Photo: Barrett-Jackson
The 1950s were an experimental period for all American car manufacturers, fueled by the prosperity that came to the United States following the end of World War II. It’s during this period that General Motors started tinkering with wild designs, including the Corvette Stingray Racer Concept Car that was inspired by the Corvette SS.
Fast-forward to the mid-‘60s, and a custom car builder known as Fiberfab took inspiration from the XP-87 Stingray racer to create the Centurion, a.k.a. Corvette Custom Topless Roadster. Six examples were built in total, with this particular model bearing the identification number tag 12616.
Barrett-Jackson is offering 12616 at auction at the Scottsdale 2018 sale at no reserve, and as you can tell from the photos in the gallery, the car is freshly restored to immaculate condition. Finished in Inca Silver and featuring dual headrest fairings on the rear deck, the Centurion is listed in the C1 Corvette Registry and eligible for the Monterey Historic Races.
Being based on the 1958 Corvette, the Centurion hides a 283-cu.in. V8 under the hood, complete with Rochester fuel injection. Connected to a four-speed manual transmission, the all-American grunt of the eight-cylinder powerplant is sent to the driven wheels through a 4.11:1 posi rear.
Retrofitted to mimic the C2 Corvette Sting Ray-based racing car, this particular Centurion is the only example known to have two headrests. Word has it that makes it collectible, but Barrett-Jackson hasn’t offered an estimate on this rarefied beast. That being said, don’t brace yourself for a winning bid close to the average transaction price of pristine C1s.
Developed to test handling and performance, the XP-87 that serves as the primary influence for the Fiberfab Centurion won the SCCA National Championship in 1960. The bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful racing car was then retired, though its existence paved the way for the C2’s design and the extensive use of aluminum. Regarding the latter, it’s the C6 Z06 that finally made the switch to an aluminum-based chassis structure.
Barrett-Jackson is offering 12616 at auction at the Scottsdale 2018 sale at no reserve, and as you can tell from the photos in the gallery, the car is freshly restored to immaculate condition. Finished in Inca Silver and featuring dual headrest fairings on the rear deck, the Centurion is listed in the C1 Corvette Registry and eligible for the Monterey Historic Races.
Being based on the 1958 Corvette, the Centurion hides a 283-cu.in. V8 under the hood, complete with Rochester fuel injection. Connected to a four-speed manual transmission, the all-American grunt of the eight-cylinder powerplant is sent to the driven wheels through a 4.11:1 posi rear.
Retrofitted to mimic the C2 Corvette Sting Ray-based racing car, this particular Centurion is the only example known to have two headrests. Word has it that makes it collectible, but Barrett-Jackson hasn’t offered an estimate on this rarefied beast. That being said, don’t brace yourself for a winning bid close to the average transaction price of pristine C1s.
Developed to test handling and performance, the XP-87 that serves as the primary influence for the Fiberfab Centurion won the SCCA National Championship in 1960. The bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful racing car was then retired, though its existence paved the way for the C2’s design and the extensive use of aluminum. Regarding the latter, it’s the C6 Z06 that finally made the switch to an aluminum-based chassis structure.
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