[-The Stig-]

Nova Vs Chevelle ....

hmmmmmmmmm Well, like TV said... the Nova is lighter than the Chevelle.

2nd Generation Nova's 68-72 weighed in at about 3100lbs. Chevelles came in at about 3400-3500 lbs.

They came with a wide range of motors... 250ci Straight 6s, to 327's, 350s, Big block motors like the 396, 427, and 454.

In 1969, a Dealer named Don Yenko produced some of best known classics ever. He did things from Camaro's, Chevelle's and even rarer were the Yenko Novas. Yenko equipped the Nova with two engine options a insurance decoy, the Yenko Deuce with a radical 350. And a car known as the Ultimate sleeper the 427 Nova.

Yenko produced the 427 Nova in 1969 only. There were around thirty built with only seven or eight that are accounted for today. This is the very first one produced.

This 1969 Yenko Nova was a car described by Don Yenko in one of his last interviews as “a beast, almost lethal, a car that they should not have produced; as they were skirting the edge of product liability when they built this car”. The Nova was not a COPO high performance 427 motor from the factory. It was built with a transplanted 427 motor as Yenko did with the 1967 and 1968 Camaros.

Although GM put factory 427s in Camaro’s and Chevelles, it is known that the GM factory apparently would not put a COPO 427 motor in a Nova. Why not? The most obvious reason would be just as Don Yenko describes himself; using the word “lethal”, and a matter of liability. The body weight of the Nova was less than that of a Corvette. Stuffing a high performance L72 427 Corvette motor in a car of less body weight certainly had to result in tire-smoking performance. The Yenko Nova's were known to turn elapsed times of 10.90’s in the quarter mile. Of course it was with racing slicks, but few other modifications were necessary.


Chevelles on the other hand, have that Muscle car look to them. I like them, but i'm partial to the Nova...

Other tid bits about the Nova, the 396 Nova SS's came with a 55/45 weight distribution, and the 350 Nova SS's came with a 50/50 weight distribution. Giving them superb handling for such a of its age and size. Even though the Nova is actually a fairly small car.


ummmmmmm anymore questions???