2007 Saturn Sky

We're cruising Florida's Fernandina Beach while in town for the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. There's some fabulous hardware trolling the island this weekend, yet our brilliant Sunburst Yellow Sky is attracting as much attention as any Bentley or Bugatti. "I had no idea Saturn made a sports car." "Dude, how much does that thing cost?" "That's a Saturn? Don't they make icky cars?"

The questions come rapid fire no matter where we take the squat, wide roadster that Saturn hopes will become its image leader. But let's dispense with the obvious: Yes, it's a reconstituted Pontiac Solstice. GM needs to amortize the cost of its global chassis architectures, so every one of them must do double, triple, or quadruple duty. The Sky has been part of this Kappa platform's plan since its beginning, when GM carmeister Bob Lutz declared the company would build a legit, rear-drive sports car that would base for less than $20 grand. The Pontiac went on sale last April; the Sky is coming to market as you read this.

While the chassis and all the hidden parts are virtually unchanged from those of the Solstice, not a single body panel is carried over, with the exception of the windshield surround and the mirrors. The more crisply tailored suit is by Franz von Holzhausen, who worked on the Solstice.

The Sky's surfaces are flatter, and there are more beveled edges, as compared with those of the less detailed and more curvaceous Solstice. Splashes of chrome and aggressive lighting clusters highlight an assertive visage; the chrome vents on the hood are nonfunctional but also add sparkle. Which is the better-looking ride? That's a question of personal taste. But based on the spontaneous, if statistically irrelevant feedback we received from the Amelia Island locals and vacationers, the Sky is the hands-down fave.

As the Sky will base for more than the Solstice, it has a slightly higher level of standard equipment. Saturn also invested a few bucks in the interior. It still has the same ergonomic flaws (two of the three cupholders are a pain to use; you have to reach far back on the doors to engage the window switches, and there's a dearth of interior storage spaces), but the cabin has been dressed up a bit.