Introduced in 1961 as a competitor for the Ford Falcon, the Chevrolet Nova (Chevy II) soldiered on until 1979, becoming one of the company’s best-selling nameplates. Come 2023, the Nova isn’t as desirable as other Chevrolets from the era, but specific versions are sought-after and expensive.
The third-gen compact is arguably the most desirable. Launched in 1968, it looked notably sportier than its predecessor and shared some powerplants with Chevy muscle cars. The SS 396 version with 375 horsepower is the holy grail everyone is chasing nowadays. But is it also the rarest iteration of the third-gen Nova?
It’s among the scarcest because Chevrolet sold some 5,000 units equipped with the range-topping mill in 1969 and 1970. However, no V8 or six-cylinder Nova is as rare as the four-cylinder variant.
Unlike the Ford Falcon, which debuted with inline-six and V8 mills, the Nova got a small inline-four from day one. The 153-cubic-inch (2.5-liter) four-banger found its way into around 24,000 cars for the 1962 model year. Sales went downhill in 1963, with only 3,270 units sold, and decreased to 1,121 examples in 1964.
Despite these low numbers compared to hundreds of thousands of inline-six and V8 cars sold, Chevrolet kept the four-cylinder in the Nova for the third generation. Sales did not improve, though, and only 9,435 examples left the factory from 1968 through 1970. It doesn’t sound all that bad, but we’re talking about three model years that saw Chevrolet move a whopping 742,681 Novas. So that’s a measly 1.2% of the total production.
Sure, the base Nova is far from desirable due to its underpowered, 90-horsepower engine, but they’re very hard to come by nowadays. Many of these cars were neglected and dumped into junkyards, while the majority of those that survived had their factory four-cylinder units replaced with V8s. Some say only a couple of hundred units are still around, and that’s probably an optimistic estimate.
If you haven’t seen a four-cylinder third-gen Nova in a while, a 1970 example recently popped up on eBay. It still has the original four-cylinder engine under the hood, which is downright amazing, and it still runs and drives. Moreover, it’s a two-door coupe version, which is rarer than its sedan sibling.
While the paint has seen better days and shows a few rust spots and dings, the car is in good condition overall. The exterior still has all the trim, while the spartan interior has next to no damage on the dashboard, seats, and door panels. The four-cylinder lump “runs and drives great,” according to the seller, but the carburetor needs some attention.
Granted, this Nova is painfully slow compared to an SS (regardless of the drivetrain layout), but it’s probably the most exotic iteration from the 1970 model year available right now. Chevy sold 2,026 units that year, but I’d be surprised to learn that more than 50 have survived for five decades.