1960 Centaur 49cc Folding Scooter
I saw this 1960 Centaur advertised a while ago. I’d bought too much at the time, so I passed on it. It had apparently come from Tyrells Racing Factory in Woking when they closed down their workshops, and was rumoured to have been used by them as a paddock bike in the early sixties.
I forgot all about it. Then a guy named Glen phoned me up the other day. He’d heard I was into oddball stuff, and wanted to know if I was interested.
He’d bought it, restored it, but was now ready to sell it and start another project. Aren’t we a fickle lot, we vintage enthusiasts? 🙂
I told him to bring it over, and now it’s resting in my garage while I decide what to do with it.
The engine is an American Clinton 49cc. It runs fine, and you start it like a lawnmower, with a pull-cord. I believe the company are still in existence, making industrial engines.
The scooter was manufactured by Lombard Industries in Massachusetts, between 1960 and 1962, and sold for $410.
Here’s my Centaur on display at Amberley Scooter and Microcar Show, August 2007…