Right now, it’s all things minibike over at Iconic, so I’ll admit that my tastes have been trending towards small. As cool as it was to see my first Motocompo in person, though, this Centaur is truly a quaint piece of midcentury Americana.
Designed by James Wilford Foster (once an employee at Lambretta) and engineered to tuck away in just three steps, this tiny take-along was billed as America’s only “full-size” folding scooter at the time of its debut. It’s unclear exactly how many of these made it out onto the road, but Alexander Reynolds Co. Folding Scooters produced them for five years (1960-1965) and sold each one for a cool $379 (likely $3,500-$4,000 now).
For your money, you got a 49cc two-stroke Clinton engine that was good for 5hp, a top speed of 40mph, and a 100mpg fuel economy. Arguably more impressive is the carrying capacity – this thing was rated for as much as 400lbs! We’ll let you be the judge of its portability, though, as it weighed in just under 100 itself.
Per the seller, this example (VIN: 300061) is “98% original… except seat and grips.” Expectedly, there’s some patina here and there, but it does include the original tires!
Find this Centaur for sale in Marysville, Michigan with bidding up to $1,825 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay.