The Chevrolet Nova or Chevy II was an American compact car introduced by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors in 1962. The Nova was of unibody construction, was powered by an OHV inline four- or six-cylinder engine, and was initially available in two-door and four-door sedan configurations as well as convertible and station wagon versions. Intended as a low-cost alternative to Chevrolet's rear-engined Corvair, and as competition for the all-conquering Ford Falcon, the Nova eventually ended up outlasting both of them.
Base powerplants included a four cylinder and inline six - the six is actually the third generation powerplant, replacing the second-generation Stovebolt. Rival division Chrysler introduced their Slant Six in their Valiant - a Chevy II rival.
Although the Nova was not originally available with a V8 option, the engine bay was perfectly proportioned for one. It wasn't long before Chevrolet V8s were offered as dealer-installed options (between 1962 and 1963), up to and including the fuel-injected version available on the Corvette. The combination of readily-available V8 power and light weight made the Nova a popular choice of drag racers.
1963
The Chevy II Nova Super Sport is released. As mentioned above, Novas couldn't "officially" have V8 engines at this time - the standard SS engine was the six-cylinder - but most of these little coupes eventually ended up with a small-block under the hood.
1966
There came a minor restyling in 1966, based in part on the Super Nova concept car. In general, proportions were squared up, but dimensions and features changed little. Engine options still ranged from the basic inline four- and six-cylinder engines, but now included the 283 and 327 in³ (4.6 and 5.4 L) V8 engines as well.
1968
An extensive restyle came in 1968, when the station wagon was discontinued. This body style continued (with minor revisions) through 1973. The 1973 model year introduced the hatchback bodystyle based on the 2-door coupe. By this time, six-cylinder and V8 engines were de rigueur for American compact cars, with the 307 and 350 in³ (5.0 and 5.7 L) V8s becoming fairly common. Nova SS models now offered a tuned-up 350 in³ (5.7 L) V8 or even a monstrous 396 in³ (6.5 L) big-block V8 for the true enthusiast. The four-cylinder option was offered only this year, then was dropped due to lack of interest.
1975
A facelifted Nova was introduced in 1975 and continued through 1979. As before, six-cylinder and V8 engines remained the norm, though the big-block disappeared due to fuel economy concerns of the time. Rival Chrysler introduced their Plymouth Volare/Dodge Aspen as a competitor to GM's X-body compacts; the GM X-cars outsold their Chrysler counterparts.
The front suspension and subframe assembly was similar to the one used in the second-generation GM F-body (Camaro, Firebird) - whereas the rear axle and suspension was a carryover from the 1968-74 generation.
After 1971, other GM divisions were rebadging the Nova as their new entry-level vehicle - witness the Pontiac Ventura, Oldsmobile Omega, and Buick Apollo. Interestingly, note that the model names spell out the acronym NOVA (for Nova, Omega, Ventura, Apollo). The Apollo was replaced by the sportier Buick Skylark after 1975, while Pontiac's Ventura became a more luxurious Phoenix during 1978.
Pontiac's final GTO was based on a facelifted 1974 Ventura coupe fitted with a shaker hoodscoop from the Trans Am.
Even Cadillac got into the act - the Nova's X-body was stretched by several inches and fitted with an Oldsmobile fuel-injected V8 to become the Seville for 1975.
A high-performance police version of the Nova was introduced for the 1975 model year making it the first compact car certified for police duty in the US. Most were initially purchased by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 1976.
Outside the US, the 1968 bodystyle Nova was built in Argentina as the Chevrolet Chevy from late 1969 through 1978. The first generation (1962-67) bodystyle was known as the Chevrolet 400. An urban legend in Latin America is that the translation of a Chevrolet Nova is a car which does not function, hence the badge engineering. The Argentine Novas were refered to as Chevys during its lifespan - it even had their own SS-badged models.
Their SS counterparts were both coupes and 4-door sedans (this was years before the introduction of the 1994 Impala SS) - a majority were fitted with inline sixes coupled to a ZF manual transmission.
From 1980 on, the Nova's original niche in the Chevrolet lineup was filled by ever more sophisticated front-drive compacts including the Citation (which was the RWD X-body replacement), Cavalier, Corsica, and Malibu.
1986
In 1986, the Nova title was applied to a badge engineered Toyota Sprinter, an upmarket version of the Toyota Corolla produced at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California as a historic first joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. It was later replaced by the Geo Prizm and, after the discontinuation of the Geo nameplate, the Chevrolet Prizm.
A popular, but untrue, urban legend states that the Nova sold poorly in Latin America because the words "no va" mean "no go" in Spanish. [1]