Wider lenses
Wider side-marker and taillight lenses, placed slightly differently.4one source
Class of '70 · Chevrolet Nova · 1968–1972 body · third generation
1970Chevrolet Nova
A new grille, wider side-marker and taillight lenses, combined tail and backup lights, and the last year of the 396 in the SS.
The year in brief
A new grille with a slightly different texture, and taillights and backup lights in one unit. The reprinted book chapter calls the vertical hash marks on each front fender «a sure sign of a 1970 Nova»; Wikipedia and GM's 1969 kit already show simulated fender vents on the 1969, so the sources do not agree on what is new.345
This was the last year of the SS 396, which now displaced 402 cubic inches; the four-cylinder was also in its final year.4one source
Nova Resource lists 175 Yenko Deuce COPO Novas and 2 others, about 177 in all; Wikipedia gives the same figures without a source.14
The story of the year
SS 350 and SS 396
Old Cars gives 19,558 Super Sports for 1970; Nova Resource and Wikipedia repeat it.146
By the reprinted book chapter, 1,802 had the 350-hp L34 and 3,765 the 375-hp L78.3one source
How to spot a 1970
What tells it apart from a 1969.
New grille
A new grille with a slightly different texture.3one source
Production14
307,280 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 2-door coupe | Nova | 226,283 |
| All 2-door coupes | 226,283 | |
| 4-door sedan | Nova | 80,997 |
| All 4-door sedans | 80,997 | |
| Total | 307,280 | |
Nova Resource's rows; one source. Wikipedia says 254,242 Novas were sold; see the ruling. Nova Resource marks the rows behind these totals as including Canada's Acadian; whether the totals do is not clear.
Engines234
8 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 from GM's AMA sheet of September 1969 (it heads the 155-hp column «L6-230», though the kit's engine list makes the 155-hp six the 250, RPO L22) and its separate AMA sheet for the Turbo-Jet 396. The 396 now displaced 402 cu in. The L78 code for 1970 is the reprinted book chapter's; GM's AMA sheet shows Z26/L34 in OCR.
Price when new2one source
Base retail prices in 1970 dollars, before options.
GM's 1970 Nova kit has no 1970 price list (the price page at its back is for the 1971 models), and none of our other sources gives 1970 prices.
Colors2one source
15 factory colors. The color names come from one source2one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Tuxedo Black19
Cortez Silver14
Misty Turquoise34
Classic White10
Fathom Blue28
Cranberry Red75
Astro Blue25
Gobi Beige50
Forest Green48
Green Mist45
Autumn Gold58
Desert Sand63
Champagne Gold55
Black Cherry78
Shadow Gray17
GM's list of solid exterior colors with paint codes for the 1970 Nova; the two-tones are left out. No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are empty.
Reading the VIN2one source
A 1970 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
113690W1000012one source · GM's own example from the 1970 kit: the first 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 |
| 0 | Model year (1970) |
| W | Assembly plant: Willow Run (GM shows «only basic designations») |
| 100001 → | 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 1970
How many 1970 Chevrolet Novas were made?
307,280 by the count we use: 226,283 2-door coupes, 80,997 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 1970 Nova from a 1969?
Two signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: wider lenses; new grille.34
What engines did the 1970 Chevrolet Nova have?
Eight engines, from the 153 cu in four to the 396 (402) cu in V8 (Nova SS). The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.234
How much did a 1970 Chevrolet Nova cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Coupe and sedan not in our sources.2one source
What colors did the 1970 Chevrolet Nova come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 15 factory colors.2one source
Where is the VIN on a 1970 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 1970, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1970 Nova production
Our ruling: Unresolved. Nova Resource's body rows add up to 307,280, but its engine columns add up to 307,056 (our sum), 224 fewer. Wikipedia's 254,242 is «sold», not built, and has no source; its conceptcarz table gives 315,122. Nova Resource marks the rows «(+) Includes Acadians».
What each source says (3)
- 226,283 coupes and 80,997 sedans, 307,280 in all1one source
- 254,242 Novas sold4one source
- 315,122, in a table citing conceptcarz4one source
Sources
- Nova Production Numbers Nova Resource (novaresource.org) · read 2026-10-12
- 1970 Chevrolet Chevy Nova – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · 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
- Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova Wikipedia · read 2026-10-12
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevy Nova – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · 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)1969Chevrolet NovaThe Chevy II name went, the Nova kept the 1968 body, and the SS got 300 hp and front disc brakes as standard.251,849 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.