This 1958 Centurion kit car by Fiberfab is claimed to be just one of five known to exist, and possibly the only unfinished example in the world. The Centurion kit is quite a bruiser when complete, riding on a 53-65 Corvette chassis and utilizing drivetrain components from a C1 ‘Vette – no aircooled VW running gear here. Find this rare Centurion fiberglass kit here on eBay with bidding at $9K and no reserve.
Legend claims not many of these kits were ever made because GM pressured Fiberfab to cease production. The kit was based on the General’s XP-87 Stringray Racer concept, and given it’s not a distant copy but a very real re-creation, you can see why it may have caught GM’s ire. With only five ever made, documentation is key with this barn find.
It only comes with a bill of sale – no title or other documentation – which normally isn’t a problem for older projects, but does make this one more challenging in terms of establishing a baseline value. Knowing this is one of those original five molds is pivotal for saying whether this one is worth five figures. Fiberglass kit experts: is there an easy way to tell?
No matter what, this kit car will look killer when complete. Factor in having a competition-grade powerplant with light weight and it gets even more interesting. The Centurion has popped up in vintage racing events, and given its Corvette underpinnings, I’m sure it’d be quite competitive as well. How many vintage fiberglass kit cars can you say that about?
Can’t say this isn’t a killer looking body design. Would love to have the chance to build a car out of it.
Hopefully the chaps at Forgotten Fiberglass in Tampa will chime in with the history, they should know. So how did Centurion get hold of GMs concept design? This body surely does look like the ’63 Stingray.
I’m pretty sure this is a copy of the first Stingray “design exercise” which was shown to the public in 1959 — which makes me wonder about the “1958” date. That car was a complete runner, and was in fact raced for several years. I remember seeing Dick Thompson drive it in the “Times Grand Prix” at Riverside Raceway in 1960. Seemed strange, as GM was supposedly not involved in racing at the time….
This looks much more like the ’59 car, without the ’63’s turn signal pods, a larger opening for the radiator, headrest, etc., etc.
It was painted red and Elvis drove it in Clam Bake .
I thought of the same guys. They dig up some incredible oddballs.
A few mods and you can have your own Mach 5…go speed racer go!
I was thinking Mach 5 also.
Without a trunk lid, where are the kid and the chimpanzee supposed to hide?
Blue, white and black?
Yellow, white and black?
Red, white and black?
Red, white and blue?
I’m gonna look up that Clam Bake movie.
Cool–stick a running gear under it and you could have a thunderbolt Greaseslapper!!!
Cheers
GPC
We have a cabin only a few miles from this seller, Up in the hills outside Eugene/Springfield. Barn finds there are interesting. Elmira is serious alternate universe. Ken Kesey, one of the merry pranksters and author of “One flew over the Cuckoos nest” lived nearby as well with his Owl farm. (The movie was filmed at the state mental hospital) The bus, “Further” was retrieved from his farm and restored.
But to this car shell, I have had 2 Fiberfab kits, one was a Jamaican and loosely based on the Lamborghini Muira, and my current one is a Banshee/Caribee loosely based on the Daytona Cobra Coupe. Fiberfab had many dealings with GM as they bought the rights to the Banshee name so thats why later versions were called a Caribee.
I used to be on a kit car forum and many of the original family are still around. The founder is passed away but his son and other relatives are not hard to contact. There still IS a fiberfab company and they sell on eBay but I dont think its the same people. But the family has documented a lot of their history and they still offer 2 kits today. If someone was serious its easy enough to just ask.
This is priced too high for me, But I heartily agree it would be a great project and I like the look. If you need a FPI I can be talked into helping perhaps. Not a lot of shipping resources in Eugene but loads of them in Portland 2 hrs north.
** Edit, Fiberfab has a website, Owners registery and other info. See: https://fiberfab.us/
Yah, I saw this on Craigslist as well for a while. Wondered when it would pop up on here or BAT.
Drop a Vdub in it.
Can’t help but think of Life of Brian every time I see the word centurion
If this is a mold, shouldn’t we be seeing the inside? If this were cleaned up , it could be used to make a mold from which bodies might be molded , but I think this is a body, not a mold.
Its not a mold but a ‘part’. The mold would look totally different and be in four or five pieces which bolt together.
Dave,
You are bold to hold that this old mold is not a mold. But, truth be told, this old mold, whence sold, shall fill the fold with gold. I see that most of the country except Tampa is cold. Nap time.
Looks like a crack has formed behind the headrest and there is a hole along the upper ridge of the rear fascia. If I am recalling the GM creation correctly, didn’t it have the ‘Vette “gills” instead of an opening behind the front fenders? I seem to remember three or four rectangles which carried over into the production stingrays. The brochure shown even has a horizontal trim piece in the center of that opening. Nice, odd and unique Fiberfab find.
Not a crack but a parting line from the original mold.
Sold for $9,750.