photos taken in Redcar near M'bro
Its color is a nice cream/beige. I can't seem to get it right in jpeg... pardon me for making it look sick.
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110mph, 50mpg
The Centaur was built by Concept Cars Ltd. in Northampton from 1973 on. Sold: 1974-1977. The design was heavily based on a styling exercise of the Adams brothers: the Probe. In fact, they passed their project on to Peter Timpon of Concept Cars, who marketed their idea made more practical.
It is said that the Durango 95 of 'A Clockwork Orange' (Stanley Kubrick, 1971) is an Imp-engined kit-car, perhaps a Centaur. |
In 1970, Timpon had acquired the second Probe 15 bodyshell and modified it considerably. He widened it and height went up to 37". The major change was a pair of perspex windows which doubled up as doors. Imp basis remained, and body was a tough GRP-and-plywood monocoque with box section and steel tube reinforcement. A high quality construction.
Some 52 cars were sold, at the most. Maybe the production number of 26 is Centaur only, and perhaps the number of 52 includes the Pulsar ?
The Centaur Mk2 of 1978, a 2+2 version, was developed, but the project passed to Mirage as the Pulsar. Only one larger Centaur was built: the Timera. It had a midmounted Leyland Maxi 2.2 engine, and a complex multi-tubular chassis (designed by Frank Costin) with de-dion rear suspension lay-out. The glass fibre bodywork (design and construction: Peter Timpson) made its family relation to the Centaur very evident.
The Condor roadster remained a dream.
| The Centaur Mk 1 photos taken in Redcar near M'bro Its color is a nice cream/beige. I can't seem to get it right in jpeg... pardon me for making it look sick. |
| The center part of the roof can be taken out, to leave a 40x40cm-hole (sunroof?). |
The brochure:
Concept Cars Ltd.
So from the moment you slide into the tailored, deep contoured seat, fasten your harness and accelerate away, you and your Centaur become a single unit. You will feel the car respond to your touch as firm support, finger tip switches, immediate response from the arm length wheel combine with superb road holding and acceleration to provide a new dimension in motoring excitement. And the envious looks make even a traffic jam an ego-boost. But quality is important too, and Centaur aims for the highest standards in style, performance and pleasure. This means doors that don't leak or rattle, heaters that heat, it means a luxurious interior and a solid exterior. It means 100+ mph performance and 50mpg economy. Above all in a kit form car it means a jig drilled chassis, all mounting points fitted, no exotic hard to obtain parts and additional unexpected costs. It means that we take the trouble to ensure that you enjoy building your Centaur as much as driving it. And if you don't want to bother, we will build you a completed car. Stage 1 Body Chassis Unit -Basic GRP/Ply/Steel monocoque with integral seats, roll hoop, fiited with windscreen, sidescreens, and all body panels. Basic price £500 including VAT
Stage 2 Body Chassis UnitRear engined two seater sports car with full integral roll structure. Large flat windscreen in laminated safety glass. Luggage space behind seats. Front boot. Petrol tank. Perspex sidescreens giving wide angle vision, and hinged at front leadign edge to give access to car interior. Removable rear deck for easy engine accesibility. Lather covered aluminium steering wheel. Instrumenmts and switches fitted. Gearstick and handbrake between seats. Fully upholstered and carpeted. Wiring loom, hydraulic pipes, wipers and washers all fited. Quartz halogen headlamps with sidelamps, front and rear indicators, stop/side tail lamps. Finished in your own choice of any manufacturers colour. Heater and ventilator. All other components excluding engine/transaxle, suspension, radiator, battery, wheels and tyres. £1050 including VAT Completed CarAs Stage Two body chassis unit plus engine etc. to complete as a running car. Prices from £1580 excluding VAT and car tax depending upon specification Optional Extras
Hire Purchase can be arranged upon request
Concept Centaur has no connection with any other car or company of the same name.
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Look in the mirror |
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 23:22:34 +0100
From: Carsten Bussmann (Germany)
i drove !!!!
it's incredible. fast, REALLY speedy, funny. sharp cornering, right. same as a good cx gti.
the centaur does not bump or shudder, it just ignores the uneven ground, the stones and the puddles, and circles around corners. man, it's really a mad go-cart. only when you drive really slow, like walking, you feel it moving more. i think it's because of the low weight.
i tried to look through the roof when accelerating first-time and got a headache seconds later when i collided with the rear roof...
the imp's engine really does an easy game with this 'plastic fantastic'. there is almost no difference in the speed with which the engine revs up, whether the gear is in neutral or in first, only in the last case, the car accelerates fast. the centaur's weight is just nothing but ignored. it takes almost the same time to reach top rp/m.
really cool, i did not have soooo much freaky fun for 3 years or so.
bye for now,
Carsten
Price Guide (?)
A £1400
B £1000
C £600
| VHO 10R: Hampshire C.C., 1976 | photos: Mark Thompson |
Concept Centaur Mark 2, 1976 Mildly tuned Imp Sport mechanicals, 110bhp/ton |
 Impressions 1985 Oct Impressions 1988, #6 |
Terry Shears was the one to originally built VH0 10R. He still holds it very dear.
Contact him if you need any early information on this car.
| The Imp Site
Imp specials Probe (Durango 95) Concept Car's Centaur, 1975 / Carsten Bussman's site |
| © Franka |
Concept Cars / by Jonathan Wood. - Thunder Bay Press, 1998 (September). - 96p.; Dimensions (in inches): 0.52 x 11.57 x 9.18
The Encyclopedia of Dream Cars : A Celebration of Contemporary and Fantasy Cars / by Chris Rees. - Lorenz Books. - 256p.; Dimensions (in inches): 0.95 x 9.32 x 11.99
Journalist Chris Rees had a Centaur Mk 1 and wrote some/an article(s) on it in 'Kit Car'. |
I have never seen these books. The last one has a bit on centaurs in it, I was told. The first might not feature anything related, apart from the title...