73 Sterling / Nova kit car
History and origins of the Nova/Sterling
The Sterling was originally created in England in 1971 as the Nova component car before being introduced in America renamed as the Sterling. It was sold in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand with an estimated 5,000 sold in Europe. The Nova/Sterling is also the only kit car to grace the cover of Car and Driver magazine. It also was featured in Road and Track magazine when it was first introduced.
The original developer of the Sterling/Nova was Richard Oakes a sculptor and Phil Sayers an engineer. They set out to design a desirable sports car to sell at a reasonable price. The Sterling/Nova was so successful in the first year of production in the UK they could not keep up with the orders. Advertisements and articles in major magazines drove inquiries up to 800 a week. It was introduced at the Sydney International Auto show with great success. It was quickly licensed to companies in several other countries. The car was produced in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, South Africa, and the United States. It was renamed in each country. The component cars were produced with Volkswagen chassis, race chassis, and rally suspensions based on the customers special expectations for use on or off the track. I'm told that it is still being raced today in other countries. Currently there are several web sites devoted to these cars and their history. A newly formed club in the United States is devoted to bringing Sterling owners together. It has been an invaluable resource for everyone involved giving us more insight into this admired car. This is only a quick overview about the Nova/Sterling; please click on links at our home page for more great sites for reference.
Sterling sports cars
