Saturn is about to bring its version of the compact Opel Astra, the Saturn Astra, to North America as the division unofficially becomes "Opel America." Smart move, Saturn, but the name precedes you. In the 1950's 22-year-old Jay Everett of Gardena, California built a custom sports car and named it Astra. It was attractive though a touch awkward, with some odd lines and angles. Everett sold his Astra to Dick Hoy in the late 50's, who brought it to Barris Kustoms for a facelift. Remarkably George Barris, better known for flambouyant custom jobs, provided an unexpected elegance, including a curving nose, a revamped interior and, naturally, a "candy blue" repaint. Blue candy? Of course. Anyone remember candy floss?

The Astra didn't die; like MacArthur's generals it simply faded away until Spokane hot rod artist Jeff Allison bought the car at a swap meet four years ago and last year turned it over to his buddy J.F. Launier at the Desert Speed Shop in Osoyoos BC for a restoration. The job wasn't easy. No one had photos of the car good enough to read and the paint was badly faded. The aluminum body was corroded. Nevertheless Lanier had praise for the original builders: "It's overwhelming" he said. "The quality of workmanship was awesome. The builder was some seriously skilled guy. I mean, the intricacies of building such a car from scratch are mind boggling."

Stories from early 1950s car mags give credit for the car's aluminum body panels to Jack Sutton and Dennis Power from Auto Craft Sports Bodies. Paul Koonz fabricated the car's frame from 1-3/4" mild steel tubing. The restored Astra recently appeared in Abbotsford BC's annual custom show where George Barris was an honoured guest at the Canadian Hot Rods & Classics magazine booth. Lanier says "I spoke with him and he remembers lots about the car, including constantly hitting his head on the roof when he worked on the interior." Thanks to contributor Nigel Matthews for the background on this article The photo shows the present owner (right) his wife (left) and Barris (center).