Built in France, the mid-size Centura offered an alternative to the Torana and Cortina
1970s Australia was a land of changing tastes. We embraced pizza and KFC, our houses were getting bigger and being made from brick, our cars were smaller but with no less power.
Holden started the trend by slotting six-cylinder engines into the shell of an elongated Vauxhall Viva, followed by Ford with six-cylinder versions of the TC Series Cortina.
That left Chrysler, the smallest of our country’s ‘Big Three,’ with the choice of designing a contender from scratch or finding an existing design to fill the gap. It found one in France.
The Chrysler 180 was a mid-sized sedan intended at one point to be sold in Britain as a Humber and use V6 power. Via Chrysler ownership of Simca it ended up being built in France with four-cylinder engines, then shipped to Australia to be united with some of our straight six engines.
Here, the Centura was available as a 2.0-litre, but most buyers opted for a 3.5 or 4.0-litre Hemi six. The cars began arriving during 1975 and were initially sold in XL or GL trim. Two years later when the updated KC model appeared, the designations were GL or GLX and only the 4.0-litre engine remained.
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Most had three-speed automatic transmission or a three-speed floor-shift manual. Just a few also found themselves fitted with the Borg-Warner four-speed as used in Chargers. Disc front brakes and radial-ply tyres were standard, as was a rear brake pressure proportioning valve to minimise lock-up.
A Sports Package including Charger-spec sports wheels, body stripes, ‘Boca Raton’ cloth seat inserts, a revised dash and tachometer was available too, but very few seem to have sold.
Fleet buyers were prime targets for the automatic 3.5-litre GL, which at $5270 cost $35 than a 3.3-litre Trimatic Torana SL. Jumping to the better equipped GLX cost 20 percent extra and these were sold mainly to private buyers.
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Cars that combined the 4.0-litre ‘245’ engine with three-speed manual transmission could reach 75km/h in first gear and left some shocked owners of V8s as they sprinted away from the lights. Top speed from an automatic was 170km/h, but with four-speed transmission the 4.0-litre would manage 184km/h.
Australia could be the last bastion of Centura/180 survivors. The Simca-Talbot Club found in the UK fewer than 10 of the four-cylinder survivors, and French stocks seem equally sparse. Reportedly there remain around 100 viable cars in the Czech Republic.
Parts stored by visionary owners have been appearing for years on internet sales sites, providing welcome help to dedicated owners who have been restoring and upgrading surviving cars.
Many are younger people who recognise the ability of Hemi Six engines to produce prodigious power and have turned their Centuras into drag cars. Mechanical parts are easily found and still cheap, but some owners have gone further with extensive interior refurbishing, under bonnet chrome and wild paint.
Excellent unmodified cars occasionally appear in the market and will sell quickly when the pricing is right. One seen recently at $40,000 may have taken some time to find a home but $20,000 is feasible for a good 245 cubic inch automatic. Genuine manual cars are more expensive.
Value range Centura (GLX Auto):
Fair: $3000
Good: $14,000
Excellent: $23,000
(Note: exceptional cars will demand more)
BUYER’S CHECKLIST
Body & chassis
Rusty or damaged Centuras can be a costly prospect, with some parts unobtainable new and not a lot of used ones left under workshop benches either. A business in NSW supplies a range of reproduction Valiant parts and perhaps they can be convinced to make some for Centuras as well. Used tail-lights were seen at $300 per pair, mudguards with minimal rust at $250 each and a complete floor at $500. Bumpers seem hard to get but there are lots of excellent hubcaps, possibly because a lot of cars that still exist are running on alloy wheels. When checking a Centura, look at the chassis rails for rust or damage, lower sections of the firewall, plenum ahead of the windscreen, and the turret and window surrounds.
Engine & transmission
Few problems here with mechanical durability or parts availability. Top-end rattles are common to Hemi engines, but a set of solid valve lifters and high-performance valve springs cost around $500 and are easily installed. Smoke and bearing rumbles indicate an engine needing a rebuild or replacement. If you want to go the full Six Pack route, a manifold and trio of Weber carburettors will add around $4000 to your build cost. Most Centuras use Borg- Warner automatic transmission, supplemented by some three-speed manual versions. Genuine four-speed cars are a real find. Clutch wear in the three-speed manual with its high first gear is a common problem.
Suspension & brakes
Suspension deficiencies were the Centura’s greatest weakness and a place where owners can improve upon the factory’s flawed set-up. Unlike Valiants with their torsion bars, Centuras have coil springs which can be re-rated in conjunction with better quality shock absorbers and bushings. These changes, made along with bigger wheels and uprated tyres, will improve steering response and reduce wallowing. Consult a professional when altering the suspension though, because going too far destroys ride quality and induces bump-steer. Disc rotors and pads (including upgrade kits), ball joints, springs and shock absorbers are still available. If a car wants to lock its front brakes, check that the rear drums aren’t stone cold after a decent test drive.
Interior & electrics
The trim fitted to these cars combined local and imported components and durability wasn’t flash. Seat frames can twist and adjusters jam. Make sure the column stalks are intact and that the heater funnels some warm air into the car. Replacement seat-trim materials and carpets are available and the online parts market turns up all manner of useful spares including a decent instrument surround for $100. New starter motors and alternators are available at prices ranging from $300-900, depending on how powerful and/or authentic you want your replacement to be.
1975-1978 Chrysler Centura Six specs
NUMBER BUILT: N/A
BODY: Steel, integrated body/chassis, four-door sedan
ENGINE: 3521cc or 4018cc six-cylinder engine with overhead valves and single downdraft carburettor
POWER & TORQUE: 124kW @ 4400rpm, 317Nm @ 1800rpm (4.0 litre)
PERFORMANCE: 0-100km/h 9.4 seconds, 0-400 metres 16.7 seconds (4.0 auto)
TRANSMISSION: Three or four-speed manual, three-speed automatic
SUSPENSION: Independent with coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers and anti-roll bar (f) live axle with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers (r)
BRAKES: Disc (f) drum (r) power assisted
TYRES: 175SR-14 radial
From Unique Cars #469, Aug/Sep 2022