The Chevrolet Nova began life in 1962 as the Chevy II, a compact car on General Motors’ new X platform. It took the Nova name alone in 1969, ran until 1979, and came back for four years in the 1980s as a Toyota-built subcompact.
Chevrolet Nova at a glance
| Production | 1962–1979 and 1985–1988 |
|---|---|
| Class | Compact car |
| Platform | GM X platform |
| Names | Chevy II to 1968, Nova from 1969 |
| Position | between the Corvair and the Chevelle |
| Divisional twins | Buick Apollo, Pontiac Ventura, Oldsmobile Omega |
| 1975 chassis | shared with the Cadillac Seville |
| Replaced by | Chevrolet Citation for 1980 |
| Second era | NUMMI-built Nova of 1985–1988, replaced by the Geo Prizm |
History of the Chevrolet Nova
The Chevy II was introduced for 1962 as the first model on the GM X platform, sitting between the Corvair, later replaced by the Vega, and the Chevelle. For 1969 the Chevy II name was dropped and every version of the car was sold as the Nova. The first two generations were sold only by Chevrolet, but the third-generation Nova was rebadged for the other divisions as the Buick Apollo, Pontiac Ventura and Oldsmobile Omega.
The fourth generation of 1975 shared its chassis, though not its bodywork, with the Cadillac Seville, while Buick renamed its version the Skylark and Pontiac called its own the Phoenix. For 1980 General Motors downsized and redesigned the X platform and switched it to front-wheel drive; Chevrolet dropped the Nova name and replaced the car with the Citation.
For 1985 Chevrolet brought the name back for a very different car: a subcompact built by NUMMI, the joint venture with Toyota in Fremont, California, using the body of the E80 Toyota Sprinter. On the S platform and sized between the Chevette and the Cavalier, the NUMMI Nova was one of the first cars to show what the GM-Toyota partnership could do. It was replaced for 1989 by the Geo Prizm, as Chevrolet moved its Japanese-developed cars into the Geo sub-brand. The Nova name, one of the oldest in the range, was not used again for a production Chevrolet in North America.
Design and features
- X platform pioneer: the Chevy II was the first car on GM’s compact X architecture.
- Shared with four divisions: the third-generation car was sold as a Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile too.
- SS versions: the sporty Novas of the 1960s and 1970s.
- NUMMI revival: the 1985–1988 Nova was built with Toyota and based on the Sprinter.
Chevrolet Nova versions
- Chevy II (1962–1968): the original compact, later with V8 options.
- Nova (1969–1979): the car under its better-known name.
- Buick Apollo, Pontiac Ventura, Oldsmobile Omega: the third-generation twins.
- NUMMI Nova (1985–1988): the Toyota-based subcompact.
The Nova sat between the Chevrolet Corvair and the Chevrolet Chevelle, and was later replaced by the Chevrolet Citation. More cars are in the Chevrolet collection.
Sources
- Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova, English Wikipedia: generations, platforms, twins, NUMMI revival
