Vehicle Description
1963 CHEVROLET NOVA SUPER SPORT C-946 This First Generation 1963
Chevrolet Nova is a true Super Sport hardtop, powered by the 250ci
TurboThrift engine producing 155hp, mated to an automatic
transmission. Exterior is finished in blue with white top and
complimenting bucket seat interior with floor mounted shifter. All
original hub caps, logos, emblems, chrome trims, moldings, bumpers,
lighting, and glass are in excellent condition. This is a
fun-filled driving 1963 Nova Super Sport. History Origin Chevrolet
designer Clare MacKichan recalled about creating the Chevy II:
"There was no time for experimentation or doodling around with new
ideas from either the engineers or from us in design; And it had to
be a basic-type car." The 1962 Chevy II rode a 110 in wheelbase,
compared to 109.5 in for the Ford Falcon, at which Chevy's new
compact was aimed. "I think that was the quickest program we ever
did at any time," he continued. "We worked night and day on that
car, and it didn't take very long to run it through our shop
because we had a deadline." And that is what made the Chevy II one
of the fastest new-car development programs in GM history - just 18
months after the designers got the green light, the first
production Chevy II rolled off the Willow Run, Michigan, assembly
line in August 1961, in time for its September 29 introduction.
Unlike the Corvair, the 1962 Chevy II design team deliberately
avoided any revolutionary features in concept or execution; their
mission was to give Chevrolet buyers a simple, back-to-the-basics
compact car. When he announced the Chevy II to the press, Chevrolet
General Manager Ed Cole described the car as offering "maximum
functionalism with thrift." When the Chevy II was introduced, it
was the second post-WWII American made car from the "Big 3", after
the Pontiac Tempest (and the first Chevrolet since the 1928
Chevrolet National), to use a four-cylinder engine. There was a lot
of debate within the Chevrolet organization over just what to call
this new car, and the decision to go with "Chevy II" was a very
late one. Among the finalists was Nova. It lost out because it
didn't start with a "C," but was selected as the name for the
top-of-the-line series. Ultimately the Nova badge would replace
Chevy II, but that wouldn't happen until 1969. In almost every way,
the creators of the Chevy II used Falcon as a benchmark. The 1962
model range included sedans and wagons, as well as a two-door
hardtop and a convertible. The only body styles it didn't offer
which the Falcon did were a 2-door wagon/sedan delivery and coupe
utility (the Ford Falcon Ranchero), most likely to avoid competing
with Chevrolet's own El Camino. After the rear-engine Chevrolet
Corvair was outsold by the conventional Ford Falcon in 1960,
Chevrolet completed work on a more conventional compact car that
would eventually become the Chevy II. The car was of semi-unibody
construction having a bolt on front section joined to its unitized
cabin and trunk rear section, available in two- and four-door sedan
configurations as well as convertible and 4-door station wagon
versions. The 1962 Chevy II came in three series and five body
styles-the 100 Series, 300 Series and Nova 400 Series. A 200 series
was also introduced, but was discontinued almost immediately. The
sportiest-looking of the lot was the US$2,475 ($22,172 in 2021
dollars ) Nova 400 convertible-23,741 were produced that year.
Chevrolet's inline-four engine of 153 cu in (2.5 L) and a new 194
cu in (3.2 L) Hi-Thrift straight-six engine. All Chevy II engines
featured overhead valves. A V8 engine was not available in 1962 and
1963. With no documentation proving it, the legend of a dealer
installed V8 engine being in a 1962 or 1963 model year Chevy II is
a myth. Refer to the GM Heritage Center 1963 Chevrolet Nova
information available on the GM Heritage site. In addition, that
documentation does not list a V8 engine as a possible dealer
installed option. In 1962 and 1963 t
