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Chevrolet’s L78 396 turned an ordinary 1969 Nova into a 375-horsepower street car that ran 13.87 at 105 mph, for roughly over the price of the small-block. Only about 5,200 buyers ever ordered it, and a resurfaced Dream Car Garage segment shows exactly why the survivors are guarded so fiercely today.
Hagerty’s Driveway Finds crew already built an awesome muscle car out of a 1972 Nova found rotting in the dirt — on a $5,000 budget. Then they doubled it, dropped in an LS engine, and drove straight to LS Fest to see how hard a sleeper barn find can really launch. Watch to see whether a second $5,000 budget was enough to hang with cars that cost ten times as much.
Autotopia LA profiles Donnie and his 1969 Chevy Nova SS, a Butternut-and-pearl-white build hiding a 502 big block making roughly 700 horsepower behind a deliberately misleading ‘350’ fender badge. Built by Hood Muscle Cars, the Nova became a fan favorite for Donnie’s infectious on-camera energy as much as its raw power. Comments have since taken on a more emotional tone, with viewers sharing that Donnie has passed away and paying tribute to him and the wider Hood Muscle Car community. It’s a build video that has become something closer to a lasting tribute.
The 1968-1974 Chevrolet Nova rode a 111-inch wheelbase with room for a genuine 396 big-block — and, at the right dealership, a 427, turning an economy car into one of the muscle car era’s best-hidden street fighters. One owner even drove his 396 Nova 3,100 miles from California to Florida in 38 hours. Once dismissed as a cheap compact, the Nova has become one of the most underrated classics you can buy.