Fiberfab Centurion C1 Stingray

XP-87 Emulator

Seeing this car from across a paddock, or while flipping through a magazine and you're brain might register it as the 1959 XP-87 Stingray Racer. The Stingray Racer is, of course, the car concept-turned-race-car built from the ashes of Zora Arkus-Duntov's Chevrolet-backed 1957 Corvette SS race car. The Stingray, designed with contributions from GM's Bill Mitchell, Pete Brock, and Larry Shinoda, not only won an SCCA national championship in 1960 piloted by Dick Thompson, it also paved the way for the impending C2 Corvette's styling. Plus, you know, Elvis drove it in Clambake. Take a closer look, or step a few paces nearer, and you'll start to notice the differences. The hood is more like a '67, the side pipes sprout out from under the car and not through the flanks, and the dimensions seem a bit off. With between five and twelve Fiberfab Centurions, depending on whom you believe, ever produced, you'd be forgiven for not immediately identifying this car as one of them. Plus you know, it's silver, just like the XP-87.

Fabulous Fiber

Warren “Bud” Goodwin started Fiberfab, his second kit car company, in 1964. The first, called Sports Car Engineering, produced California-built licensed copies of UK firm Microplas' fiberglass Mistral car bodies he re-named 'Spyder'. Dan Gurney actually raced a Sports Car Engineering Spyder-bodied car for constructor Frank Arciero. At first, Fiberfab made parts for Mustangs and street rods, but soon began manufacturing fully-conceptualized kit cars, including the Aztec, Valkyrie, and a Beetle-based Ford GT-40 lookalike called the Avenger GT. But the car we're here to talk about is the Centurion. Designed to work with any '53-'67 (C1 or C2) Corvette chassis, most completed Centurions were said to have been built around C1 donors.

>>What do you think about the C1 Centurion right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Souza's Centurion

Which brings us to the fine specimen we have here, Thomas Souza's car. His first run-in with the Centurion came when he was an LAPD motorcycle cop, back in 1992. Though not in a position to buy the car at the time, when he came across the very same car 20 years later in Nevada, he made a deal with its then-owner Wes Abendroth, Corvette collector and possessor of multiple Centurions, to take it home.

>>What do you think about the C1 Centurion right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Some Assembly Required

Souza's car is unusual in that it's the only one known to have been molded with two nacelle-style headrests. Although the XP-87 only had one headrest, it did receive a second seat once it was retired from racing duty—because, you know, Elvis needs a place for his co-stars to sit. Souza did a little digging and uncovered the car's full history. Originally sold as just a kit, in 1966, the first owner never started assembling it. Souza became the car's sixth owner—though not its last, which we'll get to momentarily—and purchased it as a roller.

>>What do you think about the C1 Centurion right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Progress

We forgot to mention that Souza is an NCRS judge and veteran Corvette restorer, so he planned on doing this thing right. Having spent its life in the warm dry air, the chassis was in fine shape, so it was a breeze to prep and powder coat it, though other items like brackets for the pedals and hardware for the doors needed to be fabricated. Souza also reglassed the trunk lid for a better fit and prepped the body for fresh Inca Silver paint. He did his best to keep the black interior in the tradition of the Stingray Racer, with gauges that suggest the originals, despite their more central location in the Fiberfab.

>>What do you think about the C1 Centurion right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Fuelie

With the help of the Corvette community, Souza was able to track down a '62 four-speed transmission, as well as the correct 4.11 Positraction rear end for the kit car's 1958 donor chassis. The Rochester-injected 290 hp, 283 ci V8 under the Centurion's hood is out of a C1 Corvette that Souza used to race. The rebuilt small-block features pump-gas friendly mild-compression flat-top pistons. The car's Patriot side pipes originally came with covers but Souza removed them, giving the car a sleeker and more Stingray-like vibe.

>>What do you think about the C1 Centurion right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Going Going Gone

After a four-year restoration process, Souza ended up putting his Centurion on the block in 2016, and again early in 2018, the second time is the charm with the car's no-reserve auction ending in a $100,100.00 sale price. As for Fiberfab's founder, Goodwin lost control of the company when he was convicted of shooting his wife. He claimed it was an accident but died in jail while serving a 12-month sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Whether it was that or rumored GM lawsuits, Centurion production ceased and less than a dozen are known to exist. 

>>What do you think about the C1 Centurion right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

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