Chevy Nova Defined: Tracing The Pedigree And Prowess Of An Enduring Classic

Chevrolet has axed and replaced many nameplates in its history, but for some, the most egregious of these cullings would've been the Chevrolet Nova.

The figures above the epitaph on the Chevrolet Nova's headstone officially point to 1988 as the final production year, five generations after the model debuted in the early 60s. But if one were to be strictly pedantic, the Nova actually met its end as early as 1979, closing the book on the fourth iteration before the 80s rolled around.

It started out as a four-wheeled thrift special, ended life as a Japanese rebadge, and now lives on in spirit among gearheads and fans of automotive Americana, succeeded, in theory, by the Chevrolet Malibu. But to sum up the Nova in such a brief sentence wouldn't do this literal star justice, so we need to dive a little deeper into its origins, its evolution, and its eventual demise.

As the story goes, the Nova's origins were largely a matter of necessity. Chevrolet launched the Corvair compact car - which we'd love to see recreated - in 1960, but it didn't take long for that to be overtaken by the Ford Falcon. The Corvair's rear-mounted engine was aimed squarely at the Volkswagen Beetle, and bemused buyers were likely more drawn toward the Falcon's more conventional front-engine layout.

Chevrolet scrambled its designers and engineers, putting them on DEFCON 1. The orders from management were to come up with a product that would thwart the Falcon's assault, with innovation taking a backseat in favor of simplicity and extremely tight deadlines. Staff worked day and night on the project, resulting in one of the fastest new-car development programs in General Motors's history, taking 18 months.

The model was ready for launch in September of 1961 but did not originally carry the Nova name (although it was one of the contenders). While Chevrolet top brass had a thing for alliteration, christening the new car as the thoroughly unimaginative Chevy II, they at least reserved the Nova moniker for the top-spec trim.

Standing in opposition to many current offerings at the time, the Chevy II eschewed revolutionary features in lieu of a less complicated driving experience for customers; in the words of then-Chevrolet General Manager Ed Cole, "Maximum functionalism with thrift."

Despite the rushed development time, the Chevy II managed to avoid build quality and handling issues that hounded the Corvair. More importantly, the former didn't come up short in terms of options, with four body styles (sedan, hardtop, convertible, and station wagon) matched with five engines to boot.

While the Chevy II managed to be larger than the Corvair at launch, it was still dwarfed bv Chevrolet's full-size lineup at the time. The new compact sedan came in a series numbered from 100 to 400, with the latter named the Nova.

True to GM's edict, the Chevy II's first incarnation focused mainly on power units, namely the 194 cubic inch inline-six and a 153 cubic inch inline-four, the latter being Chevrolet's first use of a four-cylinder engine since the National in 1928. While the Chevy II started with four trim levels, the 200 series was quickly dropped after the model premiere.

Chevrolet still marketed the car as the Chevy II Nova for the 1966 model year, but the "Nova" name was notably absent on the body, merely implied by the SS badging that denoted the Nova SS trim level. This would change by 1967 with new Nova SS badging.

Meanwhile, the second generation sported a redesigned body more akin to a fastback, ending in a tapered backside. This meant the convertible option was dropped, retaining the two- and four-door sedans, two-door hardtop, and five-door station wagon body styles.

This is where it came together, as the Chevy II name was officially dropped in favor of the Nova nameplate by 1969. In terms of aesthetics and mechanics, the Nova hewed more closely to its Camaro sibling. Chevrolet upgraded the Nova SS from being a trim option to a performance package, bringing a 350 cubic inch V8 matched with performance hardware such as a heavy-duty suspension system.

A limited line of third-generation Novas were refitted with reinforced body frames and suspension to better accommodate a monster 427 V8 under the hood, courtesy of retired race car driver and muscle car specialist Don Yenko. The modded cars became known as the Yenko Nova, positioned as rivals to the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Plymouth Barracuda.

Additional industry regulations dictated the design and engineering of subsequent cars, and the Nova was no exception. For the 1975 model year, Novas came standard with catalytic converters, disc brakes, and steel-belted radials.

While Chevrolet still offered the Nova with a V8 option, the styling emphasis had shifted toward elegance, evidenced by the Luxury Nova (LN) trim that catered to a more upmarket crowd with niceties such as reclining front seats and extra sound insulation. More importantly, the fourth-generation Nova was the last to have a rear-wheel drive layout.

The final iteration of the Nova was a very contentious one, as Chevrolet had the idea of relaunching the nameplate as a rebadged Japanese model. Out of a desire to produce reliable and affordable cars, GM partnered with Toyota for the New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) joint venture, utilizing the Toyota Corolla AE82 platform designed for ease of manufacturing.

In a way, this brought the Nova back to its more simplistic and utilitarian roots. The downside was that this generation was sold alongside its equivalent Toyota counterpart, and even with a two-year head start, the Nova's comparatively sluggish sales forced dealers to offer it at a discount.

The first Nova generation was available with a 327 cubic inch V8 spinning the rear wheels, capable of up to 300 horsepower; this put the Nova within the league of the Pontiac GTO muscle car. A new Turbo-Fire V8 on the second-generation model, first used on the Chevelle, upped the output to 350 hp.

By the third generation, an available 427 V8 could squeeze out 375 hp, not counting the 450 hp served up by the limited-edition Yenko Supernovas. Power would be dialed down on the fourth-generation model, with a peak of just 170 hp on the optional 350 V8 engine. For the final generation, the V8 would disappear completely, replaced by a pair of inline-four engines that were twin-cam versions of Toyota units, topping out at 110 hp.

Back in the early 60s, the sportiest Nova 400 convertible trim fetched $2,475, and buyers would have to fork over an extra $161 to upgrade it to the Nova Super Sport package. By the third generation, prices ranged from a low of $2,200 in 1968 to a high of $3,105 in 1974.

The 1975-1979 model years ranged from $3,095 to $4,150 brand-new from the dealership, while the final Nova version had a starting price tag of $7,435 in 1985 all the way to $11,395 for the twin-cam trim level by the 1988 model year.

If you're shopping for them nowadays, however, prices have changed... a lot. Chevy II Novas start at around $30k on the used market, and some sell for upwards of $50k.

Later models (when they dropped the Chevy II prefix) are far more attainable and can be had for under $10,000, although clean examples, particularly high-performance variants in great condition, are selling for six figures.

For a car that was practically rushed from the drawing board to the assembly line, the Chevy Nova surprisingly held up for as long as it did. It stepped up to the plate, already being a good car from the start and becoming a formidable performance offering, with its low weight making it especially popular in drag racing. It had the potential to be more, if it didn't have to deal with its Chevelle and Camaro stablemates cannibalizing its sales along the way, a dilemma repeated under Chevrolet's partnership with Toyota.

It also suffered saleswise in Latin America, as "no va" in Spanish translated as "it doesn't go," naturally suggesting it was broken and resulting in poor sales.

It wasn't flashy, and it didn't necessarily blow you away, but it was attainable, giving the Nova a leg up over more aspirational offerings back in the day. Eventually, Chevrolet struggled to find a place for the Nova as industry standards changed and, rather than prolong its suffering, decided to let the model ride off into the sunset. Nevertheless, the Nova's place in popular culture as a classic American automobile is indelible, giving a passionate community of enthusiasts plenty of core memories in raising a toast to its legacy every now and then.