This is insane in all the right ways.
All good ideas start in the junkyard, said someone at some time, and they were right. This is yet again proven true when Mr. LS4 King himself Brandon Furches decides to grab a Sterling Kit Car left to rot. His plan is to yank the air-cooled Volkswagen powertrain from the rear and cram in an LS4, of course. As he notes, it’s a horrible idea he can’t help but see to fruition.
If you’re not familiar with Sterling kit cars, you’re not alone. LS4 King admits he didn’t know anything about them before and still didn’t know much before he showed up to grab this one. That’s not exactly ideal for grabbing a project car, but sometimes that’s how things play out.
Based on the UK Nova, Sterlings have been around since 1973. The company has never assembled cars, just made components people typically put on Volkswagen platforms, like what you see in the video. This might be the first time one has received a Chevy LS4 transplant.
Despite what you might’ve heard, Sterling is still around. The company has changed hands a few times and the current owners are working on launching a new site soon. Through them you, Furches, and anyone else who wants to work on one can get different parts. It looks like this particular one will need some bodywork, glass, and pretty much the whole interior.
This kit car looks absolutely horrible, which is no doubt why it was scrapped. Thankfully the yard owner called Furches to let him know it was there and it was rescued. After putting it on a lift, the LS4 King realized the undercarriage wasn’t turning into crumbling graham cracker, unlike other parts of the car. That’s a huge plus as he decides to add way more power than it originally had. Stay tuned for updates on this interesting build.
