69 Nova L78 TH400

[Supercar_Kid]

I think "The Grump" certainly helped make people aware of the Nova SS 396.

I do agree it's odd that Chevrolet was so vague about the availabilty of some of their performance options, like L-78, LS-6, etc. being omitted from some factory brochures. Especially if you ever watch and listen to a Sports Department sales communication kit. I have a September '69 one and it hypes L-78, Z/28, JL-8, SS Chevelle Camaro and Nova. It's strange that Chevrolet insiders would go to the trouble of creating and distributing these kits to educate their sales staff on how to sell hi-perf Chevys, yet they seemed to drop the ball themselves when it came to letting customers know about the availability of some RPOs on their order forms, brochures, handouts, etc. I'm sure that's partially why some RPOs weren't built in bigger numbers, but I'm still at a loss for why the Nova alone would be restricted from carrying a 396/325HP engine, one of Chevrolet's most popular big blocks. Could it have been a way of giving the Nova SS an extra push away from it's former economy car image and an effort to make it more competitive with it's handsome sibling Camaro SS? Just a guess, but 25 free horses and a few extra dollars in your pocket may have been enough to swing some buyers towards the Nova SS.