Nova, not Chevy II
The Chevy II name is gone from the car.3one source
Class of '69 · Chevrolet Nova · 1968–1972 body · third generation
1969Chevrolet Nova
The Chevy II name went, the Nova kept the 1968 body, and the SS got 300 hp and front disc brakes as standard.
The year in brief
For 1969 the Chevy II name was gone: GM's color chart and price list say Nova, its engine pages Chevy Nova, and Wikipedia calls the 1969 the Chevrolet Chevy Nova.23
Simulated vents were added below the Nova script, which moved to the front fender behind the wheel opening, and the steering column now locked.3one source
The SS, for the V8 coupe only, now included the 300-hp 350 and power front disc brakes.2one source
The story of the year
SS sales roughly tripled
The reprinted book chapter counts 17,564 Super Sports, «a three hundred percent increase» over 1968 by its words, about three times 1968's 5,571 (our calculation); Old Cars gives 17,654, so the count is an open ruling.45one source
The 375-hp 396 went into 5,262 of them, 311 with L89 aluminum heads, and the 350-hp 396 into 1,947.4one source
How to spot a 1969
What tells it apart from a 1968.
Script and vents on the front fender
The Nova script sits on the front fender, behind the wheel opening, above simulated vents (Wikipedia; GM's SS has «simulated front fender louvers»).23
Disc brakes on the SS
The SS has power front disc brakes as standard.2one source
Production14
251,849 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 2-door coupe | Nova | 182,379 |
| All 2-door coupes | 182,379 | |
| 4-door sedan | Nova | 69,470 |
| All 4-door sedans | 69,470 | |
| Total | 251,849 | |
Nova Resource's rows; one source. The reprinted book chapter gives a model-year total of 268,011; see the ruling. Nova Resource marks the rows behind these totals as including Canada's Acadian; whether the totals do is not clear.
Engines24
9 engines. Chevrolet's regular production option number from GM's own lists; «Std.» is a standard engine. In 1972 the code is the VIN's engine letter.
Gross ratings and codes from GM's 1969 power-team chart and its engine data page of September 1968. The 2-barrel L65 (250 hp) and the 4-barrel LM1 (255 hp) are two different 350s; Wikipedia's 255-hp two-barrel 350 mixes them up. The SS 350 is the L48; Z26 is the SS option. The 375-hp 396 is from the same chart read with OCR; 311 of them had the L89 aluminum heads, by the reprinted book chapter.
Price when new2one source
Base retail prices in 1969 dollars, before options.
Manufacturer's suggested retail prices from GM's 1969 price schedule. Wikipedia gives a different SS price; see the ruling.
Colors2one source
16 factory colors. The color names come from one source2one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Tuxedo Black10
Dover White50
Glacier Blue53
Dusk Blue51
Le Mans Blue71
Olympic Gold65
Burnished Brown61
Azure Turquoise55
Frost Green59
Burgundy67
Cortez Silver69
Garnet Red52
Champagne63
Fathom Green57
Butternut Yellow40
Rallye Green79
GM's list of solid exterior colors with paint codes for the 1969 Nova; the two-tones are left out. No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are empty. Champagne is marked «Check availablity before ordering».
Reading the VIN2one source
A 1969 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
113699W3000252one source · GM's own example from the 1969 kit: the 25th car built at Willow Run, here a six-cylinder sedan (model 11369); the unit number counts every series together.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 111 · 113 · 114 | Series: 111 4-cylinder · 113 6-cylinder · 114 V8 |
| 27 · 69 | Body: 27 2-door coupe · 69 4-door sedan |
| 9 | Model year (1969) |
| W | Assembly plant: Willow Run (GM shows «only basic designations») |
| 300001 → | Unit number, counted at each plant for all series together |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate attached to the top left of the instrument panel.2one source
Questions about the 1969
How many 1969 Chevrolet Novas were made?
251,849 by the count we use: 182,379 2-door coupes, 69,470 4-door sedans. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.14sources disagree
How can you tell a 1969 Nova from a 1968?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: nova, not Chevy II; script and vents on the front fender; disc brakes on the SS.23
What engines did the 1969 Chevrolet Nova have?
Nine engines, from the 153 cu in four to the 396 cu in V8 (Nova SS). The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.24
How much did a 1969 Chevrolet Nova cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Coupe, four $2,237; Sedan, four $2,267; Coupe, six $2,315; Sedan, six $2,345; Coupe, V8 $2,405; Sedan, V8 $2,434; Nova SS (V8 coupe only) +$280.20 (open ruling).2one source
What colors did the 1969 Chevrolet Nova come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 16 factory colors.2one source
Where is the VIN on a 1969 Chevrolet Nova?
Stamped on a plate attached to the top left of the instrument panel.2one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1969, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1969 Nova production
Our ruling: Unresolved. Nova Resource's rows add up to 251,849; the reprinted book chapter gives 268,011 without a breakdown. Neither says what it includes. Wikipedia's table gives 251,900, which looks like Nova Resource's figure rounded and is not counted separately.
What each source says (2)
- 182,379 coupes and 69,470 sedans, 251,849 in all1one source
- a model year total of 268,0114one source
Open
1969 Nova SS production
Our ruling: Unresolved, leaning to 17,564. The reprinted book chapter says 17,564 and Old Cars 17,654; the two differ by two swapped digits and may come from the same list. Nova Resource's 17,564 is the chapter's and is not counted separately; its engine rows (L48, L34, L78) add up to 17,565 (our sum).
What each source says (2)
- 17,5644one source
- 17,6545one source
Open
1969 Nova SS price
Our ruling: Unresolved, leaning to GM's $280.20 from its own 1969 price schedule. Wikipedia's $312 cites Flory and does not say what it includes.
What each source says (2)
- $280.20, V8 coupe only2one source
- The SS option price remained US$3123one source
Settled
The 1969 350s: 250 hp or 255 hp
Our ruling: Two engines. GM's own 1969 kit lists the 2-barrel L65 at 250 hp and the 4-barrel LM1 at 255 hp, and Nova Resource counts them separately; Wikipedia's 255-hp two-barrel mixes the two. Both are in the engine table.
What each source says (4)
- L65, 250 hp, 2-barrel, in the power-team chart and the price schedule2one source
- LM1, 255 hp, Four Barrel, on the engine data page of September 19682one source
- 2,207 with the 255-hp 350 (LM1) and 5,922 with the 250-hp 350 (L65)1one source
- a two-barrel 350 of 255 hp3one source
Sources
- Nova Production Numbers Nova Resource (novaresource.org) · read 2026-10-12
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevy Nova – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-12
- Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova Wikipedia · read 2026-10-12
- «New Novas, Old Themes 1968–1976» (Chapter Ten of a book on Chevrolet Super Sports), reprinted in GM's Nova kits Book chapter reprinted by GM Heritage · read 2026-10-12
- «1968-'71 Chevrolet Nova SS», Old Cars News & Marketplace, June 6, 1991, reprinted in GM's Nova kits Old Cars News & Marketplace (reprinted by GM Heritage) · read 2026-10-12
Keep going
Three more years.
1968Chevrolet NovaThe new Chevy II Nova: a longer 111-inch wheelbase, a coupe and a sedan only, and an SS with the 350 or, late in the year, the 396.183,552 built (disputed)
1970Chevrolet NovaA new grille, wider side-marker and taillight lenses, combined tail and backup lights, and the last year of the 396 in the SS.307,280 built (disputed)
1971Chevrolet NovaThe 396 was gone, the 250 six became the base engine, the SS was a 270-hp 350, and the Rally Nova arrived late in the year.194,878 built (disputed)See the whole third generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1968–1972.