Welcome to Centaur Motorcycle Information Page!

No longer in business.

the American Motor Scooter Company was formed in 1960 with offices on Park Avenue in New York City, and initial manufacturing facilities in Youngstown, Ohio. Billed as the ‘All-American’ scooter, parts for the Centaur came from major manufacturers all over the country, including General Tire and Rubber, Alcoa Aluminum, and Raybestos. A key element was the ‘Dri-Draulic’ torque converter transmission developed by Walter Hoover, who was instrumental in the invention of the variable pitch propeller. Power was provided by a Clinton 5.2 horsepower go-cart engine hopped up with performance accessories from Go-Power Company. Period reviews credit the Centaur with a top speed of over 40 mph and better than 100 mpg. The novelty of the Centaur helped with publicity, earning coverage in Look Magazine, various travel publications, and assorted motorcycle and scooter publications. Ads promoted the portability of the scooter, and featured photos of Foster himself riding his product. Sales were good, and a strong distributorship began to appear across the country. However, the primary financial backer sold out to Lombard Industries Incorporated in 1962. Production of the Centaur was moved to Lombard’s facilities in Ashland, Massachusetts, and continued there for the next three years. In the spring of 1964, Lombard was acquired by American Lincoln Corporation. Although scooter sales continued to increase, the new owners decided to focus on chain saw operations. When manufacturing operations moved from Massachusetts to Toledo, Ohio in 1965, American Lincoln ended Centaur production.

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