This unassuming Chevy Nova hides a twin-turbocharged 406 cubic-inch small-block making over 800 horsepower, enough to run the quarter-mile in the 9-second range. On the street, it has reportedly beaten heavily modified GT-Rs and gone toe-to-toe with supercharged Corvettes. But big turbo power on a decades-old chassis is a high-wire act, where one hard pass can turn triumph into a very expensive failure.
This badass twin turbo Nova with a 406 cubic inch motor is what dreams are made of! Making over 800 horsepower, this Chevrolet Nova hit the streets to line up against some late model cars including a Nissan GT-R and a supercharged Camaro. Sometimes these engines get a little to warm or make a little too much boost and things can go really bad, really fast. Check out what happens in this video when this Nova decides to let go!
A stock-looking Nova rolling up to a stoplight does not usually make anyone nervous, until the driver cracks the throttle and a pair of turbochargers spool up loud enough to rattle nearby windows. Underneath that unassuming sheet metal sits a 406 cubic-inch small-block wearing two turbos instead of a single supercharger, a combination that pushes output well past 800 horsepower. Street racers who have lined up against it have learned the hard way that appearances mean nothing once the boost hits. One run down a public highway against a heavily modified Nissan GT-R ended before the Nova even got out of second gear, for the GT-R, that is. But turbocharged builds live on a knife’s edge, and the same power that wins races can just as easily end a pass in a cloud of smoke.
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406 Cubic Inches, Two Turbos, No Mercy
This Nova runs a 406 cubic-inch small-block Chevy fed by a pair of 76mm turbochargers, a combination reported to make over 800 horsepower at the wheels. On a properly prepped strip, similarly built twin-turbo Novas have run the quarter-mile in the low 9-second range at speeds approaching 155 mph, numbers that put this decades-old body style in the same performance neighborhood as modern supercars.
Beating a GT-R on the Street
In a highway roll race, the Nova reportedly ran down a heavily modified Nissan GT-R, a car most drivers would never expect a 1960s Chevy to see the tail end of. It also lined up against a supercharged, C6-generation Corvette, though that particular race went less cleanly after the Nova experienced a mid-run power drop, a reminder that big turbo setups do not always behave the same way twice.
The Risk Behind Big Boost
Pushing 800-plus horsepower through a drivetrain designed in the 1960s asks a lot of every component between the engine and the pavement, from head gaskets to axles. Detonation, boost spikes, and drivetrain failure are constant risks at this power level, which is exactly why builds like this one earn nicknames built around exploding, even when, on a good day, they are simply devastatingly fast.
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