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1909 Sterling Model K

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The Elkhart Motor Car Company produced two models of Sterling-branded automobiles during the inaugural 1909 season: the 30-horsepower Model 'K' and the 40-horsepower Model 'C'. This Sterling is a Model 'K' and generates its 30 horsepower from a four-cylinder engine of approximately 255 cubic inches. It rides on a 115-inch wheelbase and was priced around $1,675 when new.

About the Elkhart Motor Car Company:

'Sterling Cars are Sterling Value,' so says an advertisement for the Elkhart Motor Car Company's short-lived automobile in Elkhart, Indiana. Sterling production ceased in 1911 when the company's owners, facing legal and financial troubles, sold its assets to a group previously affiliated with the Haynes Automobile Company of Kokomo. The Elkhart Motor Car Company's facilities later became home to the short-lived Lohr and Elmer automobiles. This story was typical of the many hundreds of start-up automobile makers throughout the United States in the first decades of the 20th century.


The Sterling automobiles were manufactured in Elkhart, Indiana, in the factory of Willard W. Sterling and F.O. Hudson. The two models produced by the company were available in the medium price range. The company would be in business for only two years before production was halted.

The Model K sold for approximately $1,550 when new and came equipped with an inline four-cylinder engine built by the Model Gas Company of Peru, Indiana.

by Dan Vaughan