Being forgotten in a barn might sound like the saddest thing that can happen to a classic car, but things can get far worse. For instance, the barn could catch fire and turn an already dusty and rusty vehicle into a toasty wreck. This is exactly what happened to a 1973 Chevrolet Nova that's been sitting for 30 years. But luckily enough, someone decided to save it.
This 1973 Nova started life as an entry-level model with a plain appearance, but it was upgraded with side-exiting exhaust pipes and Keystone wheels. It also got a louvered hood, the kind that Chevy usually offered with the second-gen SS model. Sadly, the car was parked in a barn sometime in the early 1990s and it spent the last three decades off the road.
To make matters worse, the building caught fire recently and the flames quickly extended to the car, burning the entire passenger side and most of the top. The owner listed the barn for sale and the folks over at Junkyard Digs discovered the Nova by mistake in one of the photos. They decided to save it and went to inspect it and take it back to the shop.
Burnt vehicles are rarely salvageable, but this 1973 Nova is in surprisingly good shape. Yes, the body panels on the passenger side need to be replaced, but that's also because they were rusty before the car caught fire. The interior didn't burn, but the upholstery is dirty and worn out. Still usable though.
The engine bay comes as a big surprise with both good and bad news. The good news is that the fire didn't cause significant damage under the hood. The bad news is that even though the Nova looks like a badass muscle car, it's actually powered by an inline-six engine.
While this is a fourth-gen car that arrived right after the golden muscle car era ended, it's still a bit surprising. Mostly because Chevrolet offered no fewer than five V8 engine options on this model versus only three inline-six units.
On the flipside, Chevy offered V8s as big as 402-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) big-blocks, so there's plenty of room in there for a swap. The inline-six actually looks tiny in that engine bay.
But before any swapping can be done, this thing needs to be fired up and driven back to the shop. Not surprisingly, the engine doesn't run. But it turns and it looks like it may start with a new battery and a bit of cleaning.
It takes a good deal of time to get the six-cylinder back in shape, but it eventually fires up and delivers just enough grunt to get the Nova moving. The car is being driven back to the shop with fire debris and ashes flying off the front hood in what seems like a barn find victory lap.
There's no word yet on whether this car will be restored or dismantled for parts, but seeing it leave the place that almost consumed it is good enough for me.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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