The GMC Centaur was a concept vehicle from GMC Truck, the commercial vehicle brand within General Motors, shown alongside Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac at GM's "Teamwork and Technology" exhibition held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York in early 1988. It combined the styling of an aerodynamic passenger car with the utility of a pickup truck, taking its name from the half-man, half-horse creature of Greek mythology. Its smooth, flowing body was finished in a translucent bright metallic red and silver paint treatment, with flush glass and a small frontal area contributing to its aerodynamic form. A large panoramic windshield gave the front end a one-box, minivan-like appearance for a vehicle otherwise built as a truck.
Behind the two front bucket seats, the cabin offered rear seating for three additional adults in a passenger-car sedan environment, with comfort levels intended to match those of a conventional car. Its pickup box carried a payload capacity given as 900 kg in some accounts and 2,000 pounds in others, and it was designed to tow a trailer rated at up to 2,300 kg, or 5,000 pounds by another figure. Drive was all-wheel drive.
Power came from a 3-liter, horizontal in-line six-cylinder engine with a 24-valve, high-compression cylinder head, notable for being an in-line six at a time when GM's other six-cylinder engines were all V6 units. Output figures were not disclosed. This engine was paired with an experimental five-speed automatic transmission. The Centaur also featured electric four-wheel steering, anti-lock brakes, and an advanced self-leveling air spring damper suspension system, all contributing to car-like ride and handling. GMC described the vehicle as incorporating systems and components reflecting state-of-the-art and 21st century technologies. Its overall length and width were close to those of the GMC S-15 compact pickup, though it sat slightly lower.
The Centaur had no firm production plans, and it was presented as a technology showcase rather than a production proposal. Many of its advanced systems and components were said to be under research and development for possible future adaptation into GMC truck designs. GMC used the concept to support its marketing theme at the time, "It's not just a truck anymore."
