I remember reading about Sterling kit cars when I was a kid in the 1970’s. I love the looks but the practicality is non existent! This Sterling is based on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis but the sleek profile is anything but a VW Bug. The car is listed here on eBay with a starting bid of $5,000. The car is located in Sparta, New Jersey but it doesn’t have the enough range to make it very far.
The car was converted to a fully electric vehicle although it maintains its VW transaxle, suspension and steering. The owner states that he has over $30,000 invested and wants to find a new home. The car has been garage kept since its conversion in 2013. The seller states that power is provided by a Series wound DC motor and get their power from 40 LiFePO4 batteries. Range is approximately 35-40 miles and the car can be charged with a 110V or 220V outlet.
The interior is fairly rough but not the worse that I have seen on a kit car. The seller calls the interior a blank slate. I will have to remember that one! The body is fiberglass and was painted in black with a satin clear. Check out how you enter the car. The roof is powered by a 12V hydraulic motor that is used on convertible Mustangs.
So, maybe you don’t get the attention you deserve. This Sterling kit car would certainly fix that. The seller states that people ask questions everywhere he takes it. The seller has a disclaimer that includes a humorous line that he is not Batman. The ad is worth your time so check it out. I am going to go home and show this to my lovely wife and see if she thinks we should bid on it!
The Canadian seller of the weird kit car (and others) has a basic Sterling kit listed:
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1510065223
35 mile range…Houston I think we have a problem.
Not a sustainer
Yea weasel you would need to carry an awful long extension cord!! Good luck and stay safe!
Cheers
GPC
I was thinking a gas powered generator but that defeat the actual purpose of the build.
2013 was definitely a few years too early to do an EV conversion. Sucks that he poured so much money into this. I’m really curious what this will wind up going for. I’ve always loved these bodies.
I was surprised to see earlier today, that these bodies were at one stage sold as a VW Puma GTV, in Italy.
That is perhaps from the Brazillian VW Puma company?
Body, access and dash is identical to this one, but with the familiar VW air cooled power.
@Dickie. No, Sterling was a US company. Italy had the Puma, UK had the Nova, South Africa was the Eagle and Australia had the Eureka. All based on the Nova, which was the first kit like this. Puma, Eagle, Eureka and Sterling were all licensed resellers basically, though each company built the cars their own way.
In the late 1970’s I rented a home in Irvine CA and my landlady owned a Stirling that she drove everywhere. Fast forward 10 years and my coworker owned one and used to be the Stirling kit car dealer in SoCal. George Evans was his name, and he was heavily involved the kit car industry during that era. Interesting times.
I’m well acquainted with the car as the owner is a member of the Sterling community online. He built it to have the range he needed to get to work and back – nothing more. So arguments about range are pointless – the man built the car to suit him. Want to go further? Substitute in your batteries and regenerative hubs as you see fit.
Not a fan of the kit car look, but I LOVE this one.
Yeah, range is an issue, but chances are you aren’t going very far. And, it sounds like the seller will help you upgrade the technology if you want. You will just have to take that into account when placing a bid.
Drive around with all those Lipos dangling out there?
Nope, no way …nyet!
What’s a “Lipo”?
Odd in that I don’t remember these. Some very similar making the rounds but not one that looks just like this that I can recall.
Great looking body on her.
I saw one gas/petrol powered, in a local private museum, designed and built by Bruce Maclaren. Apparently it was their design, as it has the identical body.
Sorry my bad.
Not Bruce Maclaren. Apparently it was similar, but not their design
Still a lot of money for something that’s not well-finished. But the shape is awesome and the concept is, well, radical dude.
I would lower this 2 inches to eliminate the scampering lizard stance and lose the rwl tires and faux Batmobile satin paint. Some artistic detailing with the lights and imagination with the interior could net you a unique and desirable ride.
I had a Sterling for a short time in the 1980’s. I loved it for it’s style and mine had a 3.8 Buick V6 so it ran reasonably well, but the deal breaker was that I’m 6’3″ and I just couldn’t fit in the thing for very long. With it’s heavy rear weight bias it also didn’t turn very well…..
I thought Sterlings from the 80’s had Honda V6’s. : ^ )
I have George Evans Sterling. It is as it was when featured in April 1990 Kit Car magazine, and I would like to sell it. It runs and drives and is showing 21968 miles Always inside and is still in very great shape except for a few garage scratches. The chrome in the engine bay is excellent.
David, how did you happen to end up with George Evans car? Any idea where George is these days?
I have always loved the Sterling since it first came out. I bought it from a David Allen who was from California and He and I lived in Albuquerque NM. He gave me the April 90 Kit Car magazine at that time. I had no clue who George Evans was but he told me about the car being in the magazine. It is CCC’s #439. It had some issues which I fixed and drove it. It is now showing 21963 miles and I parked it about 10 years ago because the accelerator pump diaphram on the Delorto carbs began leaking and leaked onto the headers…. After finishing other projects, I rebuilt the carbs and put in a new water pump but have not fired it. I need to make room for other projects and am going to sell it. It is ready to run and I will start it when I get a chance.
I have never met George but would like to… And show him how his beautiful car is still in the same show shape.