diff --git a/activerecord/lib/active_record/base.rb b/activerecord/lib/active_record/base.rb
index b838b1cdc0..e1f3dce7ce 100755
--- a/activerecord/lib/active_record/base.rb
+++ b/activerecord/lib/active_record/base.rb
@@ -895,9 +895,16 @@ module ActiveRecord #:nodoc:
         end
       end
 
-      # Returns a string looking like: #<Post id:integer, title:string, body:text>
+      # Returns a string like 'Post id:integer, title:string, body:text'
       def inspect
-        "#<#{name} #{columns.collect { |c| "#{c.name}: #{c.type}" }.join(", ")}>"
+        if self == Base
+          super
+        elsif abstract_class?
+          "#{super}(abstract)"
+        else
+          attr_list = columns.map { |c| "#{c.name}: #{c.type}" } * ', '
+          "#{super}(#{attr_list})"
+        end
       end
 
 
diff --git a/activerecord/test/base_test.rb b/activerecord/test/base_test.rb
index d74a7b82b5..a64f933f37 100755
--- a/activerecord/test/base_test.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/base_test.rb
@@ -1680,12 +1680,18 @@ class BasicsTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   #    "expected last count (#{counts.last}) to be <= first count (#{counts.first})"
   #end
 
-  def test_inspect
-    topic = topics(:first)
-    assert_equal topic.inspect, %(#<Topic id: 1, title: "The First Topic", author_name: "David", author_email_address: "david@loudthinking.com", written_on: "#{topic.written_on.to_s(:db)}", bonus_time: "#{topic.bonus_time.to_s(:db)}", last_read: "#{topic.last_read.to_s(:db)}", content: "Have a nice day", approved: false, replies_count: 1, parent_id: nil, type: nil>)
+  def test_inspect_class
+    assert_equal 'ActiveRecord::Base', ActiveRecord::Base.inspect
+    assert_equal 'LoosePerson(abstract)', LoosePerson.inspect
+    assert_match(/^Topic\(id: integer, title: string/, Topic.inspect)
   end
 
-  def test_inspect_new
+  def test_inspect_instance
+    topic = topics(:first)
+    assert_equal %(#<Topic id: 1, title: "The First Topic", author_name: "David", author_email_address: "david@loudthinking.com", written_on: "#{topic.written_on.to_s(:db)}", bonus_time: "#{topic.bonus_time.to_s(:db)}", last_read: "#{topic.last_read.to_s(:db)}", content: "Have a nice day", approved: false, replies_count: 1, parent_id: nil, type: nil>), topic.inspect
+  end
+
+  def test_inspect_new_instance
     assert_match /Topic id: nil/, Topic.new.inspect
   end