Sterling kit car w/turbo rotary engine -- 360 degree walk-around

[Tonekapone0015]

What is these doors called

[riskonerock]

How many times you goin to go around your car...

[SkerlingKitCars]

@riskonerock Umm...twice(!)  I did one from a high angle and one from a lower angle. There are very few walk-around videos of this car out there. Just trying to show the car to people who aren't familiar with Sterlings.

[SkerlingKitCars]

@SkerlingKitCars Hmmm. Or perhaps it WAS three times. Crap. No wonder I was so dizzy after shooting the vid. :)

[pilatunes]

Great choice of wheels...what are they?

[SkerlingKitCars]

@pilatunes Hey, thanks. I got them about 4 or 5 years ago from an online dealer of Boyd-Coddington wheels. I don't think they make that exact model any more, but they appear to still have something similar. This car is almost 40 years old, and I like that these wheels are definitely modern but give a little "retro" nod as well. The trick is to find the adapters that make it all possible. I used a fully custom aftermarket Bug hub from a company called AirKewld.

[WeegeePerson]

Freaking love this car. I'm buying a modern one when I have the money.

[herrgall1]

Nem Ikarus lámpái vannak hátul?

[theplasticdinosaurs]

I think I'd like it better if it was a gullwing.

[SkerlingKitCars]

@theplasticdinosaurs Actually, there is a sister car to the Sterling called the Cimbria (and later the Cimbria SS). It wasn't made by the same company, but it very obviously was based on the Sterling, has extremely similar body lines (minus a scoop or two), and has gull-wing doors. I own a Cimbria, too. I guess I couldn't decide whether I liked the canopy or the gull-wings better. :)

[sheacd1]

nice! i wish mine was actually road worthy... but i can't complain... it was free!

[augyg316669]

What, no driving or engine shots? For shame...

[TheFroFactor]

i am a fellow sterling lover and i want to ask, are you happy with the performance of the 13b in the sterling? I have a sterling with a buick 215 v8 but i am considering a rotary engine in my next project my big question is how is the power off the line with the rotary?

[SkerlingKitCars]

I'm glad that you left a comment! Be sure to join our sites (SterlingKitCars and NationalSterling) if you haven't already as we'd love to hear about your car! My rotary pulls very nicely from 5 to 70+ MPH, and you can go that whole way in just two gears if you want. :) Off the line, ironically, it won't curl your toes. The rotaries aren't very torque-y. But in terms of power to size to weight, there is virtually nothing better for a kit. 200HP from same size as the bug's crank case!

[lillen300]

@SkerlingKitCars Is there any sterling nova without the roof raising door. like bird wing type?

[SkerlingKitCars]

@lillen300 Yep, there sure is. There is a sister car tot he Sterling called a Cimbria which has gull-wing doors. They look pretty cool! In Europe, there is also a spin-off called the Eagle SS which also has gull-wing doors. The Eagle SS was an almost direct clone of the Cimbria SS, which was the evolution of the first generation Cimbria, which was highly "inspired" by the Sterling, which itself is a clone of the kit car badged as the "Nova" over in the UK.

[rickymontero]

what a beauty......

[vfIskullangel]

What does it run in the 1/4?

[SkerlingKitCars]

@vfIskullangel I have no clue. I've never been able to race it; there are always gawkers standing in the way. (hee hee) But seriously, I've never totally maxed it out. These have old, Bug transaxles, and I don't want to break my toy. With the Mazda rotary turbo, it feels a little slow for the first two seconds...but then it's REALLY fun from 10 to 80 MPH. :)

[fuckingshot]

gotta say ive always hated kit cars but this is pretty cool. the sterling always had good looking lines but the beetle motor just wasn't cutting it for me. good job on ur build

[deltafrog]

How did you do the swap, was it a bolt on or did you ahve to do a lot of prep work? What all did you do? Please explain, thank.

[SkerlingKitCars]

There is a company called Kennedy Engineering that makes many different adapters to mate almost any engine to a VW bug transaxle. Adapter includes and adapter plate and a specially drilled flywheel. That part is easy. Everything else (fuel, power, linkages, etc) is custom/up to the builder. It's a slow but rewarding process!! Take the engine and wiring loom (and fuel pump, etc) from the donor car. Then hook it all back together. The engine never knows it's in a different car, facing rear.

[nusair2]

what kind of rotary is it? 13bt? 13bre?

[SkerlingKitCars]

This particular Sterling has the 13b turbo out of a 1987 Mazda RX7. It utilizes all fo the stock wiring harness, sensors, and ECU fromt he donor car. I also have a Sterling with a 13b non-turbo with a Racing Beat intake and carb on it. It's a stripped down engine with very few bells and whistles but a few nice go-fast after market goodies. My turbo is a little pepier and more reliable, but the engine with the carb (and short exhaust) has a pretty nice growl!!

[jmdcanfly]

Those are the same wheels I had.I love your front grill, that is a realllly nice piece.

looks great, now lets gets some video of that turbo spooling up.

[SkerlingKitCars]

Thanks, Josh. I'll work on some good sound bites of the turbo. :) It has a rather nice whistle to it.