For the 1966 model year, the Chevy Nova received an extensive restyling and the L79 small-block V8 with 5.4 liters on deck and a 585-cfm carburetor for good measure. Forged internals, a high-lift camshaft, aluminum intake manifold, high-flow cylinders, and an 11:1 compression ratio also need to be highlighted, along with 350 horsepower and 360 pound-feet (490 Nm) of torque.
Better still, this configuration was offered with a four-speed manual transmission and 3.31 rear gears. The two-door sedan in the featured video is rocking a 4.11 axle, translating to faster acceleration because the engine doesn’t have to work as hard to spin the dire. The drawback to steep gears is that top speed is sacrificed in the name of quarter-mile bragging rights.
On the other lane of the drag strip, a Pontiac GTO is much obliged to accept the Nova’s challenge. Excuse me for referring to a 1966 Chevy II as the Nova, but the original nameplate is so clinical that even GM dropped it for the 1968 model year when the L34 and L78 big-block V8s were launched.
Turning our attention back to the super-clean Ponty, that’s a 1967 model year with the H.O. version of the 400 mill. In other words, an extra $76 over the base 335-horsepower engine bought 360 horsepower. The hotter camshaft and 10.75:1 compression ratio are joined by a four-speed manual tranny, 3.90 rear gears, and quite a bit of torque. More specifically, this fellow cranks out 438 pound-feet (594 Nm) at 3,600 revolutions per minute.
Including the driver, the mid-sized muscle car tips the scales at 3,720 pounds (1,687 kilograms) compared to 3,062 pounds (1,389 kilograms) for the compact-sized Nova in these particular configurations. But still, can the additional torque make the difference over the quarter mile? You’ll have to press the play button to find out because it’s a pretty close showdown.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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