The Spanish translation of Nova, means “no go,” which certainly has never applied to anything with the SS badge. It’s obvious the team at Chevrolet was going for the astronomical reference to a star’s brightness being on the rise. This early-bodied Nova is a hallmark of early American Muscle and would breed a loyal following of Nova lovers for generations to come. With the exception of the late 1980s re-badged Toyota Novas, the Nova has long been a favorite bow-tie model to hot-rod. For 1966 the Nova got a restyle that made it sportier and fell in with trends of the era. An almost fastback-like roofline, plenty of bright aluminum in the grill, and deck lid cove as well as humped fenders gave the Nova SS a distinctive look in the “compact” car genre. It could be fitted with any Chevy engine above the four-cylinder all the way up to the 350 horsepower Turbo-Fire 327 and matched with a close-ratio four-speed. Build your track ready classic or drag strip rubber-burner, the Nova is ready to go wherever you take it.
