The Chevrolet Nova was the sales leader in the compact car segment for most of the 1960s. More than a quarter-million of them were built in 1969 alone. The seller’s edition is a fresh restoration and has been redone as an L34 SS 396, of which fewer than 2,000 copies were built when new. With just 25 miles under its belt, since the makeover, this black-on-black beauty needs nothing but a new home as its collector owner is thinning the herd. Located in Plainfield, Massachusetts, this “new” muscle car is available here on craigslist for $69,900 (serious offers considered). Hats off to Tony Primo for yet another boffo tip!
This 1969 Nova decodes as having been equipped with a V8 engine when it was built. Which means either a 307 or a 350 likely lived there back in the day. Now, an L34 396 cubic inch V8 has taken up residence, the version that was rated at 350 hp. Another 396 was available, the L78 that was good for 375 horses, but the L34 found fewer buyers (1,947 vs. 5,263). Together, they comprised just one quarter of one percent of Nova production in 1969.
The rotisseries restoration on this Nova has just been completed. All the sheet metal is new except for the roof and body shell. Everything lines up properly, with new shiny black paint at every angle. The seller apparently spared no expense, as even all the chrome and stainless trim pieces are new, too, as is all the window glass. Work didn’t stop there as all the suspension pieces fore and aft were new, too.
Proper work was done on the interior to convert this ordinary Nova into a Super Sport. Bucket seats were added along with a console and the appropriate number of gauges. Though the radio appears period-correct, it’s an AM/FM stereo system with 50 watts of power output to each of the channels. Last but not least, vintage air conditioning was installed to help keep the occupants comfy in the summer months. The list of all the new parts is quite extensive and should comprise a large portion of the seller’s asking price.
This is a gorgeous car. Someone spent a lot of money to put it in this condition. It has a great drivetrain too. I’m not a fan of clone, if it were mine, I’d have left all the SS emblems off, but it’s not my car and you can’t argue about the quality of the work.
Steve R
Exactly my sentiment, Steve. Can’t argue with how well done this car is, regardless of my personal taste regarding clones.
As somebody who’s building a very similar car (started with a 74 SS Hatchback) I can attest that it’s very easy to get upside down if you’re building it for resale, but if you’re just building what you want I guess that doesn’t matter. Here’s a single observation of his “I don’t care what it costs, I want it right.) I wanted raised white letter tires, bought BFG f70-14s for about $90 apiece. Not the Firestones that came on the car, but close enough for a driver. This guy spent $450 apiece for Firestones which are only available from Coker.
Beautiful car but way too much cash for a clone.
One can buy a legit SS396 Nova for less than what they’re asking for this car – about 30k too much.
I doubt you could get a legit 396 Nova in this shape for $35K. Price looks right to me, and the car is gorgeous!
That might be a legitimate asking price… if it were the real thing and not a fake.
Never been a fan of the clone cars, about the same as buying a cubic zirconia ring for your wife. See how that works out!
Needs a bulldog hood ornament.
70k for a fake SS nova. no thanks. sounds like they are trying to get spent money back.
Always wondered why someone would do this.
Surprised the word “recreation” wasn’t used…
I’m with everyone else in regards to price.
Ditto. At half that price, maybe, but even then, it’s a stretch, especially for a clone. If it were an all-original, numbers matching example, then maybe, but even then, it’d be a tough sell at the present asking price.
Looks real nice but may not get the price right now that they want but in the future as they get scarcer they will. Nice car though but for the price for me i would buy something more obscure and get more for my money… maybe a fairlane 500 or mercury cyclone something not as popular in my opinion.
A classic example of someone who spent too much on the restoration, can’t afford to keep it, and is hoping that they’ll get some of their money back, LOL! Either that, or I hear the following words out of the seller’s mouth to their “significant other”: “Gee, honey, I tried to sell it, but there weren’t any takers! I guess I’ll just have to hold on to it until the market improves!” Uh, right.
Great looking car! Nice restoration but…you might get 50k for this car if you’re lucky! Btw, as I remember Novas came with Rally rims on them, only Chevelles got the SS mags. Am I right on that? Also, disappointed to see the auto trans on a build this extensive.
Yes, they were offered on the Nova SS.
The point of it being a clone verses the asking price is something that can be argued all day long. Based on my own experience, I’d say the guy has much more than the asking price invested in this build. So he’s making the effort to recover some of his investment, which is certainly understandable. Would it be any less valuable if the SS badges and hood were removed? The quality of the built still stands and speaks for itself. Again, the price can be argued, but it’s definitely not a $30k car.
recreation is the favorite phrase they like to use on Barret Jackson. call it what it is a fake.
I agree, I am not a fan of the fancy names applied to a FAKE. Calling it a “tribute”, “clone” or a “recreation” does not increase the value of a fake.
A while back, there was a legit 1970 Nova SS 396/375 for sale. It was just as clean as this car, but was missing the original engine and trans. It had the POP to prove it’s authenticity as a true L78 car but, it had a stout 468 BBC and a Tremec 5-spd conversion, which is an improvement. It was a true triple black car, but it had a color change. If I remember correctly, it was priced about the same as this car. My point is, which is more valuable, a true SS396, that is not all original, or a “tribute”?