I like the look, too, although I'm not so surprised. Believe it or not, there was a time when Kodak was one of the world's most prestigious lens makers, and "Ektar" was the trade name they used for their top-of-the-line stuff.
This may be apocryphal, but a collector of Kodak Retina cameras (made by Kodak Germany in Stuttgart) once told me that in the years between the wars, Retinas made to be sold in the US were equipped with Schneider and Rodenstock lenses because US photographers believed German lenses were the best... while Retinas made to be sold in Germany were equipped with Ektars because German photographers believed those were the best.
I suppose I should keep my mouth shut, though, so that eBay vendors will continue to think all US-made lenses are junk and price them accordingly. I remember only a few years ago when C-mount Switars (in fact, just about all non-zoom C-mount lenses) were considered obsolete oddities, usually found on dusty shelves in the back of camera stores and in "junk boxes" at camera sales, languishing under two-digit pricetags. Wish I had a Tardis so I could zip back and grab a few of those for G1 use now...