For many decades, the Chevy Nova SS has been seen as an affordable, blue-collar muscle car. It was less expensive than its sibling the Chevelle SS, and certainly more attainable for the everyman than GM's flagship Corvette. However, recent auction results indicate the value of a clean Nova SS is rising fast. At Mecum's 2025 Dallas Fort Worth auction, this numbers-matching 1970 Nova SS L78 with extremely low miles sold for a whopping $275,000, making it reportedly the most expensive original-style restored Nova of all time.
Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions
What's Special About this 1970 Nova?
After hearing that auction price, you may be wondering why this Nova sold for so much, and that's certainly a fair question.
First of all, it's about as mint condition as any car you'll find of that age. With only 11,319 original miles — that's just over 200 miles per year — it's still practically brand new, and it was still in the original owner's possession until August of 2025. Of course, it's a numbers-matching car with the original engine, and it includes lots of relevant paperwork such as the original window sticker, purchase invoice, and Protect-O-Plate.
Secondly, this is a very desirable configuration. It's got the potent L78 396ci V8 paired with a Muncie M20 4-speed manual transmission and 12-bolt Posi rear end with 3.55 gears. Only 3,765 Novas were built with the L78 package in 1970, making all-original survivors relatively rare today.
The status of this car as an original L78 has been verified by Dale McIntosh of the L78 Registry, and a certificate was included in the sale.
The King Coyne Chevrolet window sticker on this Nova SS shows a total of $1,127 in options, bringing the original MSRP to $3,706. The listed options are as follows:
- • Soft-Ray tinted glass
- • Floor mats, front and rear
- • Positraction axle
- • 375hp Turbo-Jet 396ci V8
- • 4-speed transmission
- • Electric clock
- • AM pushbutton radio
- • Rear seat speaker
- • Custom interior
- • Rally wheels
- • Nova SS package
- • Black vinyl interior
- • Cortez Silver paint
As seen in the photos, this car has been immaculately restored to original condition, and looks brand new down to every nut and bolt, with a few period-correct modifications. The factory Rally wheels were replaced by Magnum 500 wheels, and are wrapped in reproduction Firestone Wide Oval radial tires, just as they would've been in 1970.
The black vinyl interior, carpet, door panels, dash, and gauges are all exactly as they would've been when they left the GM assembly line. This car also has the classic cue-ball-style Hurst shifter and a set of Stewart Warner gauges under the dash to monitor coolant temperature and oil pressure.
Equal attention was paid to the trunk, featuring black trunk carpet and a steel wheel with spare tire in the appropriate location.
While it's surprising to see a Nova increase from $3,706 (roughly $31k in today's money) to over a quarter-million dollars, this one certainly looks fitting of a price that's far above average. AutoEvolution noted that this was the sixth highest-priced vehicle at Mecum's 2025 DFW auction, topped only by three beautiful C2 Corvettes, a 1969 Nickey Camaro, and a 1970 Plymouth Superbird. As far as we can tell, this makes it the most expensive original-style, non-restomodded Nova ever sold at auction.
It seems the broader automotive community is realizing what Chevy enthusiasts have known all along: the Nova is a timeless muscle car that deserves restoration, appreciation, and high value.
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