The Chevrolet Nova of 1968 to 1972

While the first two generations Novas were genuinely nice cars, it all that changed with the introduction of the '68 Nova.

Conforming with the popular muscle machine formula of a relatively long hood and a short rear deck, the '68 Nova launched itself right into the hearts (and garages) of those who wanted real Muscle Car. Small SS badges on the grille and between the rear taillights were the only tips that this was anything but granny's grocery getter.

La Nova '68 était la première de la série à recevoir de moteur " Big Block ". Seulement deux " big blocks " était disponible, Le L34 de chevaux et le L78 de 375 chevaux.

1968 :

The '68 Nova was the first of its kind to receive an infusion of big-block power . Only two big blocks were assigned to the Nova - the L34 350 horsepower and the L78 375 horsepower.

Just as Ford created the Mustang in 1964 from its intermediate Falcon, Chevrolet used the upcoming redesign of its intermediate as the basis for its own pony-car in 1967, the Camaro.

While many say the 1968 and later Novas were just Camaros with a trunk and seating for five, the platform was actually designed first for the Nova and then quickly introduced in 1967 as the Camaro to catch up with the Mustang. From there, the Nova and Camaro would follow a similar evolutionary path, in terms of suspension and engine availability, until the Novas demise after 1979.

1969 :

Visually, there was little to distinguish the newest Nova from the previous year's offering. But then, the '68 Nova was a totally new package from the ground up.

Perhaps the biggest changes came in the areas of safety and security, with power disc brakes being included as an integral part of the Nova Super Sport package while an ignition/steering column interlock made its debut as a theft deterrent. In fact, the locking column was standard equipment on all '69 Chevrolets except the Corvair.

The 350 was revised internally, too, with stronger main bearing bulkheads and caps that were retained with four bolts rather than two.

1970

The Nova was the first on the chopping block. Even so, its final year with big-block motivation under the hood is one to be well remembered.

Anyone but the most ardent Nova fancier would have an extremely difficult time discerning between the '69 and '70 versions; a slight taillight revision but that's about it.

In fact, 1971 would bring about some tremendous changes for the performance enthusiast - none of them for the better. Unquestionably, 1970 will forever be regarded as the high point of Nova (and Chevrolet) performance.

1971 :

The Nova gave up a tremendous part of its performance value in 1971 when the big block disappeared completely from its list of available power-plants. The Big-blocks were still a part of the picture for the Chevelles and Camaro offers. That's not to say that the '71 Nova was an incapable performer.

A 350 Nova SS could click off low 15 second clockings at about 89 mph.

Like the Camaro, the '71 Nova was virtually indistinguishable from its immediate predecessor. Perhaps the most easily discernible difference was the lack of front fender louvers. Super Sport medallions could still be found in the grille and rear cove areas, both of which received the blacked-out treatment.

Not surprisingly, sales of the sporty Nova also dropped off in '71. There were a total of only 7,015 Super Sport Novas constructed during the model year, a sizable drop from the previous year's sales of 19,558 Nova SS's

1972 :

The '72 Nova SS could be had with only one engine, although buyers could specify either a three-speed automatic or a four-speed manual transmission to back it up. The engine was the L48 small-block, displacing 350 cubic inches. Its horsepower rating was pegged at 200 (net horsepower figures were now used).