Imagine graduating high school and your dad says you can have any car you want. Today it seems you have to be rather rich but, back in the 1960s, it seems it was more attainable. In the case of Roger Burleson, the West Virginia teen went to his local Chevrolet dealership and ordered up a 1966 Nova SS with the L79 327.
The L79 327 was the very same motor that sat at the top of the Corvette’s small-block roster. Putting out 350 horsepower, it made the compact Chevy II (and its upscale Nova and Super Sport siblings) a rocket that could give other cars fits—just slap on some good tires and you’d give Hemis a run for their money. In fact, Grumpy Jenkins did that very thing in sanctioned NHRA racing.
Roger has been the one and only owner of this Nova SS. It is equipped with a four-speed manual, 3.73 gears, and has 52,000 miles. Most of the paint is original, and tons of paperwork backs everything up. Chevrolet built over 5,000 L79 Chevy IIs in 1966 (pay no attention to Mecum’s “1 of 200” claims), with the bulk likely being Super Sports, so this isn’t the rarest muscle car out there but its owner history and black trim combo should help this car achieve maximum value at the Mecum’s Spring Classic in Indianapolis on May 17th, 2014.
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