Urba Centurion Update - (Kubota diesel, 100+ MPG in mixed driving - Fall 2012 on)

[changzuki]

The Road Test...
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Shortly after the road test started, Centurion was in "uncharted territory" simply by surpassing the 65mph top speed it was previously limited to. Not only was it driving with traffic, but now it was possible to do this at a very respectable rpm!
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Below is a chart showing exactly what Centurion is capable of in "X" gear , "X" rpm, "X" mph. The upper mph figures are only achievable on flat or downgrades. Seriously, there's 17hp here, you gotta screw loose if you think 80mph can happen up Pikes Peak! :
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During this series of test runs (over a couple of weeks) I sinned and completely strayed from my quest for miles per gallon. The simple reason was now this little legalized go-cart, just became a total blast to drive! And the look on some of the faces of those who actually got passed by a car - who for the last couple of years, was pretty much passed by everyone around here.
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It was during this time that I realized the tiny engine could actually do an excellent job (performance-wise) in a variety of driving conditions - IF - one didn't mind "rolling a little coal". The downside to rolling coal was a huge hit in mpg's and when I get around to posting the cumulative results, the peaks and valleys will be strikingly spread apart.
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Although this was a huge boon, and hitting 88mph was truly a landmark event, something was about to happen that would eclipse all of that....
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And it has a date attached to it: December 2015...
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~CrazyJerry
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[skyking]

Very cool. Big diesel fan.
Found one for sale here:
Urba Centurion project

EDIT: I'd go through and thank all your posts, but you get the idea.
People like you make the world a better place, with your willingness to take the time to document and photograph and explain things in depth. Somebody could buy that basket in Grand Rapids and make it go precisely because of this.

[sokdo]

Nice work

[changzuki]

Originally Posted by skyking

Very cool. Big diesel fan.
Found one for sale here:
Urba Centurion project

EDIT: I'd go through and thank all your posts, but you get the idea.
People like you make the world a better place, with your willingness to take the time to document and photograph and explain things in depth. Somebody could buy that basket in Grand Rapids and make it go precisely because of this.

Thank you for your kind words skyking. If that project was in my area I would buy it in a heartbeat! It may need some TLC as the ad states but truly a Nice find indeed!!

~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

Centurion - 32 years of Pulse-N-Glide...
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+++ The Original Centurion +++
R.Q. Riley started designing eye catching, diy transportation decades ago. Probably the one thing that put him ahead of his time was the economy twist - they very thing ecomodders find appealing. But, likely none of his work would've seen the popularity it has over time if there weren't a "vehicle" to bring it to the forefront. One of those more popular "vehicles" was the original Centurion. It was well designed, meticulously built, clean and uncluttered, and, it delivered! :
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But it still needed something to propel it beyond the ranks of what could be accomplished by motivated do-it-yourselfers using common tools and materials.... The Original Centurion needed, and got, its vehicle and many who have been following this thread recognize it as the Feb 1982 Edition of Mechanix Illustrated where Centurion was center stage. And if that wasn't
enough, there were also 5 reasons to build the Urba Centurion:
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That issue was a bombshell and sales of the $17.95 plans sold like hotcakes and Centurion was immortalized forever.
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Lesser known was that Centurion was sold to a movie company and appeared as a background car in the futuristic Arnold Schwarznegger movie "Total Recall" from 1990:
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+++ In the wake of Centurion +++
Indeed, the original Centurion was a hard act to follow. Burlington Car Burlington Cars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( a British Kit car company) gave it a shot and built a somewhat deviated version. This example made its way to the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee Urba Centurion- 1982 - Lane Motor Museum where it lay buried waiting for visitors that might pass by it:

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Because it was professionally built by a kit car company and is in a museum, it more or less by default has made history.
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Centurion's attention was shifted when exactly one year later the "Tri-Magnum" appeared on the Feb 1983 cover of Mechanix Illustrated:
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It is said that all things good shall come to pass and Centurion was not immune. With no other reported examples making headlines of any type, this little car disappeared into the shadows for a long-long time. Just after the disappearance, the new kid in town coming on like a tidal wave was the internet, and, it wasn't long before references to Centurion would surface albeit in blogs, comments, etc.. It seemed the mystique had at least survived - at least it did for me.
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+++ The search for Centurion +++
Quite some time ago, I set out on a search to find the Original Centurion. Even with the internet at my fingertips this didn't prove to be an easy task but patience and persistence eventually paid off. It surfaced at an auction on Dec 8th, 2012 in Santa Clarita, California after a famous custom car builder / restorer passed away (Mike Fennel). My heart was crushed to see the original Centurion reduced to this in these original auction pics here:
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Police Auctions, Online Auctions, Government Auctions, Auto Auctions Los Angeles, Vehicle Auctions | KenPorterAuctions.com
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**Notice the wheels!
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A California trip to an auction was waaayyy out of my league however I never gave up hope... And I didn't have to wait too long for it to surface. A few weeks later, roughly early January of 2013, the new owner was ready to send it packing and it appeared on Craigslist.
**Again - Notice the wheels!:
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Not sure what the price was at the time of the final blow of the auction gavel, but the Craigslist price was not cheap. In fact every time the ad was run the price changed - and it didn't go lower. After contacting the seller multiple times, it was clear I would never be the new owner and the Original Centurion slipped into the darkness once more... But before it did, something even more rare and equally well-known appeared on eBay for sale:
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These are likely the only known set to exist and they were being sold apart from the Original Centurion! If I couldn't acquire the whole car I'd sure be happy with just one part of it - so the "Buy It Now" button was engaged and it was imposter brand peanut butter for a long time after.
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These wheels would be right at home on the Centurion that was being finished here at 9 Main Street.
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+++ Three times a charm??? +++
Centurion number three is the one in this never-ending thread and for those who've been following along know where its been and what its done. In spite of literally having earned its name "Centurion" at the 2014 Green Grand Prix for the 200+ MPG run , it went for the most part, under or even non-reported. There are plenty of stories on the internet via news and other sources of 100+ mpg cars, but somehow this one seems to have been left out.
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The main reason any of the stories are out there is because I refused to let the story die - and amongst other things, hence this very long thread! In spite of this and other attempts, it seemed this Centurion wasn't yet destined to be cemented in history.
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Rather than become discouraged, I decided to pull the drivetrain and go one more step by making this Centurion freeway capable (which is where it is today as of this posting).
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During that transplant - actually about the time I was experiencing the fuel system crisis (injectors and pump) and spending money that I hadn't yet earned, I received word that this Centurion had indeed made it into print. Not on a Magazine like the original, or through a professional kit car company like the one in Lane Motor Museum. This time is was through an artist's interpretation of "THE" pinnacle moment, and it had been captured as perfectly as the day it happened:
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For those not familiar with the artist, he's Robert Gillespie - a retired art teacher,
Founder of the Green Grand Prix, and his artwork can be seen throughout Watkins Glen and other race related venues:
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This is the perfect ending to a very long thread, where a modern-day story of "The Little Engine that Could" - did.
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After holidays, followers of this thread can look forward to the Centurion fuel logs. This won't be immediate as it is a daunting task but it will finally be posted with notes included where applicable.
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In the meantime - best wishes to all during this holiday season!!!!
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P.S. There is just one more item for those wondering about a previous referenced date of "December 2015"....
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Straight from the "2015 Limited Edition Racing History Calendar" - Centurion #3 immortalized! :
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.~CrazyJerry
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQbSrGSoyos

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[Striker2237]

I need one of these

[GreenHornet]

CJ Congrats on your 1st place finish at GGP :-) You have done an awesome job with your Centurion.

GH

[skyking]

Originally Posted by skyking

Very cool. Big diesel fan.
Found one for sale here:
Urba Centurion project

EDIT: I'd go through and thank all your posts, but you get the idea.
People like you make the world a better place, with your willingness to take the time to document and photograph and explain things in depth. Somebody could buy that basket in Grand Rapids and make it go precisely because of this.

For those of you who are still impressed with this and want to try yourselves, that basket is still available! Link is in my post above. I have no skin in the game myself, just a rare car out in a yard begging for a rebuild.

[skyking]

Originally Posted by Striker2237

I need one of these

there is one on Grand Rapids looking for you.

[razordave]

I've been watching this thread monthly or so, I'm so glad you finally have it where you want it. I want to see some numbers!