Cars - Chevrolet Nova

Home > Listing Index > Cars > Chevrolet Nova

	Cars - Chevrolet Nova

The Chevrolet Nova or Chevy II was an American compact car introduced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors in 1962. The original Chevy II was of unibody construction, powered by an OHV inline four or six-cylinder engine, and available in two-door and four-door sedan configurations as well as convertible and station wagon versions. Intended as a low-cost alternative to Chevrolet's rear-engined Corvair and as competition for the Ford Falcon, the Nova ended up outlasting both.

Generations

First generation: 1962–1965

Available powerplants included a four-cylinder and an inline six. The six was actually the third-generation powerplant, replacing the second-generation Stovebolt. Rival manufacturer Chrysler introduced the Slant Six in their Plymouth Valiant, a Chevy II competitor.

Although the Nova was not originally available with a V8 option, the engine bay was perfectly proportioned for one. It wasn't long before Chevrolet V8s were offered as dealer-installed options (between 1962 and 1963), up to and including the fuel-injected version available in the Corvette. The combination of readily available V8 power and light weight made the Nova a popular choice of drag racers.

For 1963, the Chevy II Nova Super Sport was released. As mentioned above, Novas could not "officially" have V8 engines at this time — the standard SS engine was the six-cylinder — but many ended up with a small-block V8 under the hood.

In 1962 and 1963 the Nova was available in a convertible body style, and a two-door hardtop was added for 1963-65.

Second generation: 1966–1967

1966 Novas saw a significant restyling, based in part on the Super Nova concept car. In general, proportions were squared up but dimensions and features changed little. Engine options still included the basic inline four- and six-cylinder engines but now included the 283 and 327 in³ (4.6 and 5.4 L) V8 engines as well.

Third generation: 1968–1974

1968

An extensive restyle came in 1968, when the station wagon and two door hardtop were discontinued. This body style continued (with minor revisions) through 1974. One notable change was the front subframe assembly — as compared with Ford, Chrysler and AMC, in whose cars the entire front suspension was integrated with the bodyshell, a separate subframe housing the powertrain and front suspension (similar to the front part of the frame of GM's full-size, full-framed vehicles) replaced the earlier style. Although the front subframe design was a Chevy II-exclusive design, the Camaro introduced a year earlier was the first to incorporate such a design; the redesigned Chevy II was pushed a year back to 1968 instead of 1967. 1968 was the final year that the Chevy II nameplate was used, although all 1968 models were "Chevy II Novas."

The 153 four-cylinder option was offered between 1968-70, then was dropped due to lack of interest.

1969

The Chevy II nameplate was retired and the car was now simply the Chevrolet Nova. Like other 1969 GM vehicles, locking steering columns were incorporated. Simulated vents were added below the Nova script, which was relocated to the front fender instead of the rear quarter panel.

1970

Basically a carryover from 1969; the side markers and taillight lenses were wider and positioned slightly differently. This was the final year for the SS396.

Approximately 177 COPO Novas were ordered, with 175 converted by Yenko Chevrolet. (The other two were sold in Canada.)

A beater coupe is seen in the movie Beverly Hills Cop.

1971

1971 Novas were similar to the previous year but with the loss of the simulated fender vents and the discontinuation of the 396 motor for the SS with the L48 350 taking its place. 1971 also saw the introduction of the Rally Nova, a trim level that only lasted two years (until it resurfaced in 1977). The Rally kit included black or white stripes that ran the length of the car and around the back, a Rally Nova sticker on the driver's side of the hood, and Rally wheels.

After 1971, other GM divisions began rebadging the Nova as their new entry-level vehicle, such as the Pontiac Ventura II (once a trim option for full-size Pontiacs to 1970), Oldsmobile Omega (1973) and the Buick Apollo (mid-1973). Interestingly, the intials of the four model names spelled out the acronym NOVA (Nova, Omega, Ventura, Apollo.)

1973

The 1973 model year introduced a hatchback bodystyle based on the 2-door coupe. By this time, six-cylinder and V8 engines were de rigeur for American compact cars, with the 307 and 350 in³ (5.0 and 5.7 L) V8s becoming fairly common. Nova SS models offered a higher-performance 350 in³ (5.7 L) V8.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Chevrolet Nova ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Chevrolet Nova; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Cars - Chevrolet Nova

Generations

First generation: 1962–1965

Second generation: 1966–1967

Third generation: 1968–1974

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay