1967 Chevy Nova Facts: History, Specs, and Performance

The 1967 Chevy Nova sits at a peculiar intersection in automotive history. It’s the last gasp of the second-generation X-body platform, a swan song for a design that had been around since 1962. What makes this year special isn’t just its position as a finale, but how Chevrolet packed it with everything from safety mandates to high-performance options that would define muscle car culture for years to come.

The End of an Era

When Chevrolet rolled out the 1967 Nova, they knew it was curtain call for the second-generation design. The X-body platform had served them well, but times were changing. This wasn’t just another model year refresh. It was the culmination of five years of refinement, the point where everything they’d learned about building compact cars came together in one final iteration before the third generation took over in 1968.

Production numbers tell part of the story. Chevrolet built 106,430 total units that year, a mix of sedans, coupes, and wagons. Among those, 10,069 wore SuperSport badges. The station wagon crowd got 12,900 units to choose from. But if you wanted a convertible? You were out of luck. The factory produced exactly zero drop-tops in 1967, cutting off what had been available in earlier years without much fanfare or explanation.

Dimensions That Worked

The Nova measured out at 110 inches between the wheels, a wheelbase that gave it enough stability without turning it into a boat. Two-door coupes and four-door sedans stretched to 183 inches from bumper to bumper. Station wagons needed more room for cargo, so they ran longer at 187.4 inches. Width stayed constant across all models at roughly 71.3 inches, narrow enough to slip into tight city parking spots but wide enough to feel substantial.

Height varied depending on what body style you picked. Sedans and wagons stood at 55 to 55.3 inches tall, practical and upright. Coupes crouched lower at 52.8 to 53.8 inches, giving them that aggressive stance people wanted in a performance car. The difference might seem minor on paper, but park a coupe next to a sedan and the visual gap becomes obvious.

Every Nova rolled out on 6.95 x 14 black wall tubeless tires, standard equipment that kept costs down while providing adequate grip for street driving. Nothing fancy, nothing exotic, just functional rubber that got the job done.

The Price of Entry

Walking into a Chevrolet dealer in 1967, you could drive away in a Nova for somewhere between $2,300 and $2,600. The station wagon topped the range at $2,600, while base coupes and sedans came in cheaper. This wasn’t Corvette money or even Chevelle SS territory. The Nova was positioned as an affordable compact, something you could justify to a spouse or fit into a modest budget while still getting decent performance if you checked the right boxes on the option sheet.

Four Cylinders for the Frugal

The absolute base engine was the Super-Thrift 153 cubic-inch four-cylinder. It produced 90 horsepower at 4,000 RPM and 152 lb-ft of torque, enough to move the Nova around town without embarrassing yourself at stoplights. The specs read like an exercise in economy: 3.875 x 3.250 inch bore and stroke, 8.5:1 compression ratio, five main bearings, and a Carter one-barrel carburetor. Nobody bought a Nova with this engine expecting to win drag races. You bought it because gas was cheap but not free, and 90 horses were enough to commute, run errands, and maybe take the family on vacation without burning through your paycheck.

Inline-Six Options

Step up from the four-cylinder and you got into inline-six territory. The Hi-Thrift 194 cubic-inch six made 120 horsepower, a noticeable improvement that made highway merging less of an adventure. Bore and stroke measured 3.562 x 3.250 inches, with eight main bearings and a Rochester one-barrel carburetor feeding it. Torque came in at 177 lb-ft, giving you some pulling power without requiring premium fuel or extensive maintenance.

The bigger six-cylinder option was the Turbo-Thrift 250, punching out 155 horsepower. This was the sweet spot for people who wanted decent performance without crossing into V8 territory. It ran smooth, lasted forever if you changed the oil, and gave you enough power to pass slow traffic on two-lane roads. The 250 became popular with families who needed practical transportation but didn’t want to feel like they were driving a penalty box.

V8 Power Arrives

The 1967 model year brought the Turbo-Fire 283 cubic-inch V8 to the Nova lineup. It came in two flavors: 195 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor or 220 horsepower with a four-barrel setup. The engine featured a 3.875 x 3.00 inch bore and stroke, 9.25:1 compression ratio, hydraulic valve lifters, and produced 285 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 RPM. This was the entry point into serious performance, where the Nova stopped being just another compact and started becoming something you could actually have fun with on weekends.

The 283 had been around for a while by 1967. Chevrolet knew how to build them cheap, knew they were reliable, and knew they fit perfectly in the Nova’s engine bay without requiring extensive modifications. Parts were everywhere. Any mechanic worth his toolbox could work on one. It was the perfect small-block option for buyers who wanted V8 torque without breaking the bank or dealing with exotic maintenance schedules.

The 327 Takes It Further

For buyers who wanted more, Chevrolet offered the Turbo-Fire 327 cubic-inch V8 producing 275 horsepower. This cost an extra $93 on top of the base price, money that bought you significantly more performance. The 327 featured a 3.875 x 3.25 inch bore and stroke, putting out 275 horsepower at 4,800 RPM and 355 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 RPM. These weren’t just numbers on a spec sheet. They translated to genuine tire-smoking acceleration, the kind that made stoplight encounters with larger cars more interesting than they had any right to be.

The 327 turned the Nova into something different. It wasn’t trying to be a Corvette or a Chevelle, but it didn’t have to. Lighter weight meant the power-to-weight ratio worked in your favor. The chassis could handle it without significant upgrades. And the compact dimensions made it feel quicker than the numbers suggested, darting through traffic and responding to throttle inputs in ways that surprised people used to driving bigger muscle cars.

The Mysterious L79

Here’s where things get interesting. The L79 Turbo-Fire 327 producing 325 horsepower wasn’t officially listed as a factory option for the 1967 Nova. Chevrolet was saving it for the new Camaro, positioning that car as their performance flagship. But rumors persist that a handful of L79 engines found their way into 1967 Novas anyway, whether through special orders, dealer modifications, or factory irregularities nobody documented properly.

These alleged L79 Novas have become the stuff of legend in muscle car circles. Nobody knows exactly how many exist or if they were legitimate factory builds. Documentation is scarce to nonexistent. But occasionally one surfaces at a car show or auction, prompting heated debates about authenticity and originality. The mystery adds to the 1967 Nova’s appeal, the possibility that somewhere out there are factory hot rods that weren’t supposed to exist.

Transmission Choices

Three transmissions were available: 3-speed manual, 4-speed manual, and 2-speed Powerglide automatic. The three-speed manual was basic transportation, geared for economy and simplicity. The four-speed was where you went for performance, letting you keep the engine in its power band and maximize acceleration. The Powerglide automatic was for people who didn’t want to shift their own gears but still wanted decent performance. It wasn’t as quick as the manual transmissions, but it was reliable, smooth, and required minimal maintenance.

Nova Super Sport coupes got a console-mounted shifter with either the Powerglide or four-speed manual transmission. This was a departure from the column-mounted shifters found in other models, giving the interior a more sporting feel. The console shifter put everything within easy reach, made gear selection more deliberate and engaging, and looked better than a column shifter ever could. Small detail, but it mattered to buyers who cared about such things.

Government Safety Mandates

The 1967 model year brought significant safety improvements, many of them government-mandated rather than voluntary. The energy-absorbing steering column and safety steering wheel were designed to prevent driver impalement in frontal crashes, a common and horrific injury in older cars. The steering column now collapsed on impact instead of spearing the driver through the chest. The steering wheel had padding and a energy-absorbing hub that reduced facial injuries.

Interior components got softer too. Armrests, sun visors, and dash pads were redesigned with energy-absorbing materials that reduced injury in collisions. Instrument panel knobs were recessed to prevent them from becoming impact points that could break bones or cause lacerations. Front shoulder seatbelt anchors became standard equipment, finally giving passengers proper upper body restraint instead of just lap belts.

These changes added cost and complexity, things manufacturers generally resisted. But the government was getting serious about automotive safety, and 1967 marked a turning point where safety equipment became mandatory rather than optional. The Nova ended up being one of the first compact cars to incorporate all these new requirements in a single model year.

Station Wagon Practicality

The Nova station wagon could seat six passengers and weighed 2,700 pounds, making it a practical family hauler that could also accommodate camping gear, luggage, or whatever else needed transporting. The longer 187.4-inch length translated directly to more cargo space behind the rear seat, enough room for groceries, suitcases, or sporting equipment without having to fold seats down or strap things to the roof.

Wagons weren’t glamorous. They didn’t get featured in muscle car magazines or win drag races. But they sold consistently because they solved real problems for real families. You could haul kids to school, take the dog to the vet, help a friend move furniture, and still have a vehicle that didn’t drive like a truck. The Nova wagon hit that sweet spot between utility and drivability, offering enough space to be useful without feeling like you were piloting a barge through traffic.

SuperSport Production

Out of the total 106,430 Novas built in 1967, only 10,069 wore SuperSport badges. The SS package added performance touches like special trim, upgraded suspension components, and distinctive styling cues that set them apart from base models. These weren’t just appearance packages either. The SS typically came with better engines, stiffer springs, and upgraded brakes that made them genuinely quicker and better handling than standard Novas.

The relatively low production numbers make 1967 Nova SS models more collectible today. They weren’t rare enough to be unobtainable, but they weren’t common either. Finding one in decent condition requires patience and usually means paying a premium over base model prices. The SS package represented what the Nova could be when Chevrolet stopped holding back, a legitimate performance car that could run with larger muscle cars while costing less and weighing hundreds of pounds less.