A Brief ' Sterling ' History:
The first site of the Nova in the USA was when the 1973 issue of Car & Driver hit the newsstands. The response to this article was overwhelming, and Richard Oakes and Phil Sayers, the designers of the Nova in the UK, were inundated with letters from the USA, including over a thousand people that wanted dealerships. Several of those interested visited the UK, but the two that seemed the most adventurous were Norm Rose and Cecil Robertson. Not long after California Component Cars was born.
Production began in San Lorenzo, California in 1973. By January 1976, CCC held the license to manufacture Sterlings anywhere in the world, as well as opening a second production facility in Illinois. California Component took over existing contracts in Australia and Holland, and licensed new manufacturers in Scotland and Venezuela, while the UK continued to produce kits for the UK and overseas. A front cover photo and article in Motor Trend in November 1976 continued to keep the car in the public imagination and sales continued to soar. A total of (roughly) 875 were produced between the two manufacturing facilities owned by CCC. In September 1978, CCC changed ownership, and the Sovran body is produced with mixed reviews. Squared off wheel wells and a monocoque body and slightly larger dimensions highlighted this version, and by mid 1979 the first bodies were taken from the molds and were for sale later that year. From 1980 onwards, Sterlings were now known as Sovrans. Total production numbers are not known. In fact, only two of the square wheel-welled Sovrans were ever photographed, and that was in a dealer showroom. Best estimates are under 5 bodies; one was sold overseas (VIN #001) by a club member not too long ago, and another running car was for sale in the UK about the same time.
In 1983 CCC changed ownership again, and the Sterling nameplate was revived, back with proper rounded wheel wells, but all the Sovran's other features. This version became known as the Sterling GT or Sterling Sovran GT, depending on who was selling the car. Total production numbers are again not certain for this version, but conservative estimates are below 50 units.
Ownership of the molds had changed hands after the GT, most notably to a company called Redhead Roadsters in Washington State in the early 1990's, but I am unaware of any cars that this company produced. From Redhead's demise, the molds sat idle until Mike McBride started Solid Sterling in the mid '90's, producing a handful of turnkey cars and spare parts. Solid Sterling was retired in 2006, and half a year later Dave Aliberti brought the molds to Pennsylvania to start Sterling Sports Cars near Pittsburgh.
The Sebring....a Sterling sibling:
In the mid '70's, a small company called Custom Coach Builders started producing a variant of the Sterling called the Sebring. Custom Coach, we believe, was a company that was hired to pull bodies for the then present California Component Cars Midwest plant in Illinois. Very little is known about the actual "birth" of the Sebring, but shortly after their conception, Al Hildenbrand, president of ARX Industries (later Bremen Motor Corporation) who had been a Sterling distributor in the 1970's felt he could do better by the car's standards. Recent information from original owners is placing the Sebring as being introduced in 1976, with the car body fitted Sterling style to a VW pan. By at least 1978 the body was changed to a unibody (monocoque) body that had the VW floorpans removed but retained the central tunnel. There is some question whether Al had a partner in the design process and marketing. The Sebring was essentially a modified Sterling in an effort to gain headroom. The nose was chopped back and the headlights (open on early Sterlings) were now retractable. A functional bumper was added to the front for extra protection and the headlight placement was raised to meet minimum federal requirements. Two rows of louvers lined the hood to provide cooling for water cooled engines with a front-mount radiator, and the lower body scoops prevalent on the Sterling were eliminated. The cockpit was restyled to provide more headroom and a slightly larger engine compartment. Al's vision for the Sebring was to make it street legal in all 50 states, passing all federally mandated safety features. The first generation of Sebring had the body much like the Sterling, sitting on a VW pan. Starting in '82, the body was restyled with a deeper cut canopy and a full monocoque body that eliminated the VW floorpans, but retained the central tunnel and suspension. These were named the Sebring Turbo, and were often fitted right from the factory with a GM V6 block. Bremen continued production into the late 1980's. Surprisingly, production paperwork is scarce, so estimated production runs point to approximately 1500 vehicles made.
The Cimbria: First Cousin, once removed...
In 1978, yet another entrepreneur took hold of a Sterling and molded his own version. Joe Palumbo founded Amore Cars in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the Cimbria (body basic to the Sterling, mounted on a VW Beetle chassis) and the later Cimbria SS with a fully integrated monocoque body and roll cage. First generation Cimbria are roughly the same dimensions as the Sterling. The difference between the Sterling and Cimbria SS bodies are obvious when parked side by side. The Cimbria SS is larger in every dimension. The early versions featured a split rear hatch reminiscent of the DeTomaso Mangusta, but overheating problems with air-cooled powerplants led to the redesign with the monocoque body and open tail much like the Sebring. Once again, production figures are not known, and estimates are around 500-600 vehicles built.
In the early 1990's, Neria Yachts in Wilmington, North Carolina, built their own molds from a purchased Cimbria and had a limited run of cars called 'Nerias', with a severely modified shortened nose and the options of a full tube chassis and modern running gear.One of our members remembers seeing at least 10 finished vehicles in a Las Vegas dealership or car show, but I've never seen one come to market. One more builder in Canada who also has a version of the Cimbria, called the 'Bernardi'. Sterling Auto Classics in Ontario shows a single finished car on their website (for sale last time I looked), but I have been unable to confirm any others produced.
What does the windshield come from??
Sources from interviews of Richard Oakes when the car was first debuted wrote that Richard did not want a pre-existing windscreen (i.e. from a donor car) as that would hamper the design process. From that, a custom windshield was designed just for the Nova, and was manufactured in the UK.
All information above is deemed as accurate as the facts I have currently. If there are errors, please contact me and I will post the corrections. Thanks to Steve in the UK, Nick B. and Warren D. for background information. Other information provided by Auto Logic Publications 'Supercatalog of Kit Cars', 1983.
