http://www.imps4ever.info/

http://www.marcosjem.co.uk/

http://www.toms-oldtimer.de/

As unveiled to the public 1969

The Probe 15 made flesh……….and sold in kit form. In 1970 Peter Timpson purchased from the Adams brothers various bits, most importantly a modified 15 shell that was used as the pattern for the Probe 16 moulds. He  remodelled it back to more resemble the Probe 15 shape, although widened, and given a few inches more headroom, and perspex doors-cum windows. Renamed the Centaur it finally gave enthusiasts the chance to live the dream of owning a “Probe”. Manufactured by Peter’s company Concept Developments in Northampton and based again on the plentiful Imp powertrain, it sold in decent numbers comparative to many kits, yet roadworthy survivors are few and far between.

The following is the best information on known cars, and current location where known. Please get in touch with any information you have… Can you verify, add to or correct any of the details below ? We believe between 17 and 21  Mark 1 centaurs were built and have details on 17 and pictures of 14.  Around 25 Mk II’s and 3 Mk III’s were made, of which we have details on 14

Mark 1 cars, the most faithful to the Probe 15 concept:

PNV 372M, chassis no. CC173P

Owner: Terry Smith, Kelso

The first Mk1 Centaur, the Yellow car that appeared in Autocar and Custom Car in 1973, and basically a Probe.  Currently purple metal flake , though underlying yellow  visible.  DVLA has now issued a V5C  (May 2010). Previous owners: David Hindley, John Weeks, Steve Groves.

JAW 570N, Chassis no. 74/5

Location: Germany, Christian Fey assisted latest purchase but owner unknown

The only centaur with the a Rallye Imp Engine. Previous owners; Michael Stavri of Southgate, London (sold it in 1991), sold again on ebay in 2006/7  (seller: chris1974kitcar, buyer: nick_buysell_00), last sold  in 2007.  See http://www.toms-oldtimer.de/ and click on “Current Projects “ or  “Actuelle Projekte” to see photos tracking its current restoration by Tom’s Old Timer Service in Rheinbach.

5678 SM, Chassis no. 74/6

Current location and owner unknown.

Metallic Purple at one time

FRV 862 X, Chassis no. 74/7

Owner: Alexander Trimmel (Apr ‘10), Vienna, Austria

Olympic Blue, then white. Built by Ian Tompsett and registered on 3/8/81. Also owned by Mark Thompson in the late ‘80’s Planned for restoration to original colour and spec 2010. Could this be the car in the above advert (Alternative Cars magazine early 80s)?

JPM 540M (originally JB 1573), Chassis no. 74/8

Location and owner unknown; still in Bournemouth area around 2005. Previously owned by Ian Tompsett who sold it on to Richard Cooke, who had it  from ‘79 to ‘85. Had MkII bonnet fitted by Centaur.

HEP 137N, Chassis no. 75/1

Location and owner unknown

Once owned by John Smith of Mirage Developments, appeared in Custom Car in 1975 when white. Later grey metalflake. Thought still to be in the UK (April 2010)

KDN 51N, Chassis no. 75/2

Owner: Alf Berquist, Sweden

Formerly owned by Derek Green of Mirage Developments, then by Chris Rees.

KUX 273P, Chassis no. 75/3

Owner: Wolfgang Buchta, Kierling , Austria

Owned at  one time by Colin Feyerabend when red. Prior to this was black  When it was black it had an awful trans am bonnet bulge which Philip Malone of Garstone, nr Watford, removed and also fitted some rather nice Porsche 928 rear lamps. Sold on by Colin in the late 80’s.

LVV 372P, Chassis No. 75/5

Owner: Carsten Bussman, Göttingen, Germany

Owned by Carsten Bussmann since 1992. Note the Mk II nose. Previously owned by Richard Scouse.

WPW  233S, Chassis No. unknown

Owner and location unknown, thought still to be in Norfolk  as of April 2010

Q 893 CVN, Chassis No. unknown

Owner: Seikobil  (www.siekobil.de), Göttingen, Germany

Now  understood to be black with modern Fiat 500 interior.

Photos, when white, taken in Redcar  when owned by Bill Grincat.

TBD 195N, Chassis No. unknown

Owner and location unknown

Formerly owned by William McKay, Whitehill, Hamilton. Was white at  one time. Featured in Peter Filby’s article in Hot Car of May 1977

LOI 802, Chassis No. unknown

Owner and location unknown

Originally built by Norman and Robin Gourley in Belfast around 1975 and painted red.

?JS? 157J, Chassis No. unknown

Location and owner unknown

Is this really the same car as JB 1573 (white car above) , with misquoted registration plate number ?

JIA 5328, Chassis No. unknown

Owner: Ross?  (Aug 2011), Northern Ireland

Currently red and being restored (Aug 2011)

Registration unknown, Chassis No. unknown

Owner: Terry Smith (April 2010), Kelso

Now red, formerly yellow. Purchased by Terry from Dougie Scott of Hillington, who purchased in Bathgate around 1999. Also suspected to have been in Bishopbriggs at one point. Does anyone know who the previous owners were and what the original registration was ? (April 2010)

HBD 644N ? Chassis No. unknown

Owner and Location unknown

Anyone know what colour this car was ?

Mark 2 Cars – Gaining practicality but losing style:

A revised superstructure gives 2+2 seating, and a distinctive wrapover rooflight maintains some of the concept-car wierdness.

OBD 966P, Chassis No unknown

Owner and location unknown

VHO 10R, Chassis No. 76/1/2-4

Owner and location unknown   

Originally owned by Terry Shears. Other previous owners include Mark Thompson and Jeremy Walton. Photos taken 1976.

Unregistered, Chassis No. 76/1/2b-1

Owner and location unknown

TGC 431R, Chassis No. 76/1/2-7

Owner : Joe ?, location unknown  (May 2010)

Originally white, then bronze.  The car used in the Mirage Developments Pulsar 2 Leaflet.  Sill in existence (may 2010, but in  bad shape. Engine number is AM2.71981533

PAF 238R, Chassis No. 77/2

Owner and location unknown

Black, in Cornwall at one point.

PAY 576R, Chassis No. unknown

Owner and location unknown

Used in  Pulsar promo material

OVC 566P, Chassis No. unknown

Roger Swift, Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire

Roger is the librarian of the UK Imp Club

Q42 GKV, Chassis No. unknown

Roger Swift, Northhamptonshire

Previously owned by Simon Burgess.

Unregistered

Owner: Terry Smith, Kelso

Kit that was never assembled . Purchased by Terry Smith from Tony Fahey in March 2010

Unregistered

Owner: Chris Horsler, Wrexham

Chris purchased in Coventry in 2007. He is looking for a windscreen, bonnet and bootlid. Car cut to be modified to a Mk III Given the fibreglass colour, this is most likely a Mirage Developments car

Mark 3 Cars :

COD 499T / LHH 489F, Chassis no.  CC77135TKL

Owner: Goran Mitevski, Switzerland

LHH 589F, the car used in the Mirage Pulsar Leaflet, the F reg belongs to the Imp donor car.

Originally Metallic Blue and built by Trevor Lawrence who sold it to Niall Brunton around 1980. It has also been metallic purple and red at one time. Sold for £1500 on ebay in early Feb 2010 by Andy Harker of Sauchie. …. Same car as ,  One of around 3 produced by Peter Timpson. This is  the same car as Mk III Centaur, COD 499T.

VRK 800M, Chassis No. unknown

Owner and location unknown  

Owned at one time by Rodney Thompson . The car may be a Pulsar 2.

Registration and chassis no. unknown

Owner: Paddy Sharp, Bedford

Paddy is planning to restore the car for his grandson

Timpson era one-off:

The Timpson / Costin Timera – Based on the Probe 2001 moulds

Does anyone know where it is now?

Many thanks go to Franka at the Imps Forever site, Terry Smith, Richard Cooke, Carsten Bussmann, and Christian Fey who have supplied the majority of the photos of known cars on this page.

The Imps Forever website also has some excellent information on the Centaur at : http://www.imps4ever.info/specials/centaur/index.html

(PJO 241J in an excerpt from the Jackie Stewart Speed Show Brochure)

 (Probe 2001 bonnet badge)

The Probe 2001 was a development of the previous Probe 16, with only slightly more of a nod to practicality (a roof height of 37″ over 34″ and a more conventional windscreen). As before entry was still gained by climbing through the perspex roof, this time the seats electrically raising to meet the lucky occupants.

The Probe 2001 was to be sold as a kit car based on BMC running gear, a mid engined mounted transverse 1800 BMC engine. Sixteen Body shells of the Probe 2001 were produced between 1970 and 1972 (Four by the Adams brothers, and a further twelve by a company based in Irvine (Scotland) called The Caledonian Probe Motor company.

 (The original Probe 2001 sales brochure, courtesy of Robert Harris)

TMR 222J (chassis no. P2001)

One of four cars built in Bradford on Avon by the Probe Motor Company, this one was Lamborghini Green (lime green), the remaining three being yellow. It had a Janspeed tuned BMC 1800 engine bored out to 2000cc and A frame suspension, and was used by Bill Nugent (right in the photo adjacent) of WT Nugent Engineering Ltd to promote the cars in literature, on TV and at motor shows. It appeared on both STV and BBC programmes in early 70’s ; STV’s was with Bob Crampsey and Arthur Montford;  BBC’s showing was a 6 O’Clock news programme with filming done at Loch Lomond

Exhibited at the Jackie Stewart Speed Show, Glasgow, March 1971

This registration may have been shared by cars with both the P3 and P2001 chassis numbers, there is currently uncertainty about this.

Registered P2001 on both the chassis and the logbook, currently (Jan 2010) owned by Colin Feyerabend. Former owners include Robert May, Devizes; Douglas Hodgins, Troon; and Tom MacNab also of Troon. Currently awaiting restoration by Club Autosport Ltd.  Colin also has a fully restored Probe 16.

“It lost its roof when the passenger seat shorted out and the passengers head pushed off the roof as they were going down the M4. A lorry then ran over the roof and the wife refused to go out in the car again and it became buried underneath a pile of wood in the preverbal barn!!… Till I discovered it.”  Colin F

  (photos courtesy of Christian Fey and Richard Cooke)

PCS 314 J (chassis no. P2)

One of three yellow cars, manufactured in Bradford on Avon. This one has a standard BMC 1800cc Engine and is the only car with Independent front suspension. This was developed by David Coles, the youngest of the Adam’s employees at the time, it used Triumph (Marcos) front suspension. David cut out the entire front chassis then cut down and modified a Marcos front subframe to fit . This had the added benefit of increasing the size of the front luggage area. This was intended to be offered as an option on further 2001s. The car was originally yellow and is thought to have had a different number plate originally.

The car passed onto to Nugent’s when they acquired the Probe production rights from the Adams Bros. Formerly owned by Paul Biagi, Bill Nugent’s business partner when the Probe passed on from the Adams Bros. This car is believed to be with John Mouat in Edinburgh.

PJO 241 J (chassis no. P1)

Chassis no. P1 is the 2nd of three yellow cars built at Bradford on Avon and the only one with an automatic gearbox. It has been with the current owner since 1973. It was painted orange when bought, but underlying colour is lime green. It is a left hand drive car  and was featured in the Jackie Stewart Speed Show brochure of 1971.

Original owner was Fernando Nunez Fabrega y Portuondo the Panamanian consul to the Bahamas who lived in Spain at the time. Fernando had the instrument panel reconfigured to a central position. It was sold onto a US citizen, Michael J O’Neil in Nov 72, then to a Spaniard Jose Luis Sanz in Dec 72 and bought by the current owner in July 1973 in the Bahamas. Due to non compliance with US emissions and crash standards it’s passage into the US had to be eased by a congressman, Dante Facell. The car has been dry stored since 1973 and all parts are present.

 (photos courtesy of John Masi)

Owner and location unknown;  (chassis no.P3)

Is P3 the car located in France pictured below? Or is this a car built using the body shell that was sold along with TMR 222J at Nugents’ liquidation sale? Please get in touch with any more information

MUT 273L, Chassis number unknown ( “pirate” 2001X)

This car was featured in Cable Magazine in 1975, with new owner David King, from  Wherstead, who had just purchased it from someone in Bristol. In the magazine article it is called a Probe 2001X (note the offset bonnet badge and bonnet graphics just above the bumper). The article also states that Mr King also bought a set of 2001 moulds when he bought the car. It is possible that this car was featured in the Wiltshire Times at the time in an article by Trevor Porter. Nothing more is known of the car or the moulds and it’s whereabouts today are unknown.

More information regarding this car has come from MR D J Coles who worked for the Adams company on all the 2001 models; “Regarding MUT 273L I can confirm that this is not chassis number P3 but is indeed the spyder copy 2001X as built by Melvin Bell in Trowbridge” (who worked for Adams from day one as the mould maker/builder and carried out a lot of work from his workshop/garage at home). “It never was an official Adams car and any moulds that were sold with it would have been the M Bell copy moulds”. Many thanks to Mr Coles for clearing this up.

(Do get  in touch if you know the fate of this car)

*The Body Moulds, parts etc*

Richard Cooke has some 2001 moulds: the two sides and the screen frame that joins them, acquired from Peter Timpson who used them to produce the Timpson/Costin Timera.  Richard also has the bonnet mould for the Probe 15 / Centaur Mk 1

We understand that Colin Feyerabend has the Probe 16 moulds, as purchased from Richard Harris in 1996

After the demise of WT Nugent (Engineering) Ltd, some 2001 monocoques and various parts passed on to John Mouat of Edinburgh.  John also has the maroon Probe 2001 mentioned above. David King, one time owner of a Probe 2001X, had a full set of moulds in the 1970’s

A Spanish company, Roman,  also made a very rare multi-coloured electric tinplate toy in 1/18 scale with cable remote control. It featured a driver figure and the steering wheel on the left hand side.

The Corgi Whizzwheels 1:46 scale version was available in metallic maroon or metallic gold with opening canopy and was produced from December 1970 to late 1973 with a total of 368,000 cars manufactured.

The 1:76 scale Corgi Whizzwheels Junior version was available in purple, without an opening canopy.

Yanming  produced a 1:64 version in red, this one is very crude in comparison to the the other brands.

Joal  produced a 1:43 car in five colours; gold, silver-blue, red, yellow and green.

The first two carry a clockwork orange logo on the bonnet and come with a road sign of a man with a bowler hat.

Strangely the silver blue one’s roof is hinged, while the roof on all the others slides back. The Joal models appear to have used the same moulds as the Corgi 1:43 scale car.

The best example was made by Auto Pilen of Spain, this again appears to use the same 1:43 body mould as the Corgi 384 model, but has better wheels and paintwork.

The chrome model is the rarer of the two.

Unlike Joal and Corgi, these have a moulded chassis