason could still just be an old tired gas hog of a car instead of an investment opportunity. Everything seemed bright and right with the world…which is easy to see when you are five years old and the adults can’t seem to control you.
I still hadn’t grasped the idea of concept cars at this point in time, and it’s probably a good thing, because if five-year-old me had seen the fourth Banshee concept car that Pontiac had come out with, I would’ve lost my bearing altogether and would’ve obsessed relentlessly over it. I was a kid…I didn’t know how close the Firebird came to a dishonorable, front-wheel-drive layout. I didn’t know when the car that my grandma Pat drove (’83 S/E) was going to get a re-skinning. I just would’ve seen a shape that would’ve made The Wraith look dowdy and would’ve gone into a gibbering fit of happiness.
Hindsight? Eh, that’s to your own. I can see a styling inspiration from the body, though for me, an early 4th gen Formula V8 is the optimum shape. The interior..yikes. Some concepts need to stay in the past. And the engine? 4.0L and punchy, but not top-tier performance for the day sounds about right. The horsepower figures leave a ton to be desired, though.
For 1988, there was a lot of hi-tech stuff. Interior would look good today(mostly). Things that are normal now were future in 1988. Was kinda surprised by that.
That was my favorite concept car as a kid.
betcha the steel top eventually cracks
I loved this concept. Built the model and everything. I would take one today in black on black with a LS swap.
I still have the model kit built all those years ago. The 3rd gen. Firebirds were great salt flat racers, This would have been in stream liner territory. Still very cool after all these years!
I wonder how much heavier the car is with the Bandhee bodywork. I like the front but the back is meh. Got a great deal on the car though.