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 roughly 172,000 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.
A Concept Car’s Ideas Made Production Reality
The 1966 Chevy II’s crisper, more squared-off sheet metal borrowed heavily from a General Motors show car, giving Chevrolet’s compact a more modern look almost overnight compared to the rounder first-generation body it replaced. It was a common GM strategy of the era, letting show-car styling cues trickle down into affordable production cars within just a year or two.
A Short-Lived Generation With a Long Shadow
This second-generation Chevy II ran for only two model years, 1966 and 1967, before an all-new body arrived for 1968, making it one of the shorter production runs in the nameplate’s history. Despite that brief window, it introduced styling and engineering changes that carried forward into the longer-running third generation that followed.
The SS Badge Found Its Way to the Compact Class
Chevrolet offered a Nova SS trim on this generation, bringing bucket seats, upgraded trim, and V8 availability to a car line that had started out strictly as basic transportation. It was part of a broader mid-1960s trend of automakers dressing up their economy models once buyers showed they would pay extra for a sportier compact.
Competing Against Falcon and Valiant
In the compact class, the Chevy II squared off against Ford’s Falcon and Chrysler’s Valiant and Barracuda, all of which offered similarly practical body styles including wagons aimed at value-minded families. Chevrolet’s V8 option in this class gave it an edge with buyers who wanted more performance than the segment typically delivered.
Why Wagons Are the Rare Ones Now
Compact wagons from this era were bought overwhelmingly as practical family and work vehicles rather than as cars anyone expected to preserve, and most were driven hard and eventually scrapped once the family moved on to something newer. That everyday-use history is exactly why a surviving example in good condition is scarcer today than the coupes and sedans built alongside it.
A Busy Year Across Chevrolet’s Whole Lineup
1966 found Chevrolet juggling a redesigned mid-size Chevelle, a full-size lineup update, and preparations for the Camaro that would arrive the following year, all while keeping the compact Chevy II in the mix. That breadth of simultaneous development is part of why this particular Chevy II generation sometimes gets overlooked next to its flashier siblings from the same period.
A Six-Cylinder Standard, a V8 Upgrade
Like most compacts of its era, the Chevy II shipped with an inline-six as the standard engine, with a small-block V8 available as the step-up choice for buyers who wanted more than basic transportation. That range gave the wagon body style real flexibility, letting it serve equally well as an economical family hauler or a slightly quicker version for buyers who wanted a bit more punch.
Why a Family Might Choose Compact Over Mid-Size
Chevrolet also sold a wagon version of the larger Chevelle during this same period, which meant compact-wagon buyers were making a deliberate choice for a smaller, more maneuverable, and typically less expensive vehicle rather than settling for one. That distinction mattered to budget-conscious families cross-shopping the two Chevrolet wagon options side by side.
Everyday Duty That Left Few Survivors
Wagons of this era were bought overwhelmingly for grocery runs, school pickups, and hauling duty rather than weekend driving, and that hard everyday use took a visible toll over the following decades. Most were driven until they were no longer economical to repair, which is exactly why finding one in solid, unmolested condition today takes real effort.
A Growing Appetite for Vintage Wagons
Collector interest in vintage American wagons has grown noticeably in recent years, with buyers drawn to their practicality and the fact that far fewer of them survived compared to coupes and sedans from the same model year. A clean example like this one benefits directly from that rising appreciation for a body style once considered purely utilitarian.
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