We first laid eyes on William Tetro’s stunning third-gen Nova during its debut at last year’s Performance Racing Industry trade show. A good nickname for Tetro’s Nova would be “Neck Breaker” as it turned heads all three days of the event. Its polished twin-turbo LS powerhouse was on full display as it sat sans hood in the Frankenstein Engine Dynamics booth. Remarkably, just under six months since its track debut, this incredible Nova has etched its name in history as the most powerful LS-based hydraulic roller camshaft engine on record.
As incredible as Tetro’s Nova looks, its highly polished twin-turbo LS-based engine featuring Frankenstein’s Freakshow intake manifold and cylinder heads had attendees mesmerized.
The artists behind this masterpiece are Tim Christ and his team at Coast Chassis Design Race Cars & Components in Edgewater, Florida. Christ led the build, giving Tetro a strong foundation to work his magic on the outside of the Nova. Tetro’s family business, Harbor Auto Restoration, specializes in concourse-level car builds and performs paint and bodywork in-house. So it’s no surprise his flawless Nova looks like it could compete for the Ridler Award.
This Nova has no bad angles. The paint, vinyl top, polished engine and wheels, and stance all look amazing no matter where you are standing.
Underneath the Nova’s sleek exterior lies an Ochs Performance-built LS-based 427 cubic-inch engine, anchored by a Dart LS Next block. A custom camshaft from Brian Tooley Racing controls the valvetrain, and the short block proudly wears a pair of Frankenstein Engine Dynamics F710 cylinder heads. The pièce de résistance is the Frankenstein Freakshow intake manifold adorned with dual 90-millimeter throttle bodies, being fed from twin Forced Inductions S488 turbochargers. All of the power is put to the ground through a TH400 transmission with a lockup setup and a Strange Engineering Pro Mod modular rearend.
Och’s Performance built a monster for Tetro’s Nova. The LS-based 427 cubic-inch mill was assembled using only the best components from industry leaders.
To get the Nova sitting right, Menscer Motorsports shocks ride at all four corners, while polished RC Components wheels, wrapped with Mickey Thompson rubber, provide the grip. This combination of rolling stock and suspension will ensure the Nova has unparalleled performance on the track. Tetro wasted no time in putting the Nova’s components to the test either.
According to Tetro, his Nova started life as a real SS car before its complete transformation.
Approximately four months following its debut at PRI, Tetro took his Nova to Orlando Speed World Dragway for some on-track action. Being a No-Time racing machine, specific performance details have been kept under wraps. However, recent developments have catapulted the Nova back into the spotlight. In a turn of events, the Nova underwent a significant change in its electronic control unit (ECU) system. Respected racer and wiring expert Michael Bunton transitioned the Nova to a complete FuelTech FT600 EFI System, incorporating FuelTech’s NANOPRO, FTSPARK, and other select components.
Once the rewiring of the car was complete, Tetro hauled his Nova up to FuelTech’s facility for a dyno tuning session, and the results sent shockwaves throughout the racing world. By the end of the session, the dyno graph displayed an astonishing 2,726 horsepower. Tetro’s Nova didn’t just reset the record, it crushed the previous LS Hydraulic Roller Cam dyno record by 400 horsepower.
Buoyed by this remarkable achievement, Tetro and his Nova are now back to testing and looking to make a similarly huge statement on the track. He set out to build a formidable No-Time race car with this Nova and it’s safe to say he’s exceeded all expectations. We look forward to seeing the car making passes at upcoming No-Time races and LS Fest events.
