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1988 GMC Centaur

GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Interior
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Interior
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Interior
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Interior
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Interior
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Interior
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Design Sketch
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Design Sketch
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Design mockup
GMC Centaur Concept, 1988 - Design mockup
Images: Concept Car Central; GM; JOHN LLOYD Collection
Rating:  16    -12    +28
As multi-purpose vehicles were rapidly growing, General Motors answered with the Centaur, an example of GMC's 1988 slogan, "lt's not just a truck anymore". The Centaur, a bright metallic red car-truck hybrid, was named for the fabled half-man, half-horse character of Greek mythology. It was all-wheel-drive and molded advanced automotive styling and the workhouse utility of a pickup into a single all-purpose vehicle. The Centaur had a smooth-flowing exterior shape and a large rear bed behind the cab-fonrward cockpit. The flush glass and small frontal area provided the vehicle with exceptional aerodynamics. It had a spacious interior with seating for up to five people - two up front and three in back. Unlike those of a conventional car or truck, the Centaur’s instrument gauges were located on a free-standing vertical console which wrapped around the left side of the steering wheel. In addition.the steering wheel had pushbutton controls. Car-like engineering features included self-leveling air springs, electric four-wheel steering, and anti-lock brakes.

Concept Car Central


Two decades ago, GMC created a bullet-shaped concept vehicle that blended "sleek passenger-car lines with the rugged utility of a pickup truck," according to its debut press release, published Jan. 5, 1988. It was called the Centaur, after the half-man, half-horse creatures from Greek mythology. The name perfectly captured the fusion of automotive styling and pickup truck utility - like the form and function of the Pontiac G8 ST – even though its cab-forward design looks too soft for a truck.

The Centaur concept radically stretched the boundaries of what a pickup truck could be, far beyond the sports-car-meets-hauler nature of the 2010 G8 ST.

The Centaur’s cab-forward, jellybean-style shape prioritized passenger space in a footprint roughly equal to that of a first-generation GMC S-15 or Chevrolet S-10 extended cab pickup. Like the G8 ST, it had only two doors, with bucket seats up front. But the Centaur also added a full-width seat in the rear that provided room for three more passengers.

The Centaur’s radical powertrain used an unconventional rear-engine layout, like a 1960s Chevrolet Corvair pickup. A 3.0-liter, 24-valve horizontal six-cylinder engine was placed under the cargo box, just forward of the rear axle. Shark-like gills on the sides of the bed provided for both cooling and exhaust. A GMC press release at the time said it was paired with an "experimental" five-speed automatic transmission, but photos show a manual shifter and clutch pedal. Power was delivered to the road via all-wheel drive. Its payload was rated at 2,000 pounds, and it could pull up to a 5,000-pound trailer. Other nifty ride and handling features included a self-leveling air suspension and antilock brakes.

Interior styling was a hodgepodge of knobs, dials and buttons spread across rounded surfaces, like the information console of the starship Enterprise. It looks like GM took every idea it ever had for how drivers could interface with their truck and found a place in the cockpit to try them out.

Like most concepts, many of the ideas that were floated in the Centaur never made it to production, but two key elements did: The 1994 Chevrolet S-10 and GMC S-15 borrowed rear styling elements from the Centaur, implementing its angular rear bumper and taillights on their back ends. We always wondered where the idea for that came from. The Centaur also served to demonstrate four-wheel electric steering, which would eventually find its way into production in the 2002 GMC Sierra as Quadrasteer.

Mike Levine - PickupTrucks.com


Легковой пикап 1988 года давал исчерпывающее представление о креативном потенциале General Motors. Он и впрямь выглядит автомобилем-кентавром — футуристическим минивэном без задней части кузова. Впрочем, дизайн джиэмовского «головастика» с «пузырем» пятиместной кабины не шел ни в какое сравнение с сумасбродством реализованных технических решений.

Компоновка — это шок! Может почудиться, будто создатели применили нечто совершенно нетипичное для здоровяка с грузовой платформой. Какую-нибудь маленькую поперечно расположенную «четверку». А вот и нет, все гораздо круче! GMC Centaur оснащен 3,0-литровым 24-клапанным рядным шестицилиндровым двигателем. Он утрамбован горизонтально перед задней осью. Акульи жабры нужны для дополнительного притока воздуха и отвода выхлопных газов.

Привод конечно же полный. Ряд американских источников упоминает некую экспериментальную пятиступенчатую автоматическую коробку передач, хотя на фотографиях ее селектор выглядит набалдашником обычной «механики», а явно присутствующая педаль сцепления окончательно вносит путаницу. Среди других нехарактерных для пикапа особенностей — полноуправляемое шасси и пневматическая подвеска с автоматической регулировкой положения уровня кузова. На свои плечи «кентавр» мог брать без центнера тонну и утаскивать в закат прицеп массой 2,3 тонны.

Оформление интерьера подошло бы межгалактическому крейсеру. Дизайнеры-фантазеры воплотили все представления о том, как будут выглядеть салоны легковых многоцелевых машин будущего.

motor.ru
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