My Art Photography: Stained Glass of New Testament Scenes by F.X. ZETTLER STUDIOS OF THE ROYAL BAVARIAN ART INSTITUTE, Munich, Germany, 1907-1910, in St. Edmund Church in Oak Park, Illinois.

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Feature Image: Two apostles, detail, Institution of the Eucharist window, F.X. Zettler, 1907-1910, St. Edmund Church. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

By 1910 F.X. Zettler’s mastery of the “Munich Style” – characterized by detailed scenes and vibrant colors on glass – made his German company one of the most popular designers in late 19th century and early 20th century American churches. These windows are religious paintings that are pedagogical as well as sacred images. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christ is “really present” in the Eucharist (a Greek word, eucharistia,that means “Thanksgiving”) and that his sacrifice on the cross on Calvary is repeated at every Mass as Christ gives His Body and Blood under the appearance or species of bread and wine in Holy Communion as food for eternal life. As parishes offer school children their first holy communion, Christ’s pose evokes that same event for the apostles. Accounts of the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper are in Luke 22, Mark 14, Matthew 26, and its significance explicated in John 6. It is recounted in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 11. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

Four apostles, detail, Institution of the Eucharist window, F.X. Zettler, 1907-1910, St. Edmund Church. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

In 2022, owing to continuously declining numbers in the church, St. Edmund Church at 188 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, IL, located close to the heart of its suburban downtown, was combined with another historic Oak Park parish, Ascension Church, at 808 S. East Avenue, about one mile to the south. Founded by Archbishop James Quigley (1854-1915) in June 1907, St. Edmund was the first Catholic parish in the village and one of the 75 new parishes founded by Quigley during his tenure between 1903 and 1915. James Quigley’s successor was Cardinal George Mundelein (1872-1939) who founded 80 more new parishes during his administration. Trying to fit into the longstanding predominantly Protestant community, St. Edmund was built in generous cooperation with its leading citizens and designed in a refined English neo-Gothic style. Evoking a low-profile parish country church, this kind of Catholic footprint would be imitated in other prosperous Chicago suburbs with strong Protestant roots well into the 20th century so to discreetly integrate into the community.

Most Rev. James Quigley, Archbishop of Chicago (1903-1915). In 1907 Archbishop Quigley traveled by car to Oak Park to attend the opening. Public domain.

Since the mid-1980s reports from 2022 indicate a reduction by the Archdiocese of Chicago of more than 100 parishes from its nearly 450 parishes due to declining attendance and financial problems, of which St. Edmund is another example. It remains fortunate that this beautiful church building continues to exist and be used for worship. The English neo-Gothic style church was designed by prolific Chicago church architect Henry Schlacks (1867-1938) and dedicated in May 1910. The art glass windows were executed by the F.X. Zettler Studios of the Royal Bavarian Art Institute in Munich. Zettler also made mosaics such as at St. Anthony Church in Bridgeport also designed by Schlacks and consolidated first with All Saints parish and then both closed and combined with St. Mary of Perpetual Help. St. Edmund Church has undergone various mid-20th century redecorations that included the addition of paintings and marble upgrades for its altar, pulpit, and baptismal font designed by Chicago-based DaPrato Rigali founded in 1860. Exterior changes to the building were also made in the 1950’s replacing the church’s original red tiles for the roof and steeple to, respectively, slate and steel coverings.

St. Edmund Church, Oak Park, Illinois, dedicated in 1910, was designed in the late 19th century English neo-Gothic style. The later school (right), opened in 1917, was designed in the French neo-Gothic style. Both are the work of architect Henry Schlacks (1867-1938). Author’s photograph. September 2015.

St. Edmund Church, Oak Park, Illinois, part of the nave, transept and apse, south view. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

St. Edmund Church and school have been a work in progress. The school, a flamboyant neo-Gothic structure designed by Henry Schlacks, opened in 1917. During the post-war baby boom, additions to it were built in 1948 and 1959. In June 2016 the school closed. When the parish was young and growing with Catholic families, it purchased an architecturally significant private home in 1929 for the nuns who staffed the school. With post-Vatican II declining vocations of nuns and school enrollment, the convent was sold in the 1980’s. A 2000 renovation of the church included cleaning and restoring the stained-glass windows that portray scenes from the New Testament. In other Chicago churches with Zettler windows, such as, in St. Stanislaus Kosta Church in West Town, there are themes of the Rosary, while St. Adalbert, a Polish parish in Pilsen since closed by the archdiocese and sold for condo development, it was historic saints of Poland. Henry Zimach of HPZA was the architect of the St. Edmund renovation. In its first 49 years the church was led by one pastor: successful fundraiser Msgr. John H. Code. The next 49 years saw 6 pastors until the church had to combine with a nearby parish. Of the $100,000 construction cost for the church, one donor (Mrs. Mary Mulveil) donated half of it. From an operating expenses viewpoint this elite donor model is how even today some Catholic parishes across the Chicago region stay open. In 2026 one leading Catholic parish published tithing information that showed 95% of registered families do not tithe one dime and about a dozen families donate annually between $15,000 and $25,000 each. With pews half full, one can conclude that non-tithing families might not be at Sunday Mass either. With the Vatican discouraging any “pressure” on anyone, there’s little to no outreach by the parish to the vast majority of its wayward flock as long as apparently the affluent pay their church bills. Of course, if things really get untenable, the bishop then can simply decide to close one more parish.

Mid-20th century redecorations at St. Edmund Church included the addition of paintings and marble upgrades for its altar, pulpit, and baptismal font. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

These are religious paintings as they serve to teach the viewer by depicting scenes from the earthly episodes of Christ. But they are also sacred images, pure iconography, as they invite the viewer to contemplate and pray to those persons existing in the spiritual and heavenly domain with whom they are surrounded. Further, as Zettler’s stained glass are some of this church setting’s most spectacular art, they play a key role in aiding in worship. Individually and taken together, the gloriously colorful and drawn illuminating images accompany worshipers as they place them in the visual presence of the Trinity, the Blessed Mother, and the angels and saints and carry them upwards into their presence as they participate in the sacraments.

The Zettler windows in St. Edmund in Oak Park fill the church interior with the colorful light of glorious art that is both pedagogical and iconographical of the Biblical Catholic faith. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

German Art Glass.

Jesus healing the blind man (detail). This window presents healing stories such as found in John 9 (healing the blind man from birth), Mark 8 (healing a blind man at Bethsaida) and healings of two blind men in Matthew 9. The figure of a woman bending down to have her hair touching Jesus’ feet evokes Luke’s gospel (chapter 7) of the sinful woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her hair. The man at right carried by two others alludes to Jesus’s healing miracle of a man who could not walk found in Mark 2 and Luke 5. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

Zettler window of Jesus’s ministry of healing miracles. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

Zettler Window of Jesus calming the storm found in Luke 8, Matthew 8, Mark 4, and John 6. The event demonstrates the God-Man’s authority over nature. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

Nativity window found in Matthew and Luke. A dog in the lower left corner is one of many such animals scattered throughout Zettler’s windows in St. Edmund Church. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

The flight into Egypt window. Recounted in Matthew 2, the story relates how the Holy Family—Mary, Joseph, and infant Jesus—flee to Egypt to escape King Herod, who ordered the killing of young children to eliminate the prophesied King of the Jews. Joseph, warned by an angel in a dream, swiftly carried his family to Egypt, where they stayed until Herod’s death, fulfilling prophecy and symbolizing Christ’s presence in a world of darkness. The episode has long been a popular subject in Christian art, and Zettler depicts the episode focusing on the Holy Family’s determination under angelic protection. In popular piety, the event is one of the “seven sorrows” of Mary which she pondered in her heart. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

Above the entrance from the street to St. Edmund Church is a half circle stained glass window depicting Jesus as The Good Shepherd. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd in John 10. Author’s photograph. September 2015.

WHO IS ST EDMUND OF CANTERBURY?

Nuremberg chronicles, Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury (1493). Public Domain.

St. Edmund church in Oak Park is named for English saint Edmund of Canterbury (c. 1174–1240). Son of Edmund Rich, Edmund is also known as Edmund of Abingdon where he was born and made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1233 by Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241). History speaks of his parents as being practicing Catholics with his mother more fastidious and his father more laconic. Edmund, taking after his mother growing up, was considered a bit of a sanctimonious prig. Around the age of puberty, Edmund dedicated himself to the Blessed Mother and took a vow of perpetual chastity. When this vow of purity was later challenged by a young woman Edmund vigorously fought her back sufficiently that, as the young woman recalled, he called her “an offending Eve.” Edmund was educated in Paris but, starting around 1200, returned to Oxford to teach mathematics and philosophy in the circle of Stephen Langton (c. 1150–1228). In Edmund’s time, Langton was an influential English cardinal and Archbishop of Canterbury who participated in the political issues of his day including the Magna Carta crisis in 1215. Edmund is remembered at Oxford for building a Lady’s chapel with funds from his teaching stipend and passing much of his free time in prayer. The site where Edmund lived and taught became an academic hall at Oxford in his lifetime (1236) and remains today part of the college of St Edmund Hall, claimed to be the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university in the world. Notable alumni of St Edmund Hall include, at the time of posting, current British prime minister Keir Starmer.

Edmund studied theology between 1205 and 1210 and spent a year with the Augustinian canons of Merton Priory. Afterwards he became a priest and doctor of theology and would take frequent retreats at Reading Abbey in this period. Around 1219 and for the next 12 years the eloquent, learned and virtuous Edmund financed his education by serving as treasurer for Salisbury Cathedral, preached the Sixth Crusade in 1227 (a crusade which led to a shared Christian-Muslim governance situation in Jerusalem) and garnered several influential English friends.

In a mid-14th century manuscript, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (left) meets al-Kamil Muhammad al-Malik (right), whose negotiations led to shared Christian-Muslim governance in Jerusalem during the Sixth Crusade. Vatican Library. Public Domain.

In 1233, the 59-year-old was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Gregory IX though the Canterbury chapter recommended several other candidates first. Accepting the position reluctantly, Edmund, consecrated on April 2, 1234, fought for independence of the English church from any foreign influence and this led to an episcopal tenure characterized by incessant and unseemly brawls with King Henry III and the papal delegation as the archbishop admonished the king for a government of baronial favoritism. Threatening the king with excommunication, the crown backed down temporarily but harbored enduring antipathy towards Edmund and looked for relief in Rome. In favor of strict discipline and truthful justice in civil and ecclesial government and life, coupled to a strong stance against any encroachment on the English church, including jealousy for his authorial rights to be enforced by litigation when necessary, the possibly soft spoken but clearly combative Edmund made for a very unpopular figure among the powerful and eventually led to his forced resignation in 1240.  In 1236, with the object of freeing himself from Edmund’s control, the king requested a sympathetic legate from the pope who arrived to insult and contradict everything of importance Edmund chose to do and say in relation to current issues – from the marriage of Simon de Montfort and Henry’s sister Eleanor that Edmund found invalid, to Edmund’s own cathedral priests and monks who were opposed to Edmund’s rule. Edmund reacted to the opposition erratically, excommunicating at will, all of which was ignored by the pope who let his legate’s, and not Edmund’s, decisions stand which favored the king. Edmund was left to complain that the discipline of his national church was being undermined by the flaccid standards of world politics. Before thinking to resign, Edmund went to Rome in December 1237 to plead his cause in person before the pope.  But already Henry III’s exactions and usurpations were backed up by the papal legate and Edmund’s mission was futile. Edmund returned to England in August 1238 where he was made to heel. Edmund resigned in 1240.

Abbey of Pontigny, view from south. The Cistercian abbey of Pontigny in France was a refuge for England’s persecuted archbishops, including Stephen Langton (c. 1150–1228), and Saints Thomas Becket (1120-1170) and Edmund of Canterbury (c. 1174–1240). Author’s photograph, September 1993.

At that juncture, Edmund set out for the Cistercian Abbey at Pontigny southeast of Paris in France, which had been a refuge for Edmund’s predecessors, Stephen Langton and Thomas Becket (1120-1170). The archbishop’s health soon gave way and, though Edmund decided to return to England, he died en route at Soisy-Buoy in the house of the Augustinian Canons on November 16, 1240.

Pontigny, north aisle, 12th century. At Pontigny St. Edmund of Canterbury led the life of a simple monk. Author’s photograph. September 1993.

Edmund’s remains were returned to the Abbey of Pontigny where he was buried and lies in state today in a reliquary above the high altar. Miracles were soon reported at Edmund’s tomb leading to his canonization by Pope Innocent IV in December 1246, making Edmund one of the fastest English saints to be canonized. When Blanche of Castile (1188 –1252) and King Louis of France (1214-1270) visited Pontigny, Edmund’s body was exhumed and shown to be incorrupt. His relics survived the French Revolution and when his tomb was opened again in 1849 his body, still incorrupt, had one arm found detached. This major relic was sent to the United States, where it is enshrined today on Enders Island off the coast of Mystic, Connecticut, inside the chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption at St. Edmund’s Retreat, run by the Society of Saint Edmund founded at Pontigny in 1843. Edmund’s life was one of self-sacrifice and devotion to others. From boyhood he practiced austerity and asceticism, fasting, and spending his nights in prayer and meditation. St. Edmund of Canterbury’s feast day is November 16. 

St. Edmund of Canterbury, detail from the Westminster Psalter, mid-13th century, British Library. Public domain.

The Story of F.X. Zettler’s Royal Bavarian Art Institute.

About 100 miles south of Munich, Germany, was the home base of popular and well-regarded stained-glass studios such as Franz Mayer & Company and Zettler of which St. Edmund has a full coterie presented in this post. These photographs were shot by me in September 2015.

Franz Xavier Zettler was born in Munich, Germany in 1841 and worked as an ecclesial artist, founding his stained-glass design company after 1870, until his death in 1916. When he married Anna Mayer, Zettler married into another family of artisans, following a long tradition of artisans doing so. In 1848 Joseph Gabriel Mayer (1808-83) founded the Establishment for Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting (“Institute of Christian Art”) under the patronage of King Ludwig I of Bavaria (1786-1868). With royal commissions in Germany for the massive Cologne and Regensburg Gothic cathedrals as well as the Mariahilfkirche in Munich (Vorstadt Au) – the first German neo-Gothic church whose foundation was laid in 1831 – Mayer directed his son Franz Borgias Mayer, and son-in-law F. X. Zettler, to expand the establishment by including a division for stained glass in 1870.

King Ludwig I of Bavaria in Coronation Regalia (König Ludwig I. von Bayern im Krönungsornat) by Joseph Karl Stieler (1781-1858), 1826, oil on canvas, 96 x 67.3 in., Neue Pinakothek, Munich. see – Sammlung | König Ludwig I. von Bayern im Krönungsornat – retrieved January 14, 2026. Public domain.

Zettler’s company, the Bayerische Hofglasmalerei, enjoyed quick success with his award-winning windows displayed at the 1873 International Exhibition in Vienna. By 1882 Zettler’s firm was decreed as the “Royal Bavarian Art Establishment” by King Ludwig II (1845-1886). Almost immediately, these Munich and Austrian stained-glass companies had a profound relationship with immigrant Catholic churches in the United States as Zettler and the others, provided high quality glasswork that was familiar with Catholic piety and themes.

König Ludwig II. von Bayern als Hubertusritter (King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a Knight of Hubertus), Ferdinand Piloty d. J. (1828-1895), 1879, oil on canvas, 217,5 x 132,5 cm, Neue Pinakothek, Munich. See – Sammlung | König Ludwig II. von Bayern als Hubertusritter – retrieved January 14, 2026. Public domain.

After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, these stained-glass companies sent representatives to Chicago to sell them on various stained-glass patterns from which to choose in a rebuild or renovation. Before the turn of the 2oth century, these large studios had set up branch offices in America, including Zettler’s, that catered to a booming church-building industry hungry for traditional pious art that had been the Catholic tradition since Ravenna and only slowed in the life of the church following Vatican II’s radical turn. Chicago and its environs particularly became a great center for this traditional German and Austrian made stained glass until just before the Great Depression. From the 1870s to the 1920s, Chicago became the most influential center of Catholic culture in the United States with German and Austrian stained glass, such as the Zettler windows in Saint Edmund Church in Oak Park, having the strongest reach. After 20 years, the predominance of these European glass companies was finally challenged in the last decade of the 19th century by an American company. Though Zettler won a top prize at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) gained notoriety with a display of his designed comprehensive collection in Art Nouveau style of jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass windows, lamps, and other decorative interiors that continued to gain in popularity, including in houses of worship, right up to World War II.  A steep tariff imposed on imported stained glass in the United States after 1894 impacted some international art purchases though Catholic churches in particular continued to turn to German and Austrian glass for their workmanship and pious imagery taken from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. At some financial cost pastors believed that such traditional art aided their mostly immigrant congregation of professional and industrial factory-workers and their families in worship. 

Zettler Studios was innovative in the perfection of the “Munich style” of windows, in which religious scenes were created in a process of painting and melting large sheets of glass in kiln heat. Zettler was also inspired by the German Romantic Nazarene art movement of the early 19th century whose artists rejected Neoclassicism to revive spiritual and religious-focused art of the Italian Renaissance. In Zettler’s array of religious figures depicted in stained glass windows his team used Italian Renaissance art principles of three-point perspective and line drawing that evoked realism in gestures, expressions and various garb.

Jesus gives the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to Simon Peter.
Jesus asks, “Who do the people say I am?” leads to Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ. it took place at Caesarea Philippi, a new city established by Philip the Tetrarch and was a Gentile community. The gospel writers usually show a lack of understanding of geography, but Matthew was better than Mark and in this incident the location is explicit and about a day’s journey on foot from Capernaum on the Galilee Sea where the disciples were first called. At this juncture in his mission Jesus lays down a challenge to his disciples and asks: Who am I? The story also appears in Mark and Luke and, again, there are differences with Matthew’s account. in Matthew Jesus calls himself by the title “son of man” (Mark and Luke have no title at that point) and Matthew adds Jeremiah to their common list of figures like John the Baptist and Elijah (Zeffirelli adds Ezekiel) that the people think Jesus is. it is “Simon Peter” that answers for the group: “You are the messiah.” Once again Matthew reflects a higher Christology, adding: “The son of the living God,” though the simpler statement is likely the original. These next verses are not in Mark or Luke. Jesus attributes Simon Peter’s confession to divine revelation (“for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my heavenly father”). Jesus Christ then elects Simon Peter to a new commission of authority with a new name. There is no other verse in the New Testament that explains Peter’s name change. It is clear Peter is the rock upon which the church is built as his commission from Christ. What is its precise or working sense as that foundation is mysterious. Peter is the rock because as representative and mouthpiece of the disciples he has gathered up and articulated their faith as a group. Jesus makes a bold claim that the group he has formed, the church, will endure as long as there is faith among them that he is the Messiah and that by that enduring faith “the gates of Sheol (the biblical abode of death) shall not prevail against it.” Giving Peter the keys at the establishment of the church following his confession of faith as representative of the disciples echoes Isaiah 22 and is a sure sign of royal power and authority that Jesus confers on Peter. This, as Jesus himself journeys to Jerusalem to his condemnation and crucifixion. Peter evokes the master of the palace, the highest officer in the Israelite royal court. The office of Peter is not as a caretaker or underling but master of the church (ecclesia) and the kingdom of heaven that scholars say here carries a similar meaning. Jesus bestows broad authority to Peter to “bind and loose” which is an obscure phrase with no biblical background but found in the role of rabbis who could impose and remove. Peter’s special position in the church is also made clear from other passages in the gospels as well as Acts of the Apostles. This confession of faith and charge of authority is followed by an instruction on the suffering of the Messiah, making this a crisis moment in the gospel narrative. Following miracles and wonders, the Suffering Messiah was entirely foreign to the Judaism of New Testament times and Matthew, Luke and Mark (the Synoptics) here briefly relate some of the early great disillusionment in the minds of the disciples at this point about the teacher which was never fully remedied until after the resurrection.

Keys of the Kingdom window, detail.

Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana (John 2). On the prompting of his mother, Jesus performed his first miracle of changing water into wine. The Blessed Mother was the primary catalyst in starting her son Jesus, living a hidden life for 30 years, to begin his public ministry.

The Prodigal Son window. One of Jesus’ greatest parables, Luke 15 tells the story about a rebellious younger brother and son who demands from his father his share of the inheritance and proceeds to squander it on “riotous living” (Luke 15:13). He returns home destitute, asking only to be a servant in his father’s house, and finds instead that he is awaited, joyfully welcomed, and forgiven by his father, symbolizing God’s boundless love and restoration for repentant sinners. This is contrasted by the antagonist in the story – the self-righteous older brother who resents the celebration. He deems his repentant younger brother as an unredeemable trespasser and whose condemnation extends to this older brother’s envy of the prodigal’s special reception. The father reminds the older brother that “‘You are here with me always. Everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31) and that it is right to especially celebrate the prodigal son’s return. For the father explains: “Your brother was dead and has come to life again. He was lost and has been found” (Luke 15: 32). Jesus’s parable teaches about sin, grace, and redemption, and the importance of unconditionally celebrating the return of the lost.

SOURCES:

First-ever Sacred Spaces House of Worship Walk in Oak Park this weekend – Wednesday Journal  – retrieved January 13, 2026.

https://oprfmuseum.org/this-month-in-history/st-edmunds-parish-dedicates-new-oak-park-church – retrieved January 13, 2026.

Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage, George Lane, S.J., and Algimantas Kezys, Loyola University Press, Chicago, 1981.

AIA Guide to Chicago, 2nd Edition, Alice Sinkevitch, Harcourt, Inc., Orlando, 2004.

Franz Xaver Zettler – Wikipedia – – retrieved January 13, 2026.

Ascension and St. Edmund Parish – Catholic Communities of Oak Park and Neighbors – Archdiocese of Chicago – Oak Park, IL – retrieved January 12, 2026.

Louis C. Tiffany Stained Glass Windows in Western New York – retrieved January 12, 2026.

Stained Glass Legacy – Ecclesiastical Sewing – retrieved January 13, 2026.

German Stained Glass in Buffalo – retrieved January 13, 2026.

Munich Mayer — Gelman Stained Glass Museum – retrieved January 13, 2026.

Zettler Stained Glass Window | Campus Crucifixes | University of Notre Dame – January 13, 2026.

The New Iconoclasm: What We’ve Forgotten – The Catholic Thing – retrieved January 14, 2026.

Saint Edmund Rich of Canterbury (1175-1240) – Find a Grave Memorial – January 14, 2026.

Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel – St. Edmund’s Retreat Inc. – Mystic, CT – retrieved January 14, 2026.

The New American Bible, Catholic Book Publishing Corp, New York, 1993.

The Saints: A Concise Biographical Dictionary, edited by John Coulson, Guild Press, New York, 1957, pp. 249-250.

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Edmund Rich – – retrieved January 14, 2026.

Saint Edmund of Abingdon | Biography & Facts | Britannica – retrieved January 14, 2026.

The Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Joseph A Fitzmeyer, S.J., and Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

My Street Photography. Ford Galaxie (1959-1974).

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Feature Image: “FORD GALAXIE HDR” by abux_77 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Meet the aristocrats of the low-priced field; ad tag line in 1960 for Ford Galaxie.  

In 1960, 44-year-old Robert McNamara was the new president of Ford Motor Company. In his career at Ford, McNamara was an executive who thought like and fought for the ordinary consumer. Unlike other car industry execs, McNamara was passionate about providing a highly affordable and great car for the ordinary American man and woman. McNamara was ahead of his time and actually might have been more useful or successful in the 1970’s when the introduction of emissions standards and fuel economy made weight and design more significant to meet government mandates. The Falcon was McNamara’s brainchild. Its average price point of $2,100 (about $23,000 today) fulfilled McNamara’s vision for a great American utilitarian car for the masses and it became a bestseller. The middling Ford Fairlane had an average base MSRP of less than $2,300. Next up the lower priced chain of Ford car models was Ford Galaxie. At a little over $2,700 MSRP ($29,500 today) Galaxie was a full-size Ford sedan throughout its production run.

The Galaxie remained slotted as the mid-range full-size Ford into the 1970s between the Custom and the LTD (the XL was discontinued after 1970).

On November 9, 1960, Robert McNamara became the youngest president in Ford Motor Company history and the first from outside the Ford family since 1906. One month on the job, on December 8, 1960, McNamara was contacted by John F. Kennedy’s transition team – JFK was the youngest president-elect in US history – and offered the job of US Secretary of Defense. Though McNamara’s first reaction was that he wasn’t qualified for the defense job, he finally accepted and became the youngest defense secretary in US history up to that time. McNamara’s compensation at Ford was $3 million a year. At the Defense Department he made $25,000 a year. See – Our Vietnam The War 1954–1975, A.J. Langguth, 2000, Simon & Schuster, pp. 42-43 and McNamara At War: A New History, P. Taubman and W. Taubman, 2025, W.W. Norton, p. 120.  PHOTO: “Robert McNamara” by DoDEA Communications is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In addition to a shiny nameplate, Galaxie included cloth/vinyl bench seating, chrome exterior trim on all windows and body sides and an aluminum rear quarter covering with upgrades available. Under McNamara, Ford took a heavy risk in 1960 when it introduced a totally revamped design on its bestseller compact Falcon as well as its line of full-sized cars. Fords were lighter and sleeker, with a body no longer sculpted but molded from fender to bumper trimmed in chrome. And for the first time in Ford history the full width grill had its headlights inset at each end instead of above. This design choice continued throughout Galaxie’s second generation into 1964.

By 1974, things were very much changed. The Mustang II was that year’s Motor Trend Car of the Year – and it was Galaxie’s last model year. The Galaxie had essentially been co-opted by what started in 1965 as its highest trim level: namely Ford LTD. Strictly Galaxie production had, in fact, fallen from its peak in 1963 of nearly 650,000 vehicles to under 120,000 in 1974.

SOURCES: J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1960 to 1965, McFarland & Company, Inc., pp. 41-45; J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1973 to1980, McFarland & Company, Inc., pp. 178-179.

This explanatory article may be periodically updated.

My Architecture & Design Photography: Infrastructure, Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge, 95th Street and S. Baltimore Avenue.

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Feature image: July 2016. Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge, 95th St. & S. Baltimore Ave 4.03mb DSC_0774 (1). Author’s photograph.

This photograph of the Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge (also known as the “Skyway”) is at the exact point where it spans the Calumet River and Calumet Harbor, a major harbor for industrial ships. Built by the City of Chicago in 1958 this massive steel undergirding is part of the 7.8 miles long expressway toll road that connects Chicago’s Dan Ryan freeway on the South Side to the Indiana Toll Road. The main feature of the Skyway is this half-mile long steel truss bridge known as the “High Bridge” whose maximum vertical clearance allowing ships and objects to pass safely underneath is 125 feet or about 10-12 building stories. The Chicago Skyway truss is primarily made of rolled and built-up steel beams for incredible weight-bearing strength, durability and functionality.

The Skyway was operated and maintained by the City of Chicago until January 2005 when Skyway Concession Company, LLC assumed its operations under a 99-year operating lease. The lease agreement between Skyway and the City of Chicago was the first privatization of an existing toll road in the United States. In February 2016, Skyway was purchased by three Canadian Pension Funds (OMERS Infrastructure, CPP Investment Board, and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan) and in December 2022 global toll road operator Atlas Arteria Group based in Australia, acquired 66.67% stake in the Skyway with OTPP retaining the rest. see – The Skyway – Chicago Skyway – retrieved December 19, 2025. While exact current figures go up and down, best estimates put daily vehicular traffic on the Chicago Skyway, both cars and trucks, at between 40,000 and 50,000 per day. see – FHWA – Center for Innovative Finance Support – Value Capture – Case Studies: Hays County, Texas Transportation Reinvestment Zones – retrieved December 19, 2025.

My Street Photography. GENERAL MOTORS: CHEVROLET BISCAYNE (1958-1975).

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Feature Image: 1959 Chevy Biscayne, 7.89 mb, author’s photograph, May 2018.

In the 1950’s, American cars were noted for their V-8 engines, chrome, and tailfins of one kind or another. The late 1950’s was also marked by a recession which began in 1957 and continued into 1958 that led to a drop in car production in that period by nearly a third. “What is good for General Motors is good for America” could be true in 1950’s America when it was said, attributable to a 1953 Senate hearing, but its converse was also clearly the situation in the last years of that decade.

“From the Progress of the Past – the Promise of the Future.”

This was the tag line for General Motors that was celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1958. Many cars were painted golden to mark the “Golden Milestone.” It was the same year that the full-size Biscayne model made its first appearance. All Chevrolets in 1958 underwent an all-new “Sculptutamic Styling” that included the “gull wing” style fenders and twin taillights in the back of the Chevy Biscayne. The gull wing back extended along the body side to a “v” dip or gap. Another subtle styling addition was the quarter panel bulge between the rear wheel opening and the rear bumper. The Biscayne series replaced the Chevy 210 where the interior was made more colorful and instrumentation had a horizontal bias that, by 1959, was designed to be within easy sight of the driver. In 1958 Chevy introduced the X- shaped frame chassis and full coil suspension that provided greater stability that included 6-cylindar and V8 models, the 283 CID V8 replacing the 265 CID V8, with an optional 348 CID.

“Dollars never went further or bought longer lasting pride than in Chevrolet’s new Biscayne series for ’59.”

In 1959 General Motors – emulating a Chrysler corporate revamp in 1957 – redesigned the bodies of its entire fleet line so that many interior parts and some exterior parts were interchangeable on cars. In the process Chevy reshuffled their brands so that the Impala, that was a luxury option on the Bel Air in its first year in 1958, became Chevy’s own top-of-the-line brand in 1959. The Bel Air took the place of the Biscayne and the Biscayne in 1959 replaced the budget-priced Delray that was discontinued. Chevy Biscayne was produced in its second generation over two model years (1959 and 1960) and would be produced in five generations whose last model year was 1975.  

The 1959 Chevy: a.k.a. “Batmobile.”

In 1959 the most remarkable design change was an enlarged windshield and rear window on all cars for greater driver visibility of the road and a “flat top roof.” The bodyside was characterized, at the front, by a slight crease at the turn signal which joined a gentle, sloping bodyside curve. The tail fin started at the rear of the front door that carried to the slightly higher back-end splaying in a “v” shape above the “teardrop”-shaped taillights. The design of the 1959 Chevrolet later came to be known as the “Batmobile” for its body design affinities, particularly the wing-shaped tailfins, and that was featured in the Caped Crusaders’ custom built “bat motif” vehicle during the popular ABC “Batman” TV series in 1966 to 1968.

Batmobile, rear view. With its ‘bat motif” wing-shaped tail fins, the 1959 Chevys, including the Biscayne, shared similarities with the Caped Crusaders’ custom built vehicle. PHOTO: “Batmobile, rear view” by KWH703 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Drag racing footage of what looks like a 1960 Chevy Biscayne. The Biscayne was introduced as a full-sized Chevrolet model in 1958 in tandem that year with the top-of-the-line luxury Impala. They joined the Bel Air which has been offered since 1950. These cars constituted about 85% of all Chevy sales in 1960. The Biscayne was the slightly lowest price model with a Biscayne 2-door hardtop like this one setting back the American consumer $2230 BASE MSRP (less than $25,000 in 2025) and weighing about 3500 pounds. https://youtube.com/shorts/7oJPm104q0Y?si=ytYL4v1ruWa2jDTx – retrieved November 30, 2025.

The Feature Image 1959 Biscayne represented over a quarter of all Chevy sales that year. Its main competition was the Ford Custom 300, Plymouth Savoy, and Rambler. The Biscayne featured nylon and vinyl upholstery, cloth headliner, dual sun visors, color-keyed floor coverings, two-spoke steering wheel, stainless steel trim on the windshield and rear window, tail fins, small hubcaps, and 7.50 x 14 BSW tires. In 1959 the average price of a Chevy Biscayne was $2, 383 ($26,597.88).

SOURCES:

J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1946-1958, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 855-857, 866-867, 870-871, 949.

J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1960-1965, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 23-24, 26.

This explanatory article may be periodically updated.

My Street Photography. GENERAL MOTORS: CHEVROLET CAPRICE (1965-1996).

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Feature Image: 1982 Chevy Caprice Classic. 92% 7.79 mb. June 2018.

Chevrolet had a golden year in 1965. Sales had not been that stellar since 1955. What a difference one model year makes. In 1966 Chevrolet took a beating from Ford mainly from Ford’s new sporty Mustang for which Chevy had no direct competition yet. The closest was the Chevy II V-8 with its front engine rear-wheel drive but it wasn’t sporty and became competition for Ford’s Falcon. Further headaches for Chevy included negative publicity from consumer advocate Ralph Nadar’s book “Unsafe at Any Speed,” published in 1965 that criticized the automotive industry for its safety record, focusing on the Corvair, particularly driver handling concerns with the rear-engine economy car. As Nader’s work led to the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966, which mandated federal safety standards for vehicles, it impacted Chevrolet sales in the short term adversely. In 1966 the Chevrolet Full Size whose model lines included the Bel Air (1950), Biscayne (1958), and Impala (1958) that represented more than 70% of Chevrolet’s sales volume now included the bumped-up Caprice in 1966 as the new top of the line model. The Caprice, which started in 1965 as a luxury option to the Impala 4 Door Hardtop, became popular as its own model and competed with the Plymouth VIP and new Ford Galaxie 500 LTD.

The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 through 1996 model years. Full-size Chevys were touted as “The New Chevrolet.”

“The New Chevrolet. We Made It Right For the ‘80s.” – Ad tag line in 1980 for Impala and Caprice Classic.

By 1980 the full-size Caprice Classic received with the Impala (1958-1985) an exterior makeover to be more aerodynamic for fuel economy with all new sheet metal as it retained the same chassis and basic interior and exterior design and appearance. In the pursuit of reducing drag, the front fenders and hood were lowered and the back trunk lid and rear quarter were raised. The roofline was formalized and body sides were smoothed. A new grille insert was “egg crate” style that was 4 rows high and five times as wide. On behalf of better fuel economy, the weight of this streamlined Chevy Caprice was reduced by 100-150 pounds.

The 1982 model year was part of the Caprice’s Third Generation that went from 1977 to 1990. In 1982 the Caprice Landau Coupe was dropped with only the three-seat Caprice Wagon, Sports Coupe and Four-Door Sedan offered. Both the two-door six -passenger V6 Sports Coupe and Four Door Sedan had an optional V8 engine. The Sports Coupe listed for $8,221– $8,291 (about $27,479.52 today) while the Four Door Sedan listed for $8,367 – $8,437 (about $27,967 today). Fully loaded options inside and out could add over $3000 ($10,000 today). In 1980 the Impala and Caprice Classic amounted to over 25% of Chevy’s sales volume. Caprice featured specific triple unit taillights, bright roof trim moldings, stand up hood ornament, and full wheel covers along with an interior velvet-look knit cloth or all-vinyl front bench seat, fold down center armrest (4-doors only), front door pull straps and lower door panel carpeting, electric clock, and extra acoustical insulation and courtesy lights.  

SOURCES:

See – https://www.capriceclassic.com/onamarie.geo/chevy1982.html – retrieved July 17, 2025.
J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1966 to 1972, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 32-33; 38-39.
J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1973 to 1980, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 798-800; 809-810.

This explanatory article may be periodically updated.

UNITED STATES. The NATIONAL SHRINE OF ST. JUDE in Chicago is the church where Danny Thomas, entertainer and founder of St. Jude Children’s Hospital, came to have his prayer intentions answered – as have thousands of others across the globe – by this patron saint of “hopeless cases.”

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FEATURE Image: The many prayer intentions received at the National Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago are placed at the patron of hopeless cases’ devotional altar in the main sanctuary. These petitions are remembered at the National Shrine’s Masses and devotional prayers throughout the years. June 2018 80% 7.76mb DSC_9191. Author’s photograph.

The National Shrine of St. Jude at 3208 E. 91st Street on Chicago’s far southeast side at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish church was canonically established in 1929.  Its official decree was promulgated on November 15, 1929, by Chicago Cardinal Archbishop George Mundelein (1872-1939). June 2018 88% 7.72mb DSC_9173. Author’s photograph.

The pastor of the church at the time was Fr. James Tort, a Claretian missionary, who had a deep personal devotion to St. Jude, patron of hopeless cases and those that are almost despaired of. The saint, not to be confused with the traitor, Judas Iscariot, is honored by the church universally as the saint who brings visible and speedy help in most dire circumstances. A portrait of the founder of the Claretians, Spanish priest and bishop, St. Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870), is one of the artworks that greet visitors into the main sanctuary. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is over the main altar. The devotional altar to St. Jude is right of the main altar. The altar to St. Jude contains a major relic of the saint: a piece of his bone. June 2018 84% 7.78 DSC_9177. Author’s photograph.

The shrine altar to St. Jude (right). In the darkest days of the Great Depression, Father Tort petitioned St. Jude with a request to help complete the parish church building for the people. In gratitude for the granting of this great favor. Fr. Tort promised to never cease to honor the saint, a true blood relative of Jesus and Mary, by dedicating a shrine altar to him in the church and to do all in his power to spread devotion to him. June 2018 2.29mb DSC_9186 (1). Author’s photograph.

This is one of the stained-glass windows in Chicago’s St. Jude Shrine. It depicts Jude preaching in Persia. Tradition holds that Saint Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. He is also said to have visited Beirut. In addition to being patron of hopeless cases, Jude is patron of vegetarians. That Jude is portrayed holding an image of Jesus Christ has an interesting origin. During Jesus’s public ministry, a king had an incurable condition and was dying in Edessa. He sent a letter asking for Jesus to come. Instead of going himself, Jesus sent Jude. As Jude set out on this journey, Jesus pressed a cloth against His face, and when he gave it back to Jude, it had the Lord’s image on it. When St. Jude then went to the dying king in Edessa, and the king looked at the cloth with Christ’s miraculous impression, he was immediately healed. June 2018 6.47mbDSC_9184 (4). Author’s photograph.

In 1940 when entertainer Danny Thomas (1912-1991) came to Chicago to do radio commercials, he found early success doing stand-up comedy in nightclubs. When work was finished, often around dawn, Thomas went to 6 a.m. Mass at St. Clement Church. There Thomas learned about Chicago’s National Shrine of St. Jude on the far southeast side. A couple of years earlier, Thomas, starting out in show business in Detroit— and with his first child, Marlo Thomas, on the way— had dedicated himself to St. Jude as the patron of hopeless cases. Soon after visiting and praying at the Chicago shrine, Thomas was offered a stand-up comedy job in New York City at La Martinique at 57 West 57th Street. This job launched his entertainment career into the big time. Following World War II, Thomas was performing for $3,750 a week at New York’s Roxy Theater just off Times Square and was performing in nightclubs across the country as well as offered film roles. In 1953 he starred in his own television show, Make Room for Daddy (later, The Danny Thomas Show). The sitcom ran for 11 consecutive seasons and became more popular with each year. By 1957 it was the no.2 show on television and, when the sitcom ended in 1964, it was in the top ten. “Danny thomas kayrouz” by Hany raymond rahme is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Remembering St. Jude from his early days in Detroit and Chicago—and promising if he made it big he’d give back somehow— Danny Thomas in 1962 founded the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2020, St. Jude’s has expanded to eight affiliate hospitals across the United States. In 1996 one of its doctors in St. Jude’s Immunology Department was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology. The prize was for key discoveries on how the immune system works to kill virus-infected cells. “Have you heard of @StJude Children’s Research Hospital? Named for the patron saint of lost causes Danny Thomas founded St. Jude because he believed that ‘no child should die in the dawn of life.’ I’m homored to be invited to spend the next two days with t” by Leticia Barr @TechSavvyMama is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Altar of St. Jude, The National Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago. St. Jude Thaddeus was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles and. legend has it, that it was Jude who was the groom at the wedding feast of Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine (John, chapter 2). Matthew states that Jude was one of the “brothers” of Jesus usually interpreted as a blood cousin. St. Jude, pray for us! June 2018 73% 7.89mb DSC_9182. Author’s photograph.

My Street Photography. FORD FALCON (1960-1970).

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FEATURE image: June 2018. 1964 Ford Futura Falcon. 4.54 mb DSC_0136 (1).

In 1960 Ford’s ad tag line for the Falcon was “the easiest car in the world to own.” In 1964, Falcon was included under Ford’s umbrella tag line of “The Total Performance Cars for 1964.” In 1960 Ford Motor played the industry’s high stakes profitability game with its new line of cars that included the new compact for the ordinary American — Ford General Manager Robert McNamara’s Falcon. Naysayers and even conventional wisdom said compact car manufacturing was next to unprofitable. But the Falcon was Ford’s biggest success in 1960 and in its entire history up to that time. In 1961 all the majors — Ford, Chevy and Plymouth — offered affordable compact cars for Americans to drive. Ford being the leader – they were there first, offered the lowest price, and had 2- and 4-door models — won the compact car marketplace battle definitively. When it comes to their cars Americans like tradition and from its powertrain to exterior and interior styling Falcon was all that.

June 2018. Ford Futura Falcon. 7.36mb DSC_0122.

In 1964 all of Ford’s models were given upgrades including under the hood, such as the 289 CID V8 engine for the Mustang and mid-sized cars. The renewal that year of all its models was so important that the entire Ford line was named “Car of the Year” by Motor Trend magazine. In 1964 Falcon received a major restyling that included an angular and modern appearance while retaining its original performance components. Falcon, along with the Fairlane, were big sellers comprising together more than a third of all Ford sales. But the biggest news in 1964 was the arrival of Ford’s brand-new pony car at the World’s Fair in New York: the Mustang. The sporty Mustang was an instant hit and had taken some of its enduring design inspiration from the Falcon in terms of its practicality.

Standard equipment on the 1964 Falcon included cloth and vinyl interior trim, front door arm rests, chrome windshield and chrome rear window moldings, and hub caps. The FUTURA Falcon added features such as deluxe interior trim, side window moldings, hood ornament, full-length side trim molding, and full wheel covers. Further upgrades on Futura included bucket seats. SQUIRE included wood-grain exterior trim, power tailgate window and carpeted floors. SPRINT added bucket seats, a console, sports steering wheel, tachometer and wire wheel covers. The Falcon ranged from the Falcon 2-door sedan with a base MSRP of $1,996 ($20,859.87 in today’s dollars) all the way up to the Falcon Sprint 2-door convertible with a base MSRP of $2,671 ($27,914.19 in today’s dollars). The average price for a new Ford Falcon in 1964 for the American consumer was $2,345 ($24,507.22 in today’s dollars).

SOURCES:
J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1960 to 1965, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 41-43; 269-70; 299-300.

My Street Photography. CHRYSLER: PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER (1968-1980).

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FEATURE image: August 2025. 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. 87% 7.54 mb DSC_4556 (1). 

Since the Great Depression years Chrysler Plymouth was the number three budget brand car in America following Ford and Chevrolet. By the1960’s that number three position had been held by General Motors’ Pontiac though Chrysler Plymouth reached that third position on occasion. In the 1970’s Plymouth would be overshadowed by Oldsmobile but in the late 1960’s that was a near future not yet revealed and, starting in 1968, Plymouth had a couple of incredible end-of-decade model years. In 1969 the two-door pony car Plymouth Barracuda (1964-1974) continued to have its own identity in the Chrysler line up and received only a modest makeover that year that included a new grill, interior trim and optional ‘Cuda 340 package. The mid-sized Belvedere (1954-1970) in its seventh generation and Satellite (1965-1974) in its second generation returned in 1969 with slight new treatments as did the compact Plymouth Valiant (1960-1976) in its third generation with a new grill and taillights. In 1969, after four years, The Plymouth Fury (1955/1959-1989) entered a fifth generation with a totally redesigned model line.

In 1969 Plymouth’s advertising tag line was Look what Plymouth’s up to now and it was the new Plymouth Road Runner that captured the car world’s imagination. A Plymouth first, Motor Trend magazine selected the 2-door convertible and 2-door coupe Road Runner as their 1969 Car of the Year. A powerful engine with a spartan trim level, the Road Runner muscle car was introduced by Chrysler in 1968. In 1969 Plymouth added a new Road Runner Convertible. Initially based on the lower-priced Plymouth Belvedere, the sporty Road Runner was a mid-size, performance-focused car designed to itself be a lower-priced option compared to the upscale Plymouth GTX or Pontiac GTO. In its heyday the Chrysler Plymouth Road Runner was the spartan alternative to the highly equipped Plymouth (Belvedere) GTX. All these Plymouth mid-sized models (along with the Satellite) were sold in 1969 with the tag line: The name of the game this year is “sport.” In 1969, the base price for a Plymouth Road Runner coupe was approximately $2,945 ($25,888 in 2025 dollars). The hardtop version listed for around $3,083 ($27,099) and the convertible model was $3,313 ($29,121). The mid-size Road Runner was introduced as a 2-door pillared coupe whose spare interior belied an exclusive “Roadrunner” 383 cu in B-series V8 engine with a 4-barrel Carter Carburetor and high-performance camshaft under the hood.

“Beep, Beep.”

Plymouth paid $50,000 to Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (about $465,500 today) to use the Road Runner name and likeness including the “beep, beep” horn sound that Plymouth developed for its customers with an investment of around $100,000 in today’s money. Produced from 1968 to 1980, the Road Runner was built on the mid-sized B-Platform for three generations. Like most muscle cars, in the 1970’s its performance capabilities declined — and, with it, sales — as the car industry was mandated to focus on fuel economy and emission standards. In 1976 the Road Runner nameplate became a trim and graphics package for the new Plymouth F-body compact two-door Volaré platform until discontinued in 1980. Having no special performance capability and with car manufacturers actively downsizing their lineups, the Volaré was discontinued on the same day in 1980 the Dodge Main Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan, closed after being in continuous operation since 1911.

SOURCES: See –  J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1966 to 1972, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 297-303.

This explanatory article may be periodically updated.

My Street Photography. GENERAL MOTORS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE  (1953-).

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Feature Image: May 2023. 1962 Corvette. Advertising in 1962 included the tag line: New power. New profile for America’s sports car! 4.20mb DSC_2074 (1). Author’s photograph.

While in 1962 Chevrolet was focused on its competition with Ford Motor Company in compact cars (Chevy Corvair; Chevy II), there was a big change in 1962 under the hood for the sporty Corvette. A 250 h.p,, 327-cid V8 engine came standard and was an option on full-sized Chevys as well. The engine was more powerful and weighed no more than its 283 predecessor on which it was built. The 327-cid V8 engine was so efficiently made that with fuel injection it increased to 375 horses under the hood.

July-2022. 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. 96% 7.89 mb DSC_6582
July 2022. 1962 corvette 88% 7.92mb DSC_6581
May 2023. 1962 Corvette 92% 7.90 DSC_2078
May 2023. 1962 Corvette. 82% 7.90mb DSC_2076
August 2025. 1962 Chevy Corvette 7.66mb DSC_4553.

The Corvette originated in 1953 and in its first generation introduced a new body for the 1956 model year that featured a revised front end and side coves that continued through the 1962 model year. The first generation Corvette was equipped with deep contoured bucket seats, deep pile carpeting, and complete instrumentation. In 1962 the two -door convertible Corvette listed for $4,038 ($43,129.18 in 2025 dollars).

May 2024. 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, 7.93mb DSC_5381

Since the 2020 model year the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is in its eighth generation. The sports car is assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The 8th generation Corvette introduced GM’s first rear mid-engine since the Pontiac Fiero was discontinued in 1988. The engine has two radiators, one on each side in the front and offers an 8-speed dual-clutch automated transmission which is the first time Corvette offered a no manual transmission option since model year 1982 (third generation). The C8 features a new design from previous Corvettes with aluminum architecture, coil-over springs and more aggressive aerodynamics such as bigger air intakes and prominent side scoops. The base price for the 2023 1LT coupe was $65,595 and $70,795 to $73,095 for the 1LT convertible. – https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1136183_2023-chevy-corvette-price-increases-again-this-time-by-2-300– retrieved April 9, 2025. 

September 2023. 1970 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. 87% 7.76mb.

In 1970 the advertising pitch line for the Corvette was People have the idea you can tell what cars of the future will be like looking at Chevrolet’s Corvette. They’re right. Well, the future is here and unfortunately cars on the road in 2025 don’t look much like this gem of classic sports car. Major standard equipment in the 1970 Corvette included all-vinyl bucket seats with full-length center floor console, complete instrumentation, Astro ventilation, removable roof panels on the coupe and manually operating folding top on the convertible, 4-wheel disc brakes and F70x 15 WSW tires and wheels with trim ring and ribbed center hub. In 1970 a Corvette 2-Door-Coupe set the customer back $5,192 ($43,228.48 in 2025 dollars).

September 2014. 1965 Corvette. 3.74 mb

From rubber to roof, still America’s true sports car. In a league all its own, the Corvette was in the midst of its second generation in 1965. It was the same year that saw the introduction of the popular Ford Mustang. There were only minor trim changes from the year before including tweaking the hood design, sill moldings and a new grille. For the $4,022 Base MRSP ($41,247.59 in 2025 dollars) major standard equipment included bucket seats, cockpit cluster console, walnut-like steering wheel, full carpeting, complete instrumentation, manually operating folding top and 6.70 x 15 BSW tires.

May 2022. 2016 Chevy Corvette. 7.92 mb 82%

The 2016 Corvette is 7th generation. By the 2000’s the 50 year old Corvette was increasingly viewed as a car purchased by the older buyer (55 years and up). Though in development since 2007, the Corvette 7th generation was delayed until the 2014 model to make the classic sports car more appealing to younger buyers including a design that kept production costs lower. The new generation Corvette in 2014 started using the “Stingray” name again which started in 1963 and was discontinued in 1976. Whereas the 1965 Corvette Stingray weighed less than 3,000 pounds (2,980) the C7 was almost 15% heavier at 3,444 pounds. For 2017 model year Chevrolet also re-introduced the Grand Sport (GS) model that cost $66,446 (87,570.36 in 2025 dollars). “2017 Corvette Grand Sport Priced at $66,445”. media.gm.com (Press release).

July 2025. 1998-2000 Chevy Corvette convertible 99% 7.63mb DSC_3802 (1)

SOURCES:

J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1960 to 1965, McFarland & Company, Inc. pps. 155-156; 352, 357-358; J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1966 to 1972, McFarland & Company, Inc. page 338.

This explanatory article may be periodically updated.

My Street Photography. GENERAL MOTORS: BUICK GS455 (1970-1972).

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Feature Image: May 2023. 1971 Buick (Gran Sport)GS455 Convertible 7.72 mb 73%

Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick? 1971’s advertising tag line for this GM American automobile maker.

The GS 455 was an option to the base GS during the 1971 and 1972 model years. The GM A-body platform was the base for many iconic American cars including Buick. Approximately 81 GS 455 Stage 1 convertibles were produced for the model year. Just as manufacturers were producing some of the most desirable muscle cars of all time the U.S. government required unleaded gasoline that reduced these machines’ power (compression). Due to these government mandates starting for 1971, the advertised power of the car’s 455ci V8 with a single four-barrel carburetor and factory-rated 345 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque dropped variously at installation. The GS 455 engine was the same basic big-block that had been introduced in the 1970 model year. The Stage 2 version of the 455 did not go much further than Stage 1 and there was about the same number produced as Stage 1 though aftermarket did take things further. GS buyers could choose between automatic or manual transmission. The Turbo Hydra-matic had an option of column-mounted lever or full-length center console. Manual was a 3- or 4-speed floor-shift stick. The 1971 Buick GS 455 convertible is one of the rarest of Buick muscle cars. Major standard equipment exclusive to the GS included dual exhausts, functional hood air scoops, and heavy duty springs, shocks and stabilizer bar. In 1971, total GS 2-Door Convertible production was 902 vehicles with a base MRSP of $3,476 ($27,726.29 in 2025 dollars). In 2025 the Buick GS 455 had an average resale price of $52, 250.

SOURCES: See – https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-buick-gs-9/ https://www.classic.com/m/buick/gran-sport/455/year-1971/
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/1971-72-buick-gs-455/ https://classiccarsbay.com/for-sale-1971-buick-gs-455-in-mooresville-north-carolina-49118 – retrieved August 30, 2025.
J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1966 to 1972, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 396-399.

This explanatory article may be periodically updated.