This is what most people picture when you say “Nova.” However, this was the 3rd generation of the car. Image via Wikimedia Commons

Chevy’s Nova, in its early versions, was one of the most popular cars with generations of car enthusiasts. The Nova was designed as a counter to Ford’s Falcon/Comet and Chrysler’s Dart and Valiant. The “compact car” wars were beginning to heat up even then. The Nova was a member of GM’s X-body lineup. It was of unibody construction, making body repairs fairly easy. One thing you may not know is that it wasn’t based on anything else; no other current cars influenced its design.

The Nova’s Early History

Chevy introduced the Nova to the US market in late 1961 as a 1962 vehicle. At the time, it was known as the Chevy II, though. Three trims were available: Chevy II 100, Chevy II 300, and the Chevy II Nova 400. Buyers had their choice of several body styles:

• Two-door coupe
• Four-door sedan
• Two-door sedan
• Two-seat wagon
• Three –seat wagon
• Convertible

The Early Nova Engines Were Specifically Designed for the Nova

Buyers today are used to having a minimum of three or four engine options when buying a car. In 1962, Chevy II buyers only had two. The first, affectionately known as the “Iron Duke” was the 153ci inline four. The other was the straight six 194. The 194ci straight six was a pretty revolutionary engine for its time, having seven main journals.

One of Chevy’s Most Popular Cars Almost Never Made It to US Showrooms

My dad’s side of my family is from Mexico, and I can remember times when we’d get together in the early 1970s. Yes, I’m that old. One of my relatives owned a ’72 or ’73 Nova at the time, and some of the older people used to joke that Chevy almost lost out on huge sales numbers because of nothing more than the name they gave the car: Nova.

Believe it or not this ugly thing is also a Nova. Gen V: A ’86 Nova Five-door Hatchback.
Image via Wikimedia Commons.

I asked why? What happened? What’s wrong with Nova, it means “new” doesn’t it? Yes it does, kinda, but not exactly. You see, Nova can also be broken down into two actual Spanish words: “No” and “Va.” In Spanish, “Va” means go in the second person, (you go, he goes, she goes, it goes). So, when you put the two together, you get “It doesn’t go.”

Some say this is an urban legend, but Mexico City was one of the test markets, and there aren’t any Spanish-speaking countries in which it was sold where it retained the “Nova” name. It was called the Corsa in Spain, and in Argentina it was first known as the Chevrolet 400 and then renamed the Chevrolet Chevy. There was also a slightly upscale model known as the Chevy Super that was sold in Argentina for a short time.