Chevy II Nova

• Beginning in 1959, Chevrolet began developing an economy vehicle, known as the Chevy II, to fill a niche between its compact and full-size cars. The Nova was introduced in 1961 as a Chevy II Nova, with the name remaining on Novas until 1969 when the title Chevy II was dropped. Today, many automotive enthusiasts will refer to Novas as Chevy II, as if the names were interchangeable.
  
  

Restyled for 1966

• Nova Resource tracks the history of the Chevy Nova from '62 through '79, noting that the Nova "underwent a complete restyling in 1966 into what many Nova aficionados consider the most desirable example of the marquee." The 1966 Nova took on a sleeker body design, losing the squared-off appearance of the '65 in favor of what Old Ride cites as "a more streamlined, faster looking roofline on the hardtops."
  
  

Body Options

• The '66 Nova was offered with a number of body styles including the two-door coupe and four-door sedan as a hardtop or with the convertible upgrade. The station wagon model was available with two or four doors. The Super Sport (SS) package featured a standard six-cylinder engine and cosmetic upgrades were offered on only the two-door hardtop model.
  
  Larry Artz of South Methodist University, tracking the history of the Nova, cites that "Seat belts became standard equipment for the first time this year (in anticipation of meeting 1968 mandates)."
  
  

Power Options

• The In-line six-cylinder (I6) and V-8 engines offered for the 1966 Nova were similar to the previous year with a few minor differences in the brake horsepower (bhp), meaning the turning power that finally makes it to the wheels. Muscle Car Club records the engine offerings as:
  194 cubic-inch I6 with 120 bhp; 230 cubic-inch I6 with 140 bhp; 230 cubic-inch I6 with155 bhp; 283 cubic-inch V-8 with195 bhp; 283 cubic-inch V-8 with 220 bhp; 327 cubic-inch V-8 with 275 bhp and the 327 cubic-inch V-8 with the L79 engine option for 350 bhp.
  
  Old Ride explains that the L79 engine option that dramatically increased horsepower was available for the Nova in only the 1966 year. "The '66 Nova joined the true muscle car ranks with the addition of the one year L79 option, a 327 V-8 with 350 hp that launched the light and mighty Nova SS to a 15.10 second quarter mile." The L79 option was dropped from the Nova in 1967 to reduce loss of sales on Chevy's newly released, and higher-priced, Camaro.
  
  

Muscle Car Legend

• Chevy High Performance Magazine best describes the excitement for muscle car fanatics. "When the new '66 Chevy II hit the showrooms, the performance world took notice. This newly shaped muscle car not only enlisted Chevy's 327 to pull hard acceleration, but it also had a distinct advantage. Underneath the all-new sheet metal, hot-rodders found engine options up to 350 horses being offered in a car that tipped the scales at several hundred pounds less than the bigger Chevelle. It was the small car with big performance."