AMT Centaur CRV - II

I have to admit, this interesting looking car was completely new to me.

The CRV, which stood for Cycolac Research Vehicle, was a research project to test the feasibility of other metals and materials in the creation of an automobile. At the time, most of the cars were built from heavy. Plastics were becoming more popular and a proven product, and a potential candidate for a body of a car.

Marbon Chemical, a division of Borg-Warner, devised a way to promote their idea of using plastic in automobiles by building a concept. They commissioned Dann Deaver, co-founder of Centaur Engineering, to create a design. Other individuals responsible for designing and working with the plastic forming included William M. Schmidt and the Jentzen-Miller Company.

The second prototype version of the car was dubbed the CRV-II. It had a roadster design and was built over a fiberglass chassis tub. Power was from an air-cooled Corvair engine mounted in the back.

A sole AMT Centaur CRV-II was raced in the 1965 SCCA road races and won the D-Modified championship. Afterward, it participated in many smaller events and hillclimbs. The car still retains its original, irreplaceable plastic body and is raced in California.