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Ok.. I have been arguing with a friend of mine for a while now about the Chevy Nova.. he claims that they are the equivilent of a Ford Taurus, and that they were "soccer mom" cars.. it can't be! Can it? I have always considered them muscle cars so that seemed really off to me, let me know what you guys think
Come on, soccer mom car?
You'll never change their mind.Quote:
Originally posted by Meag
Ok.. I have been arguing with a friend of mine for a while now about the Chevy Nova.. he claims that they are the equivilent of a Ford Taurus, and that they were "soccer mom" cars.. it can't be! Can it? I have always considered them muscle cars so that seemed really off to me, let me know what you guys think
Unless they grew up in the era they'll NEVER understand if they think such foolish thoughts.
The Nova IMO was the poor man's Camaro. Now they're right up there with Camaro, Chevelle and Goats for demand.
I had a friend that i worked with that has a Gloss Black Nova Duece. That thing is SICK. He was always tinkerin on it. The last time I saw him he had installed a 9" in it and the car was kickin tail in the Santa Rosa/Healdsburg area of Cali.
~MM
Ford Taurus!.........:rolleyes:
" Meag ... you just kick that "friend (?)" of yours a$$ !"
:D
:LOL: :LOL:
:whacked: "Taurus" :rolleyes:
The Nova, Chevy II and Acadians were available in many configurations. Many were just plain transportation to people and were 6 cyl. variations of 2, 4 door sedans and stationwagons. the first generation cars could also be had in hardtop and convertibles which were sporty looking. In 64 the V8 became an option. 65 saw the beginning of performance. 66 had the fabled L79 327-350 hp engine option available. the next generation was a continuance of a variety of models and performance engines which included big blocks. Special order copo cars and some dealers and specialty shops were building very high performance packages(Gibb, Yenko, Baldwin Motion, etc..) that were the ultimate. The next generation were not as performance orientated although they were/are open to be so. Because these cars could be ordered and used as "soccer" cars doesn't mean that they are those cars. You could order a 66 sedan for example from the factory with a L79, 4 speed and 12 bolt rear end. Looked plain but as fast and quick as anything out there.The Taurus had only one performance engine(Sho) but it's not that great and would still be considered a "soccer" mom's car. In essence the Nova could be a soccer mom's car but that could be one hell of a ride.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-...2/P8280414.JPG
I'm with you Meag. The Taurus is a piece of crap with no hot rodding potential. I would compare it to the Chevy Cavalier, Another disposable car, not the Novas that we all love.
Novas could be bought as a 6 cylinder 4 door family sedan or as a real musclecar. The Ford equivalent would be the Fairlane/Torino.
There were no Soccer moms in the 60s anyway. Soccer wasn't popular in this country till the 90s.
You are smarter than your friend. I bet he drives an import.
Okay, if the Nova wasn't the soccer mom's car, which car in the Chevy lineup was. If you hold to the idea that each of the makers produced one car in their lineup for the common consumer, wasn't that the Nova? I'ld say the Plymouth Duster fits that bill, same as the Nova. Yeah, they produced a Nova with a small-block, but it did it ever come with Chevy's most powerful engine options like the Chevelle, Camaro, etc? Same as a Taurus!
Meag,
Even if I am a Ford kind of guy, I got to go with everyone else on this one. The Nova's were everything a Taraus could never be. Nough said.:) :)
The link that Streets put up tells the story.
But this "misunderstanding" gives a hint as to why those of us who lived through the '60's are so nostalgic about some of these cars. The ability to have a car that looked like a granny mobile on the outside, but had the heart of a lion (or rat, or mouse, or ELEPHANT). We called them "sleepers". And this wide variety of factory built performance cars knocked the air out of the traditional hot rod "hobby" for almost a decade. Most don't remember, but there were any number of magazine editorials at the time wondering if interest in the old hot rods would die because of the "factory hot rods". Seems silly now!!
Your friend wasen't even born when the Nova was built.. I can tell.. Otherwise he would never make such a foolish stupid statement.
In January of 1970 I picked up my COPO Nova. Ordered in October of 69 thru Don Ruttle Chevrolet and the Grand Blanc Mich. Zone office.
I've owned a Taurus. (I hate to admit that, but had family). I will tell you right now that, just the thrill of starting that solid lifter big block in the dealers final prep area, was at least thousands of times more than driving that Ford off the lot..
The Nova had FIVE mufflers on it two small under the rear seat, one across behind the axle and two small resonators in the tailpipes. And still sounded tuff. That and the solid seven blade fan plus the solid lifters and even with three miles on it it was an attention getter when fired up..
I slipped her into low, listened to that M-22 howl as I drove thru the small town to old Mich. 10 and headed for I-75 south. What a tire killer!!
I could see a soccer moms car being a Ford Falcon 4dr or a 60's Chevy Bel Air 4dr or even a Ford Cortina and even I guess maby a 4dr Nova 4 or 6cyl could also be but, 4Dr nova's are undesirable and that's what they would have been back then, I coulden't see that today but in the 60's they were an everyday car. An old guy in my town has a '66 Nova 4dr that he has had since it was new and he still drives it daily and sits on the same side of the road in the same place he parks it and has parked it since he bought it. I also know a guy that has 4 or 5 old plymouths, A valient and a couple musle cars and another car I can't remember but, He bought the cars when he was a kid and still drives them as everyday cars and there in really good shape, all but 1 has good paint and the only 1 in need of bodywork is the valient but that's because he drives that 1 more, it just needs paint and a little surface rust cleanup.
A young man that I worked with in the late 60's/early '70's, had a'68/9/70 Nova that he had done himself; 427, 4 speed M21/22, 12 bolt. Steelies with stock small caps and blackwall tires, and "barn" brown. At a casual look, it was a shopper/commuter car; but from the rear as it was smokin' away from you, you could notice that the back tires were a lot wider than usual, and those two "big" exhaust tips turned down just under the rear bumper.
SLEEPER +++ !!!!
Let your friend know that he is getting bad drugs. There no way on this Earth that anyone with a half a brain could make such a bold statement. They are not even in the same park.
A: There were no soccer moms in the late 60's.
B: Very few moms of any kind ordered L-78, 375 H.P. 396 rat motors in their grocery-getters.
http://www.novaresource.org/ads/68SS02.jpg
Chevy never really HAD a "soccer mom" car.
Think about it the two cars that you COULD claim they were weren't.
Vega and Monza. The reason is that you could get them with a small block. Cosworth Vega being one of the most sought after cars in Chevy's lineup.
Of course then you had the Impala and Impala wagon but BOTH those also came with the V8 option.
As well as the Malibu and Malibu Wagon.
All the way into the late '70s and early '80s the Nova was one fine car. Then you had the amalgamated mad genius thinking it was better to put japanese aluminum into american cars.
He's mad I tell you, absolutley mad.:D
'63 and '64 Dart wagons. Now THOSE were soccer mom cars.Quote:
Originally posted by Matt167
I could see a soccer moms car being a Ford Falcon 4dr or a 60's Chevy Bel Air 4dr or even a Ford Cortina and even I guess maby a 4dr Nova 4 or 6cyl could also be but, 4Dr nova's are undesirable and that's what they would have been back then, I coulden't see that today but in the 60's they were an everyday car. An old guy in my town has a '66 Nova 4dr that he has had since it was new and he still drives it daily and sits on the same side of the road in the same place he parks it and has parked it since he bought it. I also know a guy that has 4 or 5 old plymouths, A valient and a couple musle cars and another car I can't remember but, He bought the cars when he was a kid and still drives them as everyday cars and there in really good shape, all but 1 has good paint and the only 1 in need of bodywork is the valient but that's because he drives that 1 more, it just needs paint and a little surface rust cleanup.
My Grandma used to drive us around in hers. She had both years. lol
Now they are a popular car to fix up and shove a V8 tween the fenders.:3dSMILE:
One of my first custom paint jobs was on a friend of mine's '70 Nova SS. He kept it in a garage all these years and up until a couple years ago it still had the same paint job on it. I see his mom from time to time (She works @ the rest home where my Mother lives) and she tells me he's been workin' on it. Says it pulls the front end waaay off the ground. HUMMMMM I think need to look him up to see what makes it do that. HE He He:LOL: He, his brother and I built stock cars together in the old days (1 was a Nova by the way).
HMMMMMM AHHHHHH 69 NOVA MY FAVORITE!!!
SORRRY I HIT THE WRONG KEYS ON THE BOARD BEFORE I WAS DONE SO HERE IT GOES AN OLD BUDDY OF MINE GOT HIS HANDS ON A 69 NOVA NOTHING WAS SPECIAL ABOUT THE CAR REALLY HEHEHEHE RIGHT UP UNTIL I WROTE OFF MY 69 CHEVELLE 396 SS AHHH I MISS MY SECOND CAR!!! I SOLD HIM THE RUNNING GEAR BECAUSE I WAS A HEART BROKE PUPPY!! HE ASKED IF I WOULD HELP HIM DROP THE RUNNING GEAR INTO THE NOVA ON A WEEKEND WHEN WE GOT IT ALL DONE, ALL IT NEEDED WAS TLC ON THE BODY, AND DOES IT EVER SMOKE THE THING IS A SLEEPER THE HE CAN JUST ABOUT RIP THOSE TIRES CLEAN OFF THE RIMS, SO TELL YOUR FRIEND THAT HERE WE ARE ON A PLANET CALLED EARTH NOT MARS HEHEHEHE NO PUNN INTEND TO THE ALIENS OUT THERE !!! PERSONALLY I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MYSELF A NOVA BUT THESE DAYS I HAVE LEANED OVER TO THE SPORT TRUCK SIDE OF THINGS..
Yeah, I know. Meant to edit that '80s part out.
Brainfart my bad.:whacked:
Thanks for the brain realignment though.
Thanks for the Nova lesson, I relent! Now that it was mentioned I do remember the Yenko Nova. Didn't know about the SS in the ad posted here.
i dont desriminate against 4 dr box novas
68 on up i do there is a asain guy who has a 4 dr nova
runs lows 12s he fulls a lot of people with his 4 dr nova
also an older guy has a stock factory box nova with hubcaps ]
he runs low 12s also he makes lots people mad
Thanks guys!!! haha I was right. I knew it! I always flip out when I see Novas... Taurus' just don't have that same effect on me! Anything with "SS" on it should be a show car. Oh about that whole wagon deal... I don't know what people are thinking! Even Mercedes had to cash in on that. I almost cried when I saw a FIREBIRD wagon.. you heard me right... on tv the other day. This car had been neutered. It was a tragedy, I can only hope no other firebirds witnessed this happening. So anything made into a wagon I think is a soccer mom car, and you guys might get mad at me for this but I think the H2 is along those lines as well. I know I know, but the H1 was so boxy and army looking.. maybe it's just the front end that wrecked it for me, what do you think about that?
The Hummer was a great vehicle til GM got ahold of it.
They screwed the pooch when they went away from the IRS Differential and instead stuffed a full axle under it.
Can't do half the stuff in the H2 that you could in the Humvee.
I wouldn't cry about it if someone gave me the keys to one...
I'd just quitely stick a for sale sign on it and git me a HEMI Durango instead.
Shhhh don't tell anyone:p
You forgot something. AM General was sold due to the fact that renault had a controlling interest in AMC. As the french Govt owned renault, the US govt made it so they had to lose their state in AMC or sell AM general. As AM general was making a profit at this point, that was yet another move that was part of AMCs downfall.
You fellas may want to read this, http://www.truckworld.com/Sport-Util...iew/02-H2.html
It tells about the GM position and origins of the chassis.
Well my mom drove me to school when I was a kid in a 76 Nova 4 door with a 350 in it. So I can see some being a soccer mom's car, but they were designed IMO as a muscle car and just adapted to what the public needed at the time, IE 2 door or 4 door.
A socccer mom's car back then would have been a full size van or a station wagon. Not a sporty car like that, and Nova can not be compared to the taurus
I woulda quoted your last post streets but daaayaang that was too long.Quote:
Originally posted by Streets
I didn't forget Dave, I left that little tidbit for you to tell 'cuse yer MR. AMC 2 me.. hehehe :p
Thanks for the info though.
I've always been led to believe that GM was manufacturing the H2. Car salesmen trying to make a buck mostly.
Now I know and am better informed.
AM General are the retards that blew that then.:D
I guess they were more in tune with the Paparazzi class than the average off roader. lol