Super Rare 1970 Chevy Nova Yenko Deuce Hits the Drag Strip, Runs Fast

Produced alongside the second-gen Chevelle in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the third-gen Nova was fitted with V8 engines as big as 6.6 liters. But Chevy did not offer them with the big 7.0- and 7.2-liter big-blocks, mostly because they wouldn't fit without significant modifications.

But Don Yenko of Yenko Chevrolet in Pennsylvania, famous for the Yenko Camaros, made sure that the Nova got the oomph it deserved. He rebuilt around 37 of them with the big 7.0-liter V8 and called them Supernovas. The car you're about to see race here isn't one of them. It's still a Yenko creation, but it features the 5.7-liter small-block block.

Rated at 360 horsepower and 380 pound-feet (514 Nm) of torque, the Yenko Deuce wasn't as powerful as the 400+ horsepower Supernova, but it was notably lighter. Fitted with an aluminum "hi-rise" intake manifold, a solid lifter cam, and a Holley carburetor, it was suited for drag racing.

And the Deuce is actually rarer than the Supernova, with only 15 ever built. This example might be the only one you see for a very long time, and in this drag racing video, it goes against a Pontiac Firebird from 1974.

The second-gen coupe featured a massive 7.5-liter V8 under the hood, but because it was built after emission regulations sucked the power out of muscle cars, it cranks out only 290 horses and 395 pound-feet (535 Nm) of twist.

The quarter-mile race is a close one. The Firebird gets a better start, but the Yenko Nova catches up and manages to win narrowly. It crosses the line in 12.02 seconds, only a hair ahead of the Firebird, which clocks a 12.15-second run.

The video ends with the Nova going against a more powerful, 390-horsepower Plymouth Roadrunner from 1969. It's a photo finish, with the Roadrunner taking the win thanks to a better reaction time, but the Nova was actually 0.01 seconds faster.