Not all mid-sixties Detroit fabrications with muscle car pretensions were dressed to impress; some came in average Joe’s garments and didn’t turn heads when cruising. Perhaps the most notorious sleeper of the bunch is the Chevrolet Chevy II Nova Super Sport from 1966, conceal-carrying one of GM’s emblematic small-blocks: the 327 cubic-inch (5.4-liter) L79 V8.3,547 were assembled – out of a total Nova production volume of over 172,000 for the year, which makes it a distinguished car among its peers. Distinguished but barely distinguishable: the sporty blue-collared kept to itself, not boasting any flashy decals, oversized script, or blinding trim to set itself apart.
On the contrary, few elements indicated that a V8 Nova SS was something different than Auntie Mildred’s churchgoer Chevy II or even told it apart from the rest of the Super Sport crowd. Two discrete SS badges on the grille and trunk, a pair of Super Sport scripts on the rear fenders, and corresponding 327 V8 flags behind the front wheels are the only external telltale signs that the Nova SS is special.
Other than this, it can be easily confused with a 1966 two-door X-body with a straight-six or even a measley inline-four – until the going got tough. The 327-ci L79 was packing one of the highest horsepower-per-cubic-inch ratios (1.07:1) among all the American V8 of its time. And it’s no real surprise: with 10.5:1 compression, forged pistons, and an aluminum intake, the SS was barely (if at all) outgunned by big-block muscle.
The 350 hp (355 PS) and 360 lb-ft (488 Nm) rating was backed by a close-ratio four-speed manual (the only option for the L79 Nova SS) that scored low 15s in the standing quarter. The 1966 Chevy II SS equipped with the performant 350 didn’t have the “Nova” written anywhere on it – but the sales brochures made it clear that the car bore that name.
The high-output engine, easily identifiable by its diametrically-opposed snorkels on the air cleaner cover, was only offered for one year, and a survivor from that rarified production is not that common. Nearly six decades later, one of the first factory muscle cars to emerge from Detroit’s three-party hot horsepower wars is parting ways with its present owner. The car had it well in its life – the first buyer owned it from July 7, 1966, until 1996.
Also, this Nova SS is powered by its factory-installed V8, matching its numbers with the M21 Rock Crusher and 3.31 12-bolt Positive-Traction rear end. The interior is original, too, but the Aztec Bronze shade was refreshed in 1998.The car was driven without hesitation, and the odometer has a 125,307-mile-long road record (201,619 km). The good news is that the car was spared from any incidents – the original spare wheel and jack are still in the trunk, untouched, according to the seller.