Chevrolet’s 1966 redesign gave the compact Chevy II squarer, more aggressive styling inspired by the Super Nova concept car, and buyers could order that new shape, wagon body included, with a close-ratio four-speed and the range’s top V8 option. Here’s how a family wagon ended up sharing an order form with one of GM’s most serious small-blocks.
There is the plain jane Chevy II 100 with a thrifty in-line four cylinder engine offering basic transportation at a very low price. The optional engines begin with a choice of two inline sixes or the 283 cu in (4.64 L) as the entry level V8, which offers 220 hp (160 kW) of power. Next on the list is the 327 cu in. (5.36 L) V8 developing 275 hp (205 kW) or the top choice in ’66 is the Turbo-Fire 327 cu in (5.36 L) offering you 350 hp (260 kW). The new engine combined with the close-ration four speed manual shifter, puts the Nova into a new class. and it performs like a true high performance muscle car.
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Chevrolet handed its compact lineup a complete visual overhaul for 1966, and somewhere in that redesigned range sat one of the era’s more overlooked configurations: a wagon body that could be ordered with the same range-topping V8 as the sportiest hardtop. This particular Nova wagon rides on an engine ladder that most shoppers never expected to see on a wagon order form. Chevrolet built well over 100,000 Chevy IIs that year across every body style combined. So how did a station wagon end up sharing a brochure with one of GM’s most serious small-block engine options?
A Sharper Shape, Borrowed From a Concept Car
The 1966 redesign pulled its cues directly from the Super Nova concept, trading the outgoing car’s rounded lines for squared-off proportions, a bolder grille, single headlights, vertical taillights, and humped front and rear fenders that gave the whole lineup a noticeably more aggressive stance. The station wagon variant sat at the top of the wagon lineup, distinguished by extra brightwork and an all-vinyl interior that positioned it as the upscale choice among Chevy II haulers that year.
A Transmission Lineup Built Around the V8 Options
A three-speed manual came standard across the range, but Chevrolet added a four-speed manual specifically for V8-equipped cars, and a two-speed Powerglide automatic could be paired with any engine in the lineup, six-cylinder or V8 alike. Pairing the top engine option with the close-ratio four-speed, as this wagon does, was a genuine performance-minded configuration rarely associated with a family hauler.
Part of a Very Busy Model Year
This wagon was just one configuration among many; Chevrolet moved 120,900 Chevy II Series cars across sedans, hardtops, convertibles, and wagons in 1966 alone, making the compact line a genuine sales contributor for the brand even as full-size cars and the newly launched Camaro grabbed most of the era’s attention.
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