Homegrown: Wherever She Goes, Ethel the Roadster Leaves a Legacy of Surprises In ancient times the early 1950s, I Love Lucy was America’s favorite TV show. A major part of that sitcom’s success can be attributed to Vivian Vance, who played the landlady Ethel Mertz alongside Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball (Ricky and Lucy Ricardo). We’re pretty sure that none of the cast guessed that their fictional names would one day grace two custom-built vehicles! Here we’re toasting Ethel the Homegrown sports roadster created by retired United Airlines pilot and ace fabricator Don Berg of Jamestown, New York. In July 2022, he bestowed this machine upon Stoyan Lokar of Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania. Turns out this is the second Berg build purchased by Lokar. (That’s the Don Berg previously mentioned, not our faithful European news editor, Nik, or our contributor Ivan. — Ed.) The first, a ’53 Chevy pickup restomod, changed hands in the spring of 2022. Lokar’s wife is responsible for naming the auto toys in their family fleet. Barb christened that pickup “Lucy” for two reasons: because it wears a hot red coat of paint and because it was “born” in Jamestown, New York, Lucille Ball’s original home and final resting place. In 179 episodes of the popular CBS TV show, Lucy’s co-conspirator was Ethel Mertz. It was only logical that the second Homegrown produced by Berg and purchased by the Lokars earned the name “Ethel.” Berg, a retired United Airlines pilot, learned his fabrication skills working at his uncle’s metal shop in his spare time. The project that became Ethel began life as a wrecked 2001 Subaru Legacy rescued from a nearby salvage yard. Components that carried over to the cool roadster include the entire AWD driveline (including the Legacy’s 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual gearbox), four-wheel disc brake system (including ABS), power rack and pinion steering, the climate control system, the steering column, seats, control pedals, cruise control, and instrumentation. The intriguing body panels are secured to a spaceframe built out of 1-inch square MIG-welded mild-steel tubing. Key dimensions are 98 inches for the wheelbase, 57 inches for the wheel tracks, and an overall length of 156 inches. Body panels were made by shaping 0.062-inch sheet aluminum with a mallet and sand bag followed by TIG welding and finishing in an English wheel. The metal is so perfect that no paint was necessary. Berg also fabbed the fenders, headlamp housings, and windshield frame. Flat chunks of safety-plate glass provide a clear view of the world ahead. The list of add-ons includes rearview mirrors and turn signals from a Kawasaki motorcycle, Dodge Neon side marker lamps, Hella fog lamps, and Chevy Cobalt taillamps. The radiator and cooling fans are stowed in the rear compartment. Berg fastidiously left all emission controls, including catalytic converters, in place. The combination of the 165-hp boxer four-cylinder, controlled via five-speed stick shift, and a 2460-pound curb weight ensures that this build is fun to drive. With Firestone Firehawk radials mounted to Sport Edition alloy wheels, the roadster is more agile than the two Corvettes in his fleet, Lokar claims. Berg calls Ethel’s interesting exterior shape “organic.” He explains, “I was inspired by early Kurtis Kraft oval-track racers. First, I drew the shape, then mocked it up full-scale in cardboard. Even though construction consumed a couple thousand hours of my time, I sold my creation to Lokar for but $7500. It ran well enough that he drove it five hours to his home in Pennsylvania without issue!” Lokar, who retired from a mechanical engineering career at Procter & Gamble, owns a fleet of 10 vehicles his wife calls ‘Stoy Toys.’ He adds, “Ethel is an absolute blast to drive, more like a motorcycle than a car for the most part. “During my first summer owning Ethel, I pushed her hard in search of the traction limit. After surpassing safe speeds on public roads, I visited the empty autocross course at the Carlisle Events grounds to find the ultimate handling limits. After warming the tires for a couple of laps, I pushed harder until I finally got Ethel to squirm a bit in Turn One’s off-camber bend. The combination of a low center of gravity and all-wheel drive makes you feel like you’re cornering on rails. Hustling this car always puts a smile on my face and puzzled looks from those who see me rush by. “I gave our daughter Nina her first ride on one of my favorite local go-to routes, consisting of twisty sections joined by long straights. A Porsche 911 suddenly pulled out in front of us, accelerating toward the horizon. Just for fun, I pulled up directly behind this interloper. We watched him stare into his rearview mirror, trying to figure out what kind of car was crowding his bumper. When he nailed the gas attempting to get rid of us, I stayed right behind him, turn after turn, with my daughter chuckling. Eventually, he gave up and peeled off our route, likely embarrassed that my handmade roadster was able to maintain pace with his six-figure Porsche! This gave us a laugh and an anecdote to share with my wife upon our arrival home. “Since only one ignition key came with Ethel, I visited my local Subaru dealer to obtain a spare. When I exited the parts department, I found a dozen employees over and underneath my car inspecting its construction. A detailed explanation was subsequently required. Upon my return home, my wife was curious why purchasing an ignition key took a couple of hours…” So, these are the glories of a well-executed Homegrown project: It is not only great fun to drive but also a source of compelling stories to share with curious car geeks.