1970 Chevrolet Nova SS 396 4-Speed
Chevrolet built more than 307,000 Nova’s in 1970, and yet fewer than 20,000 were Super Sports. And that was at a time when the muscle car market was peaking. For whatever reason, the Chevelle SS and redesigned Camaro SS stole all the thunder. This ’70 Nova SS wears a beautiful restoration and looks to need nothing going forward. It has the L34 version of the 396 cubic inch V8 that produced 350 hp. Offered by a dealer in Effingham, Illinois, this like-new Chevy is available here on eBay where the reserve has yet to be met at $33,600.
Chevrolet built about 53,000 Chevelle Super Sports and another 37,000 Camaro Super Sports in 1970. So, folks interested in muscle cars that year largely ignored the Nova by comparison. Of the 19,558 SS Nova’s produced, 13,991 had the L48 350 engine (300 hp), while 3,765 had the L78 396 motor (375 hp), and 1,802 chose the L34 396 at 350 hp. The 396 actually displaced 402 cubic inches beginning in 1970 but were still called 396s because of their tenured marketing value. The seller’s car has the lesser-produced L34 so – with a 4-speed manual – it should be in fairly small company today given survival rates. Excluding clones, that is.
The history of this Cortez Silver Nova isn’t explained. It has 75,000 miles on the odometer and has been treated to a restoration although we don’t know the timeline for that. But the drivetrain is original to the auto, so we assume everything mechanical has been rebuilt. The body and paint look flawless as does the black deluxe interior with bucket seats. This Chevy could very well look as good now as the day it left the factory.
An advantage, I suppose, in buying this car from the dealer is that the drivetrain comes with a 4,500-mile or 90-day warranty, so there is some comfort when buying a 52-year-old car at these kinds of bucks. It’s a beautiful automobile that looks a bit like a sleeper with its dog dish hubcaps, but when they see the 396 scripts on the front fenders, it’s all over. If my garage were bigger, I might think about bringing this one home.
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Comments
Nice.
One of my DREAM CARS, When my Mom and Dad moved in 71 I was 14. Our new neighbor had a Blue 69 SS 396 4 Speed and a 70 Black over Red SS 350 Auto in the driveway. I was in TEENAGE CAR LUST. I’ve never had a chance to pick up a nice one because at 17 I was off to the Navy for 20 years, Now I’m to old to enjoy it for what it’s worth and I would NEVER OWN A TRAILER QUEEN, I Hope Someone Drives This Like My Old Neighbor Drove His. LIGHT IT UP
This car is an absolute beauty and makes me long for my old Nova. My ’70 Nova SS was one of the best cars I ever owned, one that I dearly wish I had kept. A car like this is way beyond my means these days so I’ll never own one again, but at least I can say I had one and for awhile and lived the dream.
Yours has a better stance than the one listed. From the listed photo it looks low in the back end. That’s a turn off for me right away. Get some new heavy duty leaf springs back there , that’s what I did with my Nova back in the day.
I actually had my leaf springs “re-arched” by a shop that specialized in suspension repair because the rear had sagged a bit over time. That method was cheaper than new springs and I was able to keep the originals. I also had the rear wheel arches pulled or flared out a bit so the 70 series tires wouldn’t rub. When I think of what I sold my Nova for and what it’s probably worth today, I obviously should have kept it. But who knew that back then?
That’s why i like this site. I’m an old school muscle guy ,but I’m broke now LOL!!! so at least i can dream when I’m on here..
But my fav is the 66 Nova with L79 350hp 327. What a runner!
My moms kid sister married a cat with one of these, uncle Carlos, what a jerk, in 1973, all jacked up in the rear. Loud too. At the wedding reception it was loaded with gear heads and their Friday night street race/cruise machines. As a seven year old boy I stood in amazement as they all left the ceremony in a cloud of smoke, exhaust fumes and sheer ear bashing noise. That same year fuel prices and the new fangled idea of starting a family led to the nasty SS396 Nova being sold off and replaced…by a….TOYOTA!!!
Nice ride here and I wonder how much speed shop stuff was removed for the sake of original equipment,,, like any of these went un-modified for even a week.
Hold on to your wallets, the gas embargo of 1979 may have reinvented itself in 2022. Gas prices go up, muscle car prices go down. Hope we don’t see people syphoning/stealing gas again. I wouldn’t complain if a muscle car, buy low and sell high economy came back.
Nice car, but I’d rather have the ’67 Chevy II that is shown in the background.