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1966 Chevrolet Nova Series

The Chevrolet Chevy II (and Nova) was built for a new generation of youthful buyers and designed to compete with the Plymouth Valiant and Ford Falcon. It was a conventional compact car with semi-unibody construction with a bolt-on front section that began life in 1962. The Nova was an option of the Chevy II, offered in a convertible body style in 1962 and 1963, and a two-door hardtop from 1962 to 1965, although the hardtop was dropped when the 1964 models were first introduced, subsequently re-introduced to the line later in the model year. The Nova became its own nameplate for 1969 through 1979 after the Chevy II nameplate was dropped after 1968. It returned in 1985 and continued through 1988.

The RPO Z03 Super Sport package was added to the Chevy II Nova in 1963, adding bucket seats, side moldings, bucket seats, floor shifter, instrument package, and special emblems.

In 1964, the Chevy II was finally offered with a factory V8 option, and a year later, the Chevy II and Nova both received an update to the front-end styling that included a full-width grille with new integrated headlight bezels. The parking lights were relocated down to the dep-section bumper, and sedans were given a new roofline. The rear cove, taillight, and backup assembly were also restyled.

An extensive restyling occurred in 1966 with design inspiration from the Super Nova concept car. The proportions were squared up with sharp edges, a bold grille, single headlights, vertical taillights, 'humped' fenders in an angular rear end, and a semi-fastback roofline. The base Chevy II line included a two- and four-door sedan, and a station wagon, with prices that ranged from $2,030 to $2,400. Trim levels included the Chevy II 100 and Chevy II Nova 400 models, priced $159 above the Chevy II 100.

The Nova added a nicer interior with upholstery in cloth and vinyl, a dual-spoke steering wheel with horn ring, door trim panel and nameplate, rear armrests with a built-in ashtray, and glove compartment. Exterior features included Nova rear fender script and model badge, additional chrome trim and molding along the body bodyside, body sill, roof drip gutter, and full-width color accented deck trim. The sedans had additional molding around the roof rear quarter and the Hardtop Sport Coupe had brightwork along the door and rear quarter upper side.

The Nova Super Sport (SS) came standard with the 194 cubic-inch inline-six, however, any Chevy II, except for the four-cylinder, could be used with the SS. The SS package added wheels from the 1965 Malibu SS, SS emblems on the grille and in the ribbed rear panel, Super Sport script on the quarter panels, aluminum deck lid cove, wide rocker panels, and Strato-bucket front seats. Available only as a two-door hardtop, a total of 10,100 examples were produced having a factory base price of $2,430.

Chevrolet built approximately 73,900 examples of the Chevy II Nova in 1966, excluding the station wagons, with approximately 19,600 equipped with V8 engines and 54,300 with six-cylinders. The two-door hardtop had a base price of $2,270 and the sedan listed for $2,250.

The base 1966 Chevy II engine was the overhead valve four-cylinder unit displacing 153 CID and offering 90 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The 194 CID inline-6 had hydraulic valve lifters, seven main bearings, a Rochester one-barrel carburetor, and delivered 177 horsepower at 2,400 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, and a four-speed manual was optional for all cars equipped with V8 engines. A Powerglide two-speed automatic was optional for all engines.

Optional engines included the RPO L26 six-cylinder with 230 cubic-inches of displacement and 150 horsepower. The 238 CID V8, RPO L77, delivered 220 horsepower, the 327 CID V8 (PRO L30) delivered 275 horsepower. Of the small-block Chevrolet engines introduced in the post-fuel-injection era, the hydraulic-cam-equipped L79 327 CID V8 is considered among the best, establishing much of its heritage in the Corvette before making it's street presence notorious primarily in the 1966 Chevy II. The 327 CID Turbo-Fire V8 delivers 350 horsepower and a mere 200 examples were built. With a twin-snorkel-fed Holley carburetor and backed by either an automatic or choice of a Muncie three-speed or four-speed transmission, it was capable of quarter-mile times in the 14-second bracket. Capable drivers like Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins, using a tuned 327 CID V8 with approximately 420 horsepower achieved 11.6-second times in the quarter-mile on 7-inch tires, good enough to place Jenkins in the runner-up spot behind Jere Stahl and his street Hemi at both the 1966 NHRA U.S. Nationals and NHRA World Finals.

Like many economy cars of the era, the Chevrolet Chevy II Nova SS could be custom-tailored by the buyer to be as performance-oriented, luxurious, or a combination of the two as they wanted. It was one of the most broadly reaching cars of the era, with accessorie and options to provide buyers with the car they wanted or needed.


by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020

Related Reading : Chevrolet Nova History

. The design was to fall between Chevrolets compact and full-size vehicles. Also known as the Chevy II, the vehicle was to be an economical vehicle with power coming from either a four or six-cylinder engine. When the Nova was introduced on the 29th of September in 1961, the vehicle could be purchased with a 153 cubic-inch four-cylinder or 194 cubic-inch six-cylinder engines. Production had begun....
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Related Reading : Chevrolet Nova History

Advertised as not to small, not too big, not too expensive, the Chevy Nova was produced for over two decades and earned its way proudly into the American drivers heart and was a personal favorite for law enforcement officers in 48 states at one time. Debuting in 1961 as a 1962 model, the popular Nova was launched as the top model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. A compact car, the Nova gave....
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1966 Chevrolet Nova Series Vehicle Profiles

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1966 Nova Series
$2,500-$31,400
1966 Chevrolet Nova Series Price Range: $2,200 - $2,500

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1966 Chevrolet Models
$2,480 - $2,950

Nova Second generation

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
73,900
110.00 in.
6 cyl., 230.00 CID., 140.00hp
6 cyl., 193.99 CID., 177.00hp
8 cyl., 283.00 CID., 195.00hp
8 cyl., 327.00 CID., 275.00hp
8 cyl., 327.00 CID., 350.00hp
$2,200 - $2,500
120,900
110.00 in.
4 cyl., 153.00 CID., 90.00hp
$2,025 - $2,500
110.00 in.
4 cyl., 153.00 CID., 90.00hp
8 cyl., 263.00 CID., 195.00hp
8 cyl., 327.00 CID., 275.00hp
8 cyl., 327.00 CID., 350.00hp
$2,300 - $2,600
108.00 in.
4 cyl., 153.00 CID., 90.00hp
6 cyl., 193.99 CID., 120.00hp
8 cyl., 263.00 CID., 195.00hp
8 cyl., 327.00 CID., 275.00hp
8 cyl., 327.00 CID., 350.00hp
$2,100 - $2,575

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