1969 Chevrolet Nova

Description

Chevy's all-new Nova hit the streets in 1968 and despite its mission as a modestly sized, affordable car, the engineers at GM made sure that a powerful motor would still fit comfortably under the hood. Because of this, cars like this 1969 Chevrolet Nova make for some very impressive street machines, with this one offering a strong-running, built-up 400 V8 in that lightweight 2-door sedan body shell. And as you can imagine, performance is entertaining to say the least.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's have a closer look at this handsome Silver coupe. The finish is slick, was completed to a high-end driver-quality standard, and gives the car a definite performance look. Traditional dark gray SS-style stripes were painted on for contrast, a cowl-induction hood was added up front, and shiny alloys wrapped in fat fender stuff the wheel wells and give it that street swagger that practically defines the era. Despite the build being a few years old, the paint and bodywork are in still great shape, with only minor imperfections and signs of use to report in the slick, uniform presentation. The contrasting stripes on the hood and decklid are familiar but different enough that the car stands out in a crowded field, and you can tell a lot of time and money was spent getting this Chevy II nice and straight before the car was finished. The whole car fits together rather well with doors that close easily, a hood that fits flush, and just a bit of rake to accentuate the Nova's semi-fastback profile. Always a favorite of Chevy fans, the '69 Nova's grille is a very attractive design that seems to wrap around the headlights, and while it's probably original, it's in good shape. Chrome bumpers, a bit of polished stainless, and a completely de-badged aesthetic (aside from the subtle Bowtie in the grille) result in one clean-looking chunk of muscle.

You can tell the interior was built for comfort as much as combat, as the swapped-in high-back buckets, big original steering wheel, and B&M ratchet-style shifter all work together to create a unique and stylish cabin. The Nova's no-frills attitude gives way to a bit of modern comfort that includes those nicely upholstered gray cloth seats and it's a nice touch that the rear bench was left stock, right down to the contrasting black vinyl. Factory gauges fill the stock dashboard, and they're joined by an Auto Meter tach strapped to the steering column and a pair of Summit Racing auxiliary gauges to the right, giving the driver a more accurate reading of the small block under the hood. Plush black carpets look fresh and clean, as do the flanking door panels, and things like the taut headliner and crack-free dashboard prove that nothing was overlooked in this build. Out back, the surprisingly spacious trunk shows off just how solid the underpinning steel of this Nova really is.

Sporting a tidy albeit not overly flashy engine bay, this Nova is powered by a great-running 400 cubic inch V8 that moves the lightweight Nova without much effort. Augmented with aluminum heads, a big Holley 4-barrel carburetor, and an Edelbrock Victor Jr. air-gap intake, this powerful small block sounds menacing at idle, and when the taps are opened up it eats up asphalt very quickly. Long-tube headers at the flanks shore up the torque curve, feeding into a true dual exhaust system that's been punctuated with throaty Pro-Flo mufflers that sound fantastic. The beefy TH400 3-speed automatic transmission is probably overkill for even a hot small block like this, but that's okay because sometimes you just want to stand on it and not worry about the consequences, and it spins an equally heavy-duty 10-bolt rear end out back. The undercarriage is very solid and clean, with a consistent coating of satin black protecting most of the components, and power front disc brakes were added for safety. A slightly raked stance comes complements of those cool 15-inch Cragars wrapped in staggered 165/80/15 front and 255/60/15 rear performance radials.

Nicely built, attractive, and impressively fast, this Nova offers everything you'd want in a vintage muscle car. Call today!