![]() ![]() GM closed the plant, one of its worst in terms of quality, productivity, absenteeism and worker safety. But if you were one of the lucky 5,262 folks that bought a Nova SS with the L78 motor in 1969, you had one of the fastest rides around. It had been a GM plant between 19, making both cars and light trucks. Highlights in the show car area included several slammed customs, rolling on whitewall tires and steel wheels, and there were also several beautifully built choppers and vintage motorcycles on the property. The rising costs of fuel and insurance were taking their toll on muscle cars in general, not to mention the Clean Air Act that eliminated leaded gasoline and forced lower compression ratios in engines. The car show area offered excellent viewing of the drag racing action, and the show cars extended all the way into the drag racing pits. Appearance upgrades for the SS included simulated air-intakes on the hood, a black grille and rear trim panel with "SS" emblems added, and a special black steering wheel with an "SS" emblem.īy 1971, Chevrolet was no longer offering a big block motor in the Nova. Besides a more aggressive choice of powerplants, Novas with the SS option package also came with power front disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension, and 14" x 7" wheels. Like most vehicles at the time, the Nova's transmission lacked an overdrive gear, so its top speed would be limited by running out of RPM, not a lack of power. The early 1960s saw one of the quickest Chevrolet car productions ever, designing and building an automobile line in record time and at low cost. Automobile Catalog goes on to calculate a top speed of 127 mph for the L78-equipped Nova. There seemed to be some question as to what to call this compact car, and the first Nova produced rolled off the production line under the name Chevy II a simple name for a simple car.
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