Made-to-Order 1970 Chevy Nova SS Highlights Mecum’s Muscle Car Madness in Indy
This triple-black, big-block, 4-speed Chevy Nova SS comes from a time when having a muscle car “your way” was easy.
Despite their awesomeness, today’s modern-era muscle cars (Ford Mustangs, Chevy Camaros and Corvettes, and any vehicle in the Dodge garage with “Hellcat” linked to its name) are typically configured in strict accordance with a manufacturer’s recipe for a particular model or trim.
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A rare 1970 Chevy Nova SS with a big-block V-8 and original documentation is up for auction at Mecum's event in Indy. Reflecting a bygone era of customizable muscle cars, this restored Nova boasts unique features like a 375-hp engine and minimal interior, showcasing its historic charm.
This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article
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Keeping in mind the Chevrolet and Mopar performance vehicles have been on hiatus for a few years (save for the ’Vette), deviating from build directives by mixing and matching key ingredients—especially engines and other hardcore powertrain bits—mostly doesn't happen on a large scale. Not like it used to.
In the early 1970s, having the factory build a hot rod per a buyer’s specific wants and desires was a lot more doable. “Checking the right boxes” on a dealer’s order sheet was all one needed to do to create a somewhat personalized model.
Getting a Chevy through the company’s Central Office Production Order program was an effective back door into getting a muscle car that stood apart from its namesake siblings. As drivetrains go, in many instances, COPO cars were a gearhead’s fantasy fulfilled.
Fred Gibb was the first Chevy dealer who figured this out when in 1968 he discovered a COPO Nova (aka “Mystery Nova”) loaded with a solid-cammed 396-cubic-inch V-8 engine and an TH400 automatic transmission. That was the unheard-of part: Big-blocks came with four-speeds. However, the program really took off a year later, thanks to orders for Camaros stacked with 425-horsepower iron-block (Don Yenko), and all-aluminum (Fred) 427-cubic-inch engines.
Although this 31,224-mile, triple-black, 1970 Chevy Nova SS, Lot #S174, is not a COPO edition, the menacing hot rod includes the original build sheets (2), order form, invoice, and a finance contract from Joe Van Horn Chevrolet, Inc. in Plymouth, Wisconsin, verifying its pedigree as a true, numbers-matching “L78 car,” a Chevy II that couldn’t be purchased directly off the showroom floor.
In 1970, brochures listed a 300-horsepower, 350-cubic-inch V-8 as being the biggest engine available in a brand-new Chevrolet Nova. A big-block wasn’t mentioned, but shrewd buyers who knew how to navigate an order sheet (and churched up an additional $316) could score an SS that was powered by L78, a 375-horsepower, 415-lb-ft version of the 396 (there was also a 350-horse version) with a Muncie four-speed manual transmission behind it.
As motor math goes, this 1970 big-block’s actual size is 402 cubes. It has an 11:1 compression ratio and is equipped with a heavy-duty crank and rods, a Holley four-barrel carburetor on an aluminum intake manifold, rectangle-port, big-valve (2.19-inch intake) cylinder heads, and a solid-lifter camshaft.
In addition to the engine, another reason this Nova is same-but-different is because although it includes the power front-disc brakes and the heavy-duty suspension of an SS car, it rolls on body-color steel wheels with poverty hubcaps (and radial tires) instead of the special rims and white-striped rubber that was common for the package.
True to Super Sport form, the Nova’s jet-black cabin is minimal, with a split-bench front seat, AM radio, two-spoke SS steering wheel, and a dash-mounted Sun tachometer being the only features inside.
The masterfully restored 1970 Chevy Nova SS is slated to cross the block at no reserve on Saturday, May 17, at Mecum Auctions’ Dana Mecum’s 38th Original Spring Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana.
It’s an awesome blast from the past that you don’t see many of and a great example of the level at which enthusiasts could configure muscle cars that would truly be their own by selecting the right combination of options.
I'm definitely a long time car guy. My love of "all-thingsautomotive" dates back to the early 1960s, shortly after I said the word, "car" for the first time. I feel fortunate that I was able to grow up in the Muscle Car era of the late '60s and early '70s. I immersed myself in reading magazines, and learned everything I could about high-performance from that period, and knew that one day I would work in the performance industry in some way, shape or form. Since graduating from the University of Pittsburgh (with a Bachelors degree in Communications) in 1985, my professional career has included work in network radio and television, Internet/online media, Ford Service, BMW Service, Internet/online automotive data, and my current job; Senior Technical Editor of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords magazine. The constant in my long career has been "cars;" specifically, 1986-to-present, V-8-powered, Ford Mustangs. I have learned a lot about late-model Mustangs (and I'm still learning), and the position I now hold allows me to share the knowledge I've gained with like-minded Mustang enthusiasts all over the world. Owning, building, modifying and writing about late-model Mustangs has become a true passion for me. A great stop, on a very wild life ride.
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