After our sister site The Drive recently posted about the 1965 Pontiac Banshee XP-833, I was once again spun into the history hole of the now-dead General Motors (GM) brand. On the GM Heritage Center’s website, that path pointed me straight to the 1970 Pontiac Pegasus Concept.
- Car: 1970 Pontiac Pegasus Concept
- Location: General Motors Heritage Center
- Photog: Unknown, GM
- Camera: Unknown
If your brain immediately related this image of the Pegasus to the Pontiac Firebird, you’re on the right track. The original sketch reportedly came from Jerry Palmer, who was testing out Ferrari-inspired design features on a Chevy. GM Design Vice President William “Bill” Mitchell later flipped the idea onto a production-model 1970 Firebird. The Ferrari designs were most notable on the front nose and the fender vents, but unlike many design concepts, this experiment included the powertrain, as well.
According to GM, Enzo Ferrari donated a 365 GTB/4 V12 engine, and that was paired with a 5-speed transmission from Ferrari. The exhaust system, mufflers, and instrument panel were from Ferrari too, but the rear axle was a GM posi-traction unit, the brakes were from a Corvette, and the wheels were from Borrani.
Though it’s unfortunate this car never made it past the project phase, it now lives in the GM Heritage Center, where it will hopefully live on forever.
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