Minneapolis Chevrolet Nova

In the 1960s, the little Chevrolet Nova became a compact car phenomenon; decades later, the Nova platform would gain ground as a popular hot rodding choice (yes, I realize this is also the name of a magazine). When I was younger, I wanted a Nova, and it was always the '68-'72 models with little to emphasis placed on the earlier--or the later cars. Slowly, my interest in the Nova nameplate has shifted towards the earlier Nova IIs and the later 1970s models that don't really garner much attention.

After its 1975 redesign, the Nova sort of fell off if you will; rather than looking somewhat like a smaller Chevelle, the Nova looked rather bland Sure, it still packed a (rather uninspiring) V8, and there was an SS option, but this generation of Chevrolet's compact car was gear more toward luxury and economy that the muscle car that preceded it. Gone were the Chevrolet Rallyes and bright colors, and in place were generic hubcaps, subdued neutral colors, and a wide variety of psuedo-luxury interior trimmings. The Malaise-era was here, and it took its toll on Chevrolet's baby--and it showed. By 1979, the once-popular Nova was a sight of the past, and a new generation of compact car replaced it that winter.

I have slowly started to warm up to these and I think this one looked perfect; I like what the owner did here--kept it stock, but added a set of period wheels. Normally, I thought the idea of stock plus wheels was kind of a lame approach, but this Nova was done right. The Cragars looked amazing, and were the right size and width as well. No stinkbug stance was had here.

This generation has been overlooked for quite some time, and now they have finally seen the light of day. I have noticed that as of late, more and more of this generation have been getting saved. Kudos to the owner of this car for saving it, and setting it off perfectly. What a great job you've done sir (or mam.)