1969 Chevrolet Nova

The 1969 Chevrolet Nova Coupe, part of the 1969 Chevrolet Nova line.
Sales of the 1969 Chevy Nova fell by half.
This one has a 307 V-8 and vinyl roof.

The 1969 Chevrolet Nova became Chevrolet's smallest passenger car as the rear-engine Corvair was finally laid to rest.

Chevrolet dropped the Chevy II portion of it compact car's name. Now know simply as the Nova, it repeated the two-door coupe and four-door sedan body choices from 1968. Basic Novas again came in a single trim level with a choice of three engines: a 90-horsepower four-cylinder, a 140-horsepower 230-cubic-inch six, or a 200-horsepower 307-cubic-inch V-8.

Not enough muscle? Try the 1969 Chevrolet Nova SS. This coupe was billed as "the turned-on version of Nova." It came with a 300-horsepower 350-cubic-inch Turbo-Fire V-8 and a hood with dummy air intakes, blackout grille, black body accents, front disc brakes, and 14-inch red-stripe tires. Optional was Chevy's storming 396-cubic-inch V-8 with up to 375 horsepower.

Multiple-leaf rear springs were installed on SS models, while other Novas kept their single-leaf configuration. Fake front fender louvers also were available, but not required. A total of 17,564 SS coupes were produced for 1968.

Chevrolet's sales brochure touted a low-cost clutchless Torque-Drive transmission for Novas, but the value-oriented model would need more than mere gadgetry to attract buyers.

Muscle cars were in full force, and midsize muscle cars were the rage. This hurt Nova's image as a sporty machine, a condition that contributed to sales falling by half, to some 106,200, of which 17,564 were SS models.

1969 Chevrolet Nova Facts

Model
 Weight range (lbs.)
 Price range (new)
 Number built
Nova
 2,785-3,065
 $2,237-$2,434
106,200 (approx.)

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