In recent months, there has been a ton of news coming in from the GM LS4 aftermarket, mostly by way of Brandon Furches. Having since renamed and rebranded his business from Furches Performance to LS4 King, Brandon is taking the often overlooked and neglected LS4 platform to new levels.
From teaming up with Moroso and offering a racing oil pan, to kicking off a racing event dedicated solely to LS4-powered front-drivers, Brandon has already been making moves this year! Now, just the other day, he’s picked up an old Sterling Kit Car from the 1970s to build. For those out of the loop or born after the ’70s, a small company called Sterling offered sporty, fiberglass bodies for hot-dodders who were left in the performance car drought of the time period.
Using the undercarriage of a VW Beetle, enthusiasts would buy wrecked or well-used Volkswagens for their drivetrain and undercarriage and marrying it to the much lighter, and much more sporty body. Some car builders would take things to the next level, by dropping in small-block Chevy and Ford engines, to give the cars some real performance prowess.
However, as time wore on, a lot of these vehicles would be discarded, wrecked and largely forgotten over time. Naturally, Sterling would eventually go bust and finding replacement components can be a burden, unless you’re tied in with the Sterling clubs, groups, etc. that are still out there. As you can obviously tell by the images and the video above, this one was left in a wrecking yard near Brandon’s shop. Based on a 1970 Beetle chassis, and in poor shape, this Sterling has a long way to go until it sees the road, and the dragstrip, once again.
This will be the LS4 King’s first foray into the Sterling world, so we’ll see how this project will payout throughout the year. Stay tuned!
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles; GM, Ford, Dodge, imports, trucks — you name it! When he isn’t clacking away on his keyboard, he’s building, tuning, driving or testing his current crop of personal projects!
