Sterling

"You think you're famous now? Ha-ha! We'll be rich, beyond belief!"

—Sterling, Cars 3

Sterling Dunn is the secondary antagonist in Pixar's 18th full-length animated feature film Cars 3.

He is a billionaire businesscar who purchased Rust-eze, after founders, Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze, put the company up for sale in order to build the Rust-eze Racing Center, an elite training facility with the latest technology. It appears that he also intends to run Rust-eze out of a personal office at the Racing Center. Sterling made his fortune as the 'mudflap king' of the eastern seaboard. While Lightning McQueen didn't know of him, Mater did, stating that he does "make a quality mudflap at an affordable price."

History[]

Cars 3[]

In Cars 3, Sterling brings up the subject of McQueen's retirement while introducing McQueen to a selection of merchandise based on him. He agrees to a deal with McQueen; if he cannot win the Florida 500, then Lightning will have to retire and use his fame to sell Lightning McQueen merchandise. At the Rust-eze Racing Center, McQueen is introduced to Cruz Ramirez, who helps him train to defeat Jackson Storm in the Florida 500. Tex Dinoco, however, offered him "a driving talk, billionaire to billionaire", in which Tex Dinoco bought Rust-eze from Sterling. It is unknown what happened to Sterling after that.

Portrayals[]

Nathan Fillion - Cars 3^[1]

General Information[]

Physical description[]

Sterling is a Revere Motors Model AG, a car based on the BMW CS Vintage Concept. His paintjob consists of silver and chrome. His license plate reads "STER-LING" and above it states "Illinoil".

Personality and traits[]

Sterling proclaims himself to be a big fan of McQueen and is very knowledgeable of his racing career, including that of the racing career of McQueen's mentor, Doc Hudson. He is described as "laid back" and "unassuming", though he takes business seriously,^[1] and doesn't say things that are "not charming".^[2] His characteristics can be almost identical to Lots-o-Huggin Bear. Although he is way less cruel.

Bios[]

Sterling is a smart and dashing businesscar who runs one of the largest racing centers in the country. Despite his wealth and influence, he comes across as unassuming and laid-back. Sterling often waves off formalities, choosing to be called "Sterling" over "Sir" or "Mister." Although he's not cutthroat or power-hungry, his decisions will always be driven by what is best for his business. Sterling has invested a lot of money in Lightning McQueen, and he wants to make sure his investment pays off.^[3]

A brilliant businesscar who runs Rust-eze Racing Center—one of the most successful elite training facilities in the country. The always dapper Sterling comes across as unassuming and laid back, but business is business, and Sterling is driven to ensure all of his investments pay off.^[4]

Gallery[]

Names in other languages[]

Bulgarian: Стърлинг (transcription: Stŭrling)
Lithuanian: Sterlingas
Russian: Стерлинг (transcription: Sterling)

Trivia[]

He is based on a BMW 2000CS, but instead, he is a fictional model from Revere MOtors
His concept was a Mercedes-Benz AMG GT.
His model is a bit similar to Pope Pinion IV's model.
If viewers look closely enough, there is one easter egg; Sterling has a picture of what looks like Miles Axlerod, the main antagonist of Cars 2, in his office.
- This led some fans to believe that Sterling and Axlerod are connected in some way, although this was never confirmed to be true.
Though most fans believed that Sterling is the second and/or main antagonist of Cars 3, Nathan Fillion says that Sterling is nothing more than a business professional. "You know what, I think at his heart he's a businessman first. At his heart, he wants to protect his investment, which is Lightning McQueen. He wants to protect that brand."
Many fans also believed that Sterling was going to return in Cars on the Road, due to die-cast leaks showing off another car with the same model as him, but it was revealed that it was going to be a completely new character named "Kay Pillar-Durev", despite Kay being a female rather than a male.
Some of Fillion's mannerisms were actually incorporated into the car. He tends to talk out of the right side of his mouth, and so does Sterling — something he didn't notice until he saw the movie. "I said, 'Hey, that's totally what I do!', so it's actually honest."