Monster Engine! 1969 Chevrolet Nova
At first glance, this car looks like a nice average driver. Apart from the stinger hood, there’s no indication that it is a horsepower monster. This is a 1969 Chevrolet Nova and can be found for sale here on eBay with an asking price of $35,950. Located in the collector car auction mecca of Scottsdale, Arizona, this car is claimed to be wearing original paint and there’s a huge surprise under that hood!
If you aren’t familiar with Baldwin or Motion, they were part of the 1960’s muscle car wars which produced some of the baddest “street” cars on the planet. An article on Hagerty.com outlines the process: “Baldwin-Motion took new Chevrolets, sold through Baldwin Chevrolet in Baldwin, New York (Long Island), and then delivered them to Joel Rosen’s Motion Performance speed shop (also in Baldwin), where they became street-legal, turn-key drag cars.
The partnership between the two companies would allow any client to buy a built-to-order street machine, limited only by the buyer’s imagination and financial resources. Some of these cars even came with a written, money-back, quarter-mile performance guarantee.” The air cleaner reads “427” and looks like a Baldwin-Motion powerplant, however, this is, in fact, a fire-breathing 672 horsepower 572 cubic inch V8!
The interior is plain black but very functional. When you have almost 700 horsepower at your fingertips, you don’t need much besides a seat, steering wheel and a go-pedal. The ad states “The black interior is completely 100% original. All factory original seat belts, everything works as should inside. Everything works in the car including the lights, gauges, signals etc.”
With the dog-dish hubcaps, small redline tires, plain jane paint, and black vinyl top, this car is an almost perfect sleeper. Let us know what you think about this car and if you’ve never heard a 572 cubic inch Chevrolet, crank up your speakers and check out this video on YouTube!
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Comments
Would you want a parachute pack and maybe a large boat anchor to pitch out of the window to make sure this beauty stops? Love that engine. Overall sweet car! Perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your true love or for me if you don’t happen to have one.
Just picturing everybody inside on carpool day sliding around on freshly Armor-Alled vinyl seats, scrambling for traction while the rear tires smoke, the driver hanging onto the steering wheel & PRNDL lever to keep control.
Love it
Such a sleeper! Just picturing everybody inside on carpool day sliding around on freshly Armor-Alled vinyl seats, scrambling for traction while the rear tires smoke, the driver hanging onto the steering wheel & PRNDL lever to keep control. Perfect unassuming color too
Love it
Ditch the hood and red-lines…
I HATE those hoods. On anything. Rather have curb feelers.
What kind of Nova do you have?
Hood yes redlines no!! Change wheels to rally!!
Keep the redlines until you burn em off
So if you had the money to burn, would you buy this or the previously mentioned BarnFind Silver Chevelle SS?
Personally, I like the SS for the money but this has great appeal just for the pure Horsepower factor and the look on faces when you melt the tires.
In terms of value, what is worth more? A legit SS or a plain Jane with a crazy drive train?
Love the Chevelle! Older brother bought a ‘69 New same colors but bench seat and manual tranny (3-speed? 4-speed? I was seven at the time). So really like the SS but would be hesitant to drive it much. On the other hand I could see myself regularly whipping the ponies in that Nova! Because the engine isn’t stock and I Am unclear on the Baldwin connection other than the decal on the air cleaner I feel that I wouldn’t be lowering the value by driving it. And because to me most of the fun is testing drivetrains against rubber and gravity I’m gonna stick with the Nova. Is that hood needed to give overhead clearance to the engine? I prefer the original hood but if that motor needs the room then I’m okay with that. The SS probably has longer term value due to originality than the Nova but as long as the gas budget held out first choice is the Nova. Any chance that I could get both?
Is the 572 the original motor?? Thought they just put stock 427’s in.
The 572 is a crate engine; GM never did produce it until recent years.
The taller hood is necessary because the 572 is a taller engine ( taller deck height)
A 427 was the original engine but may have been blown up, or someone may have just wanted more power no replacement for displacement
Hood yes , red lines no , wheels no . now you have really sweet ride .
Not a good value at that price. $25000 maybe
Boy, 572 with those tires would be a challenge. I have a similar small block Nova that is slightly built that will heat up 245/60/15’s without much problem. Not even half the horsepower and a 3.42 year set.
The EBay ad states it is a Baldwin ReCreation ! Not an original. Was probably a 6 cyl car considering the powerglide. Dont recall any powerglides behind V8 s from the factory in 69 .
About a 85% chance you’re right. At least the seller isn’t claiming it’s a true Baldwin-Motion; I’d give him credit for honesty there.
Not a Power Glide was a Torque-Drive car
Were there ever any 69 nova hard tops built or were they all coupes? I’ve never seen a hardtop however my ol man said his was a hardtop “ no pillar post between front and back window” what you guys say??
I’m hoping he’s wrong as there’s a 12 pk involved☺️
Dustin, from 68 & up there was no such thing as a “hardtop” Chevy II/Nova, just the post two door sedans, like this one.
HOWEVER, from 62-67 there was a hardtop (Chevy called it a Sport Coupe), different body
Call your bet a draw …
One of the neat options you could specify from Baldwin/Motion were upgraded aftermarket wheels and tires, preferably much bigger tires in the rear for obvious reasons. The B/M 427 Camaros in fairly mild tuned (compared to what you could order if the greenbacks were at hand)were twelve second scare rides just as the Yenko’s, Dana’s, Nickeys, etc, etc…but a Nova was capable of more depending on driver skill. Now with 572 angry cubic inches I see this car as almost undrivable even with the two speed and average 3.5 gears. Definitely thrilling, and I really do like this machine, but….
Got life insurance???
As far as I’m concerned, these monster engine transplants are a complete waste. The car is rendered basically useless, in exchange for a big fat “wow”. (I’m not opposed to performance, just overkill. An original 350 or even 396 Nova would suit me fine.)
Dustin, I have never seen a 68-74 built as a hardtop-no post. This big block with a powerglide, hopefully upgraded to handle the torque, would get you up to about 70mph in first gear. Seems to me if you had slicks on you might start tweeking the body unless there are some unibody upgrades.
The first time I heard of a 572 is when I was reading about Jay Leno’s 1956 Buick, I think that it was one of his first classics, then he upgraded it with that stroker motor..
Pillars only in the 68-74 Novas,no Hardtops unfortunately.If this were a true Baldwin Motion car it would be worth 2-3 times more,without the original motor,and nobody would build the car without a “correct” mill.Enjoy this one for what it is ,an excellent value,for a true second tier muscle car .
Listen to the engine on YouTube. Better than sex with ur ex.
Nails on a blackboard is better than sex with an ex!!!
Having been lucky enough to have grown up in a town less then 10 miles from Baldwin Motion and seeing them grow from a car stereo center to a dyed in the wool performance builder with ass equal to and occasionally better then a Yenko Super Car I get a bit bent out of shape when wanna-be “Muscle Car” “experts” spout off lacking true knowledge. Please attempt to educate yourselves prior to posting and if your bored, head out to Baldwin NY (Long Island, the 51st State!!) and check them out, the shop is still in Baldwin on Sunrise Hwy/RT 27 as it has been since the 60’s and it still dwarfs the Porsche, Audi, BMW, and Ferrari dealerships that surround it, gear heads unite and enjoy!!!!
Now this is one of those cars you have heard about, but never see. I remember reading about these high performance factory cars many years ago. I have never seen one tho. Definitely a great investment.
This is a recreation, this is a fake. No doubt a grandmas 6 cylinder with a big honkin motor transplant. The car is near me.
Hopefully he they are holding paperwork to back everything up. Or maybe they are looking for stupid?
Don’t go knocking those granny 6cyl. My rare Nova was being built at the factory for a V-8 & being that it was end of year production they needed a 6cyl. In Green Mist Iridescent. It as appraised at $40,500.00. It was featured as the Centerfold of Collectible Automobile Magazine Oct. 2011 It’s a 7 time Gold Concourse Winner and has over 250 trophies.
Really needs new paint, many scratches, nicks, etc. on the car. Since this is a “clone” Baldwin Motion car, certainly not worth $39K….
$35,900 but not worth that either
This is probably a dead thread already but did anyone notice this Nova was a Torque-Drive car ? The info I found said Chevy only sold 14,000 Torque-Drive cars before abandoning the idea.
Was it in response to VW’s Automatic Stickshift? In the spring of 1968, Chevrolet introduced its own semi-automatic transmission, called Torque Drive. It turned out to be even less popular than VW’s autostick, and was created a different way. Whereas VW put a torque converter in front of a manual transmission, Chevy dumbed down its venerable two-speed Powerglide automatic (full history here) so that one had to shift it manually. A somewhat dumb move, it turns out.