1963 Chevrolet Corvette — Auto Friday No. 123

Friday again. These things seem to be coming around suspiciously often.

Today's feature is, first and foremost, a gorgeous photo shoot of a gorgeous and very famous car — though of course I'll tell you a little about it too.

The first-generation Chevrolet Corvette, in production since 1953, was essentially an improvisation built on ordinary Chevrolet passenger-car underpinnings. The modest six-cylinder engine was quickly swapped for the brand-new V8, but nothing could be done about the rest. So work on a replacement for the first Corvette began almost immediately, and in 1963 two separate design projects came together into a completely new car. The most significant innovation was probably the independent rear suspension, with a transverse leaf spring and universal-jointed half-shafts driving the rear wheels. The car kept its separate frame, though, and the body was still made of fiberglass.

And across 32 excellent, atmospheric photos you can admire a beautiful 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. I deliberately picked something very famous today — there's a mountain of work before New Year and no time for long write-ups. Don't hold it against me.