The Car That Shouldn't Exist - 1970 Nova SS L89 1 of 1

From '66 to '70 all my friends either got drafted or enlisted. The ones that made it back wanted a new car. This Nova reminds me of my buddy who mustered out of the Navy in late '68 then hired in at Chevy engineering in Warren Michigan. First thing he went to the exec turn-in lot that had mules, one-offs for Milford testing, show cars, etc. He bought a '68 Nova SS 2-door that had a 350-350 hp Vette drivetrain, was Nassau blue with a finish that looked 3 feet deep & had only 200 miles. He found out it was a show car & paid $2,300. for it. He owned it for about 10 years. The big three back then had a lot of one-off special exec orders that weren't documented or a ready drag car, like a couple of all black '69 427 SOHC Mustangs I saw at the Ford Rouge when I was a Tool & Die apprentice at Dearborn Assembly in late '68. The build sheets said they were 6-cylinder plain jane notchbacks. Great times & memories.

LMC going the extra mile for a customer! GL with your search!

THANK YOU PETER KLUTT…so tired of rarity claims based on presence of a tissue dispenser (or color combo). It’s the body/drive train combo that matters!

That combo did exist in 1970. Special ordered mine in 1970 with aluminum heads, M22 rock crusher transmission and 410 rear end. Dark Blue with Black buckets

Back in the COPO area, you could order what ever suit your fancy.

In college, I drove an '85 Volkswagen Scirocco 5 speed Turbo. Yes, Volkswagen produced 52 turbocharged cars in 1984 and 1985, the majority of them Sciroccos. I bought one. This was a turbo system engineered by Jackman Racing, and it WAS covered under the original Volkswagen warranty. It used an IHI RHB5 non-intercooled turbo at 6 psi to take the engine from 90 hp to about 130 hp, and since the turbo was very small, lag was minimal and the car accelerated like a bottle rocket. The only problem: The dealer installed kit did NOT have any sort of flex pipe, so I and others that had these cars had no end of problems keeping the exhaust pipe from cracking. At the time, flex pipes were not easily available so I just had the pipe welded and replaced rubber hangers yearly. The kit was designed so VW could go racing, but rules changed and it wound up costing VWOA a ton of money~ But...These 52 cars were the first true 1.8t's. And collectable now.

I bought a new Nova SS 396/375 HP on a factory order. I turned down the aluminum head option as it was an extra $400 some dollars and I was concerned about warped heads. The car was silver, black vinyl roof, black interior, Turbo 400, etc. Very fast street car and good looking. List was $3365 and got it for $2865 plus tax and title for cash. I found out a few years ago that that year they were actually 402 cubic inch. The one car I wish I had kept along with a 1963 BSA Gold Star I wish I had kept too.

Been a fan for years! I was 16 in '70 Detroit with a good looking older sister. Alot of older guys treated me real good. One had a '70 SS 396 L-78 he paid $3k for New. On the pretense of me cleaning the Nova I would drop him at work and pick him up afterwards. It was Dyno Tuned and did you know a TH400 Shifts itself at 7,200 RPM? With a 3:55 and E-78 15's I Drove away from an LS-6's Smoke 😇

I loved this show and was so into these cars and remember these episodes.

Had a friend in high school. He owned a 1968 Chevy II . 325 hp, 327, 4 spd, 355 pos. That car was quick.

Holy crap ...... was I watching you on TV 20 years ago??

Maybe an early 70. Built in 69 and GM had an L89 left over from 69? Very cool!

You guys are and have always been a cut above others in this game…IMHO 👉🏼👈🏼 Godspeed from the States🇺🇸

What a fantastic factory black example of Nova SS! Guys thanks for giving a second birth to the most beautiful and rare cars in the world!

My uncle has owned a '70 Nova SS L78 4 speed since 1971. As he has cancer, he might actually sell it now, growing old sucks..

Beautiful car! Wish they still made them today. Cars today no class like the old cars. Today people only want pickups and SUVs. Today young adults are missing out on cool cars. Even a 76' Olds Cutlass Supreme was cool, just swap out smog motor and you have a good cars. I once had a 73' Grand Am 400 4 bbl two door went pretty good.

My Brother had a 1969 NicKy Nova SS in 1984 and I had a Dodge Dart GT 340 he would beat me 8 times out of 10. That car was a runner. Thank you for the video

My friend bought one new in 1970 with a Turbo Hydromantic. L78. Was a sweet car. He eventually swapped out the 396/375 to his TOW car, a 69 Chevelle. He put a 427 in the Nova.

Found a Nova being parted out. It was a 70 SS with a 350. It was complete. He had put on an aluminum intake and couldn't get it started. I bought it for $700, restabbed the distributor, and drove it home! The car ran and drove great! It also had a 3:08 12 bolt posi. rear end! Mind you this was in about 1988. In those days it was just a car, and not overly valuable!

When the paperwork says it doesn't exist... I figure you have an uphill battle. Even if it has a pink ashtray. This guy has always given me "used car guy" vibes. I've watched him on several car shows going back to about.... 15 years!