1972 Chevy Nova SS couldn’t make this owner happier

By 1972, Chevrolet’s Nova SS had lost its factory big-block option, leaving buyers with a single 200-horsepower 350 small block backed by a strong handling and appearance package. Production actually climbed that year to 12,309 units, nearly double the year before. The car in this feature belongs to an owner whose enthusiasm for his Nova rivals anything you will find on the collector car show circuit.

It’s common for owners of collector cars to be enthusiastic about their rides, but I don’t remember a person happier with his car than Chuck Wilmot.

Chuck owns a 1972 Chevy Nova SS, a mid-size during the day but a ride that rental companies today would call full size.

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By 1972, Chevrolet had already taken away the engine option that once made the Nova SS a genuine threat at the drag strip – and buyers kept ordering the package anyway. One of them is the proud owner pictured here, a man who might be more enthusiastic about his car than any collector-car owner you will meet. So what is left to love about a Nova SS once the big-block option disappears from the order sheet? The answer says as much about how Chevrolet packaged the small-block version as it does about the car’s lasting appeal today.

The Last of the Desirable Novas

The factory big-block had already vanished from the Nova lineup after 1971. For 1972, the SS package came with just one engine choice: the L48 350 cubic inch small block with a single four-barrel carburetor, rated at 200 horsepower, paired with either a three-speed automatic or a four-speed manual. Despite losing the big-block option, Chevrolet actually built more Super Sports in 1972 – 12,309 of them – than the 7,015 built the year before.

What the SS Package Actually Bought You

The SS added power disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension, dual exhaust, dummy hood air intakes, a blacked-out grille and rear panel, fake fender louvers, 14-inch wheels, SS emblems, and a special steering wheel. Base pricing started at $2,375 for the two-door coupe, riding on a 111-inch wheelbase and stretching 190 inches long. It was a modest price even for the era, and one that clearly still found plenty of takers.

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