Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova

Chevy II and Nova at a glance

The Nova belongs to the Chevrolet catalogue and to the compact end of the American muscle car guide.

The Chevy II of 1962

Chevrolet launched the Chevy II for the 1962 model year as a simple compact. It was the inaugural model of the GM X platform. Buyers could choose a two-door or four-door sedan, a Sport Coupe hardtop, a station wagon and, in 1962 and 1963 only, a convertible. In 1962 alone, 23,741 Nova 400 convertibles were built.

At first there was no V8. The engine range began with a 153 cu in four-cylinder, rated at 67 kW (90 hp) in 1967. Above it sat the 194 cu in "Hi-Thrift" six and a 230 cu in six. The 283 V8 became available for 1964, with 145 kW (195 hp) and, from the middle of 1965, 164 kW (220 hp).

Super Sport and the small-block years

The Super Sport package, RPO Z03, appeared in 1963 on the top 400-series Sport Coupe and convertible. Officially there was no V8 for it yet, although owners often swapped one in. The 1965 car could be ordered with a 327 V8 of up to 224 kW (300 hp), and 9,100 of the 122,800 Chevy IIs built that year were Super Sports.

For 1966 the Chevy II received a sharper body. The SS was now offered only as a Sport Coupe, still with the 194 six as standard. From 1967 the badges read "Nova SS", and the strongest option was a 327 Turbo-Fire with 261 kW (350 hp). About 10,100 Nova SS cars were sold that year, 8,200 of them with V8 engines.

Nova SS 396 (1968–1970)

The third generation of 1968 was a new car on a 111-inch wheelbase with a front subframe. The station wagon and hardtop were dropped. The SS became a real performance package with a 350 V8 of 220 kW (295 hp), and for the first time Chevrolet offered the 396 big-block in its compact.

Two versions of the 396 were available: 261 kW (350 hp) and 280 kW (375 hp). For 1968, 5,571 SS coupés were built. In 1969 the Chevy II name was dropped, the car became simply the Nova, and the SS 350 was rated at 224 kW (300 hp).

1970 was the final year of the SS 396. Wikipedia notes that the engine was actually a 402 cu in unit by then, still sold under the 396 name. Of 254,242 Novas sold that year, 19,558 were SS 350s or SS 396s; the production table in the same source gives a different 1970 total of 315,122.

COPO and the Yenko Nova

Big-block Novas also left the factory through the Central Office Production Order (COPO) system. About 177 COPO Novas were ordered in 1970, and Yenko Chevrolet converted 175 of them; the other two went to Canada. Wikipedia mentions a Yenko Supernova with a 427 V8, of which only 37 are known to have been built.

From muscle car to appearance package

In 1971 the 396 was dropped, and the SS returned to the 350 V8. The 1972 SS used a 350 Turbo-Fire four-barrel rated at 149 kW (200 hp) under the new net figures. From 1973 the SS was mainly a dress-up option with a blacked-out grille and Rally wheels, and the badge was used until 1976. Production of the Nova itself grew strongly in these years. After 201,005 cars in 1968, 251,900 in 1969 and 194,878 in 1971, Chevrolet built 349,733 in 1972, 369,511 in 1973 and 390,537 in 1974.

For buyers who wanted the look without the cost of a V8 package, Chevrolet offered the Rally Nova. It sold 7,700 cars in 1971 and 33,319 in 1972. A hatchback body joined the coupé and sedan for 1973.

The fourth generation of 1975 had new sheet metal on the same 111-inch wheelbase. The 350 V8 was down to 123 kW (165 hp) in 1976, and in 1977 the SS was replaced by the Nova Rally. Rear-wheel-drive Nova production ended with the 1979 model year.

The NUMMI Nova and the Spanish myth

From 1985 to 1988 Chevrolet used the Nova name again, this time on a front-wheel-drive compact built by NUMMI, GM's joint venture with Toyota in Fremont, California. It was based on the Toyota Corolla with the body of the Sprinter, and 426,888 were made before it became the Geo Prizm. This car is not part of the muscle car story.

A popular story says that the Nova sold badly in Spanish-speaking countries because "no va" means "doesn't go". Wikipedia calls this an urban legend: nova is a separate Spanish word, the car sold well in Mexico and Latin America, and Nova was even a petrol brand in Mexico.

Which Nova to look for

For muscle car buyers, the 1968–1970 SS 396 coupé is the key car, and the 1970 Yenko conversions are the rarest. The 1966–1967 Chevy II Nova SS with the 327 small-block is a lighter alternative, while the 1973–1976 SS is mostly about looks. Compare the Nova with other American performance cars in our car rankings.

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