1997 Ford F-350 7.3 Turbo Diesel Centurion

Centurion [sen-too r-ee-uh n, -tyoo r-] noun

1. (in the ancient Roman army) the commander of a century.

2. (initial capital letter) Military. Any one of various British battle tanks in service from 1945 to 1967.

Don’t judge me. Like many of my fellow DTers, I peruse the Craigslist car ads for hours. It’s like crack, I tell you and when you get the itch it’s hard to stop scratching. It’s a wonderful place to find hidden treasure and horrible horrors; all equally entertaining. So, it will come as no surprise when I share with you this 1997 Ford F-350 7.3 Turbo Diesel Centurion.

Since many of you could probably quote the entire history of Centurion Vehicles (RIP) from memory, famous for converting Ford trucks and vans, I won’t repeat it here (or just look it up). Nor will I discuss the gigantic motor, the battleship dimensions or even if it is a true Centurion conversion (but feel free to if the mood strikes you, of course). The few I’ve seen were either basically four-door Broncos with a fiberglass shell or a truck-van monstrosity that El Jefe must surely count instead of sheep when he goes to sleep at night, unlike this open-bed model.

But that’s not what caught my eye; it’s all about the doors. Remember when trucks had a door for the driver and another one on the other for a passenger, dog or stuff? It was like that for a long time but at some point things started to get fancy when the car companies decided to tart them up with fancy interiors, designs and paint. After a while, it became clear that people were using them for much more than just a work tool or down on the farm pulling stumps.

The extended-cab was one of the first innovations in truckdom and it was actually a great idea; it gave you a place to stow your gear away from the elements and prying eyes. Then things got weird. Though third-world countries had quad-cab trucks for, well, ever, we didn’t get them in full force until relatively recently (outliers aside). Four doors  or “quad-cab” in market-speak are the bombdiggity and now soccer moms are buying these things, never using the truck bed for anything other than Home Depot runs. Potting soil does not belong in the back of the minivan or sedan; heaven forbid!

So what’s a compulsive over-consumer with far too much money, a deficit of taste and zero understanding of handling to do? Why, bigger has just got to be better, right? RIGHT?!? That’s right! Climb aboard the USS Road Hazard, Captain and set sail for the Walmart seas! Who needs four doors when you can have SIX; yee-haw! And you thought that luxo-barge you were driving had a horrific turning circle; forget three-point turns, try three hundred-point turns, Me Bucko! Arrr!

Here’s what the Craiglist ad reads on this mysterious behemoth; 

"This truck makes its own statement, it is a must see. 1997 Ford F 350 Centurion, 7.3 Turbo Diesel, automatic transmission, power everything, CD player, 4 captain’s chairs and the rear has a bench, comes with Power Edge programmer, brake control, 5th wheel / goose neck hitch rail set up, pulls a camper and 7 people no problem. Has 157,000 miles on it, no rust, clean title. It was serviced 4,000 miles ago. New brakes, master cylinder, all gaskets replaced and had the engine checked. I made sure it stays in tip top running condition. The truck was built by Centurion which is a company who has been customizing ford trucks for over 20 years. There were very few 6 door F350s made. I was told 24 but have not found any documentation. The truck runs like a champ and catches attention everywhere. Asking $17,000 obo; trade possibly for some type of new toy."

See a better six-door commander of the century?

Images via Craigslist