Tuned 1972 Chevy Nova Is the Stuff of Nightmares, But in a Good Way, and With Killer HP

You’ll also want to look for a Super Sport (SS) model, which became a performance package in 1968 after serving time only as a trim option. Other appealing specs include the Rally Nova or the Yenko Nova, but really, the best thing you can do with these so-called “compact muscle cars” is to either get a nice restomod, or get a project car and build it up yourself.

Anyway, we’re here to talk about a specific 1972 Nova, one that looks as though it means serious business, which in turn sort of takes us back to Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse movie Death Proof. A short recap of the flick would read a little something like this: Stuntman Mike and his “death-proof” 1970 Chevrolet Nova were responsible for the gruesome murder of various young women via staged car accidents. Good guys win in the end.

You’ll probably remember this famous/chilling line though: “This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you REALLY need to be sitting in my seat.”

Granted, this 1972 Nova is much cleaner than Stuntman Mike’s, therefore much nicer. It’s probably not as “death proof”, but what it has going on underneath the hood is pretty serious. More on that later.

Let’s talk looks first, starting with the purple paint, as the body was said to be repainted under prior ownership. Other nice details include the SS-style hood, grille and tail panel, plus the chrome bumpers, dual mirrors, hood pins, and those Chrome Cragar 15” wheels with 165/60 Federal Super Steel tires at the front and 275/60 BFGoodrich Radial T/A white-letter rubber at the rear.

The car also comes with power-assisted steering, rear traction bars, and power-assisted front discs.

Inside, it’s just as nice, with black vinyl front bucket seats, a similarly upholstered rear bench, color-coordinated dashboard, headliner and door panels, a floor-mounted Hurst shifter, an aftermarket center console with dual cupholders (drink spill proof?), custom switch and fuse panel, leather-wrapped steering wheel and a Kenwood CD stereo with aftermarket speakers.

Now for the fun part, the engine. It’s a 383 ci stroker V8 that’s been fitted with aluminum cylinder heads, an Edelbrock intake manifold, Holley 750-cfm carburetor, Hooker Competition headers, hydraulic roller camshaft, and an MSD 6AL electronic ignition controller.

Power is then sent to the rear wheels via a TH350 three-speed automatic gearbox, working alongside a 10-bolt rear axle. How much power, exactly? Well, we don’t know, but a safe bet would be something north of 400 horsepower, maybe 420 or 450, something like that. Either way, it’s no slowpoke.

How about some perspective?

We showed you another stunning 1972 Chevy Nova just last week, if you recall. It was this dual-tone black and gray model, with a custom interior and a replacement 427 ci V8 engine, mated to a custom six-speed manual gearbox.

Truth be told, that other Nova would probably be more engaging to drive than this 383 ci-powered one, but the latter kind of looks more rugged, which is sort of the point with these types of cars. Everyone likes a super clean classic... to look at, but when it comes to driving, you want the butch one, don’t you?