The big three car makers from Detroit fought with each other for sales, but not in a violent way. The marketing departments were tasked with creating some original, catchy marketing ploys to get consumers interested in their specific lineups. The big three also had to contend with the smaller companies, such as AMC, as well as the imports coming in from overseas, so the advertisements needed to isolate the specific car they were trying to push. The 1964 Nova SS never became one of the most prominent selling cars of the year, but the marketing slogan said it all. “It’s a nice, quiet, sturdy, sensible, unpretentious car with teeth.”
3 Nova SS Light Weight Helped Win Races
It is proven that the lighter a vehicle is, the faster it will go. That is why many muscle cars from the ’60s and ’70s were designed with the perfect weight-to-power ratios in mind. The 1964 Chevy II Nova SS 400 came off the production lines weighing a slim 2,560 pounds. The small size, the low weight, and the V8 power could push the Nova SS down the quarter-mile track in under 15 seconds and accelerate from 0 to 60 in 8.5 seconds. The car was a threat on the track when the engine was modified to produce over 350 bhp and could put up a 0 to 60 time in a mere 5.2 seconds.
2 Nova SS Sales Fell Far Short Of Rivals
In 1960, four whole years before the Chevy Nova was even a thought, the Ford Falcon took the market by storm. They became the most sought-after choice compared to the competitors, including the small foreign cars that were beginning to flood the American markets. The 1964 Chevy Nova SS was a fantastic car for the time period, but it was simply a case of too little, too late. In ’64, the Nova had production numbers of around 191,691, while the Falcon came out of the year with over 300,000 with no signs of letting up any time soon. The problem with not being the first to introduce a unique model is that the carmaker is basically following along with the idea of another manufacturer. This leaves the original at the top of the pile, and it shows when looking through all the sales numbers.
1 1964 Nova SS Hard To Find But Still Affordable
As of right now, the 1964 Chevy II Nova SS is one of the most affordable classic muscle cars on the market. The most recent auction at Bring a Trailer shows that the Nova SS can still be bought for under $40,000. This is a steal when you compare it to the 1964 Ford Falcon that has sold for as high as $112k. The average cost of a ’64 Nova SS is around $25,000, so they can be picked up without having to take a second mortgage out on the house. Of course, a model that needs a little work can be picked up for half the price if patient enough to wait for a listing to show up