When the 1969 Nova rolled off the assembly line, Chevrolet didn’t change much in regards to body design from the previous year, but that doesn’t mean something exciting wasn’t happening elsewhere. This year saw the Chevy II nameplate finally retire, leaving the car to simply be called Nova. To add a little of a performance look to the car, non-functional, decorative air vents were added to the front fenders.

The 307 cubic-inch V8 got you a whopping 200 horsepower, and was never available with a four-barrel carburetor.

Since we are concerning ourselves with the engines that powered these gems of GM, we’ll start from the beginning. As in previous years, the 90 horsepower 153 cubic-inch four cylinder was available, but since it had very little power, not many were ordered (just over 6,000 produced in 1969). This year, the six-cylinder engine options revolved around the 230 cubic-inch Turbo-Thrift delivering 140 horsepower and the 250 cubic-inch Turbo-Thrift engine with 155 horsepower.

Stepping up to the 307 cubic-inch V8 got you a whopping 200 horsepower. Since the 307 cubic-inch V8 was solely designed to deliver fuel economy, the engine was never available with a four-barrel carburetor. Next on the small-block list was the 350 cubic-inch engine. This engine came with multiple horsepower ratings, and in non-SS cars, delivered 250 or 255 horsepower, depending on whether the engine was equipped with a two- or four-barrel carburetor.

The 350 cubic-inch V8 with a four-barrel carburetor that came standard with the Super Sport option had an extra five horsepower, giving it 300. This was probably the result of the different air filter housing that was used. The two-barrel carbureted version rated at 255 horsepower was a new option available in non-Super Sport models.

Big-block options gave buyers the 396 cubic-inch engine with either 350, or 375 horsepower. But just like in 1968, if a buyer wanted more cubes, they had to look to an alternative outlet. Although Chevrolet might not have sold Nova’s with engines bigger than 396 cubic-inches, dealerships owned by guys like Don Yenko would. Unlike COPO Camaro’s and Chevelle’s, buyers could not get 427 engines factory installed in the Nova. Don Yenko would order Nova Super Sport’s with the 375 horsepower 396 cubic-inch V8, and after removing the factory engine, he would place the 425 horsepower 427 cubic-inch engine between the fenders. This created a very limited number of cars that are highly sought after today.

Transmission options gave buyers a choice of the three-speed manual, the Torque-Drive, or the Powerglide behind the four-cylinder engine. The six-cylinder engine saw use of the Three-speed manual, Torque-Drive, Powerglide, or the new Turbo 350 three-speed automatic. The 307 and 350 cubic-inch engines could be ordered with the Powerglide, a three- or four-speed manual, or the Turbo 350. When the 396 cubic-inch big-block was ordered, the limited choices gave buyers a three- or four-speed manual, or the Turbo 400. Yenko buyers found either the close-ratio Muncie four speed with a Hurst shifter, or a Turbo 400 with Hurst Dual-Gate shifter placed in their cars.

So we have to ask, if you could go back and order your 1969 Nova today, would you choose the fire-breathing Yenko, or the more streetable small-block 350? If you’re still not sure, how many of you might choose something in between, and opt for the 375 hp 396 cubic-inch engine? Let us know in the comment section below.