The Chevy II was the name originally given to the Chevy Nova. For the 1962 model year, Chevy introduced a small, basic economy car competitor for the Ford Falcon. The Nova moniker was among the finalists for the car’s name, but lost out as it did not start with the letter “C.” The Nova name was applied to top-of-the-line Chevy IIs instead.
The Chevy II line could be had with the 153 cubic-inch inline four cylinder or the 194 cubic-inch inline six cylinder, both of which had overhead valves. There was no V8 engine available, either from the factory or as a dealer-installed option in 1962 or 1963.
Our feature car is a 1963 Chevy II Nova hardtop in Ermine White with a combination vinyl and fabric aqua interior. The Nova is powered by the 194 cubic-inch inline six cylinder engine backed by the two-speed automatic transmission.
The Chevy II Nova is in remarkable unrestored condition, having accumulated only 49,632 miles from new. The exterior finish retains great gloss. Chrome bumpers, trim, and other brightwork gleams under fluorescent light. Painted steel wheels wear polished hubcaps, and are wrapped in whitewall radial rubber. Glass is crystal clear throughout, and the weatherstrip is in fine nick.
The cabin of the Chevy II Nova is in outstanding condition. Carpets appear to be colorfast. The front and rear bench seats show very little sign of use, with just a bit of discoloration on the driver’s side seat bolster. The steering wheel, dash, and gauges all look to be showroom fresh. Door panels are equally sharp. The Nova is equipped with a factory AM radio and tinted glass. It’s clear this little Nova has been kept inside, away from the sun’s damaging rays.
The Chevy II Nova’s trunk is coated in factory speckle paint and trunk mat. It is home to a whitewall spare and the factory jack.
Under the hood of the Chevy II Nova, the engine bay looks to be largely original. It is fairly well detailed, with appearance consistent with a low-mile car.
This tidy Chevy II Nova will cross the auction block at the Mecum Auctions Indy sale at the Indianapolis State Fair Grounds May 13th through the 21st.
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Comments
Family had a ’63 Chevy II four door with same color interior and aqua exterior. It was a 300 Trim Level. The Nova was top Trim Level. Nice little car.
Pretty sweet looking Chevy II considering its age. I think Chevrolet promptly realized the Corvair wasn’t going to be sales competitive in the compact market segment with the highly successful Ford Falcon, and so two model years later they came out with the Chevy II which was pretty much identical to the Falcon in size and concept. The Chevy II even upped the ante a bit by offering a convertible and a two-door hardtop which Falcon did not have in its lineup.
I love Corvairs but they were more expensive to manufacture, the Chevy II was a good response to the Ford Falcon.
why not building cars exact like those again = take the project of drawer and tool it
Because the Federal Government has made it impossible.
That’s why our cars are so absurdly costly.
My uncle had a 63 Chevy 2 in bright red. Beautiful car brings me back to my childhood and a time when cars had style.
Great story and pictures. Brought back many good memories. At 79 years young now, my very first car was a new 1962 Chevy II, white, two-door hardtop and I thought I was pretty cool. That car still looks pretty good. Thanks for the memories.
Nice looking car ,my uncle had a 1962 with a 4 cy pos ,another had the 63 6 and. 3on the tree handled like a brick now the 64 -65 had a opt v8 and a 4 speed lil muscle car ,put today s radials ,better suspension and a great lil car 63-64 had the best looking grille .
Folks, this is a simple car to work on and to drive, you don’t need a $5,000 dollar scan tool to see whats wrong with it , it’s simple . Yes, I remember them .
I still have my grandmothers 64 that has less than 38000 miles on it. She’s a series 300 with the 194, 2-spd powerglide. Aqua exterior and interior.
I’ve had three Chevy II Nova’s. One 1965 SS with a Six, and a two speed Powerglide, and two 64’s both beefed up with rebuilt engines and 350 TH trans. I currently still have my third 60’s style Nova, and still loving it. The thing I love most about the 1st generation Chevy II Novas, is their size. While they aren’t a very big car compared to other cars in the 60’s, they’re still big enough to feel safe and comfortable in while driving. I also had a 1971 SS 396 Nova (no longer called Chevy II by then) that was a lot fun too.
I currently have this exact car same color same interior. It was all trashed so I have been working on it for a year and a half. New front frame new floor pan, interior, disc brakes all the way around. Ford 8.8 rear end, 5.3 LS.
This has been restored. All of the 1st gen Novas have the silver paint on the rear below the trucnk.