Specification Crew : 5 Engine power : 395 hp Combat weight :28,875 kg (63,669 lb) Max speed : road 43 km/h (26.70 mph) Length : 6.35 m (20.83 ft) Range : 265 km (164.57 miles) Width : 2.89 M (9.50 ft) Main gun : 95 mm(3.75 in)howitzer Height : 2.49 m (8.17 ft) Armour : 20 mm (0.79 in) to 76 mm (2.99 in)

The Centaur was a hybrid being a Cromwell with a Liberty engine.It was produced when there was no prospect of the Cromwell being placed in production due to a lack of the required Meteor engines.The interim Cruiser Mark VIII,Centaur,was fitted with the Liberty engine by Morris Engines under the design designation A27L.Many Centaurs were later retrofitted with Meteor engines and designated the Cromwell X. The first Centaurs appeared during early 1942 and were produced by Layland Motors.For an interim vehicle the Centaur was to have a wide ranging career.Although most were used for training the Centaur Mark IV was armed with a 95 mm(3.75 in)howitzer and issued to the Royal Marines to provide close fire support during the Normandy landings of June 1944.They were supposed to be used only in the initial stages of the landings but they were pressed into service for weeks afterwards.The Centaur remains one of the few tanks ever used by the Royal Marines. The original Centaur Mark 1 was armed with a 6-pounder(57 mm)gun.The Mark III had a 75 mm(2.96)gun.The Centaur Kangaroo was a turret less armored personnel carrier while the Centaur OP retained its turret but was fitted with a dummy gun to disguise its artillery observation role.There were two marks of Centaur AA tanks armed with 20 mm(0.79 in)cannon and some Centaurs were converted for the armored recovery role.