It's every car enthusiast's worst nightmare to find out their prized vehicle has been stolen. We shudder to think about a classic car sitting safely at home one day, only to disappear the next day without a trace, never to be seen again. This awful scenario is exactly what befell Ivan Ramirez's 1970 Chevy Nova... or so he thought. In reality, the Nova was actually being dismantled and restored by none other than the crew of the hit TV show Overhaulin'.

These days, many of us think of the Chevy Nova as a muscle car. While it has certainly been a popular platform for hot-rodders and drag-racers, the Nova was more than just a muscle car. It was born from the Chevy II, a simple and practical commuter car, with four-door variants that could carry the whole family. And in its later years, it turned towards luxury and refinement with models such as this 1978 Nova Custom Cabriolet.

Although the Nova was originally based on the Chevy II, a thrifty and practical commuter vehicle, this memorable name quickly grew to represent a true high-performance muscle car. There's no doubt that the Nova SS could hold its own on the street or the drag strip, but even base-model Novas have often been modified to produce tire-melting power from a small block V8 engine.

Back in 1969, the Nova SS could be purchased from any Chevrolet dealer with the standard 350ci small-block V8 or optional 396ci big-block. But some enthusiasts felt there was no replacement for displacement, and wanted more. The iconic Yenko Nova came with a 427ci V8, but those very special cars were rare back then, and they're far rarer today. This led some Nova buyers to follow in the Yenko's footsteps and install 427 big-blocks into their own cars.

Restoring a classic car is a labor of love, and that often means it takes a substantial amount of time to complete the project. As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. But ask anyone who has poured hard-earned money, sweat, and possibly even some blood into bringing their beloved car back to its flawless original condition, and they'll certainly attest that it was worth it in the long run. Ron Pinegar, of Huntington Beach, California, is no exception. His 1962 Chevy Nova convertible underwent a 10-year restoration.

Every classic car has a story, and this is one reason they're so intriguing to us. Sometimes when we photograph customer car in our Retail Showroom parking lot, the owner has a few photos, documents, or anecdotes to help share that history with us. But TJ, the owner of this Butternut Yellow 1967 Nova, had more than that. In fact, he handed us a typed statement that told us all about his Nova ownership experience.

If someone mentions owning a "hybrid" vehicle, most people assume it's a Prius or some other ordinary commuter car powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity. However, the term actually represents anything made by combining two different elements. So in a broader sense, a hybrid build can also be a vehicle that blends visual elements rather than powertrain components. Case in point: this 1973 Nova SS might not look like a '73 at first glance, since it features a front-end conversion with parts from the previous model year.

For fans of classic Chevy vehicles, the name Yenko is a real attention-getter. The first-gen Yenko/SC Camaro was a true high-performance icon of the late '60s, and its legacy lives on to this day through modern cars such as the 1,000-horsepower 2018 Yenko/SC Stage II Camaro. But the Yenko name was also applied to other Chevrolet vehicles, including the Corvair, Chevelle, and Nova.

The third-generation 1968-74 Chevy Nova is an extremely versatile platform. Many of these Nova models, especially the inline-6 cars and four-door sedans, were used as utilitarian family vehicles. However, the '68-74 Nova also became popular among drag racers and hot-rodders due to the potential of its small-block V8, and this potential remains to this day.

Back in the day, the station wagon was viewed as the king of the practical family vehicle segment. While this body style certainly meets that need, most vehicles in this category were soon replaced by larger minivans and SUVs. Unfortunately, it has become rare to see a wagon on the road anymore — but we think that exclusivity just makes the classic ones that much cooler.