Chassis No. WA94173298
Born from the singular vision of American 25-year-old industrial designer Jay Everett, this extraordinary one-off took shape in 1952 on a purpose-built tubular chassis clothed in hand-formed aluminum coachwork by collaborators Jack Sutton and Dennis Powers. It debuted at the 1953 Petersen Motorama the following year as the Astra Coupe, combining a 1952 Cadillac windshield, Chevrolet Fleetline rear glass, and 1952 Oldsmobile Rocket 303-cu-in V8 power in a design of impressive originality. Its dramatic nose, Kamm-style tail, and sculpted rear fins anticipated Jet Age styling themes that would not become commonplace among the American “Big Three” for years.
By the mid-1950s, the Astra had undergone a subtle restyling by American customs legend George Barris and was refreshed in its present blue finish for new owner Dick Hoy. After passing through several subsequent collectors in California and the Pacific Northwest, a complete nut-and-bolt restoration was carried out in the mid-2000s by award-winning coachbuilder JF Launier of JF Kustoms, British Columbia, returning the Astra faithfully to its 1955 specification.
The impeccable show-quality restoration made its public debut in 2007, after which it was acquired by the current Austrian enthusiast, imported to Austria, and later shown at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2017. Since then, a considerable effort has been made by the current owner to bring the car into compliance with Austrian road regulations and developing it into a genuinely usable tourer. Today, the Astra remains an extremely special aluminum-bodied, Oldsmobile Rocket-powered one-off that was a legend of the hot-rodding community for decades, and is now beautifully presented in show-quality condition.
Documents: Austrian Zulassungsbescheinigung
- Fuel
- Body Types
- Transmission
- Exterior Colour
- Number of doors
- Interior Colour
- VIN CodeWA94173298
