1970 Chevrolet Nova SS L78 Scores a Perfect 10 With Rare Code 52 Paint

When Chevrolet rolled out the Chevy II for the 1962 model year—later rebranded as the Nova—it was aimed squarely at Ford’s wildly popular Falcon, which had been trouncing the rear-engined Corvair in sales. Early Novas were modest, economy-minded cars powered by small engines, but that wouldn’t last long. Before the decade was out, the Nova had carved out a place in the muscle car world.

The Nova Super Sport package arrived quickly, hitting showrooms in 1963. At first, the SS was more about appearance than outright speed and came standard with an inline-six, similar to the early Impala SS. That changed dramatically with the Nova’s 1968 redesign. From that point on, the SS became a true performance option, headlined by a 350-cubic-inch V8 making 295 horsepower—turning the compact Nova into one of Detroit’s smallest and most aggressive muscle cars.

Chevrolet wasn’t done raising the stakes. Buyers could also step up to big-block power, with two versions of the 396-cubic-inch V8 on the order sheet. The L34 produced 350 horsepower, while the range-topping L78 cranked out a stout 375 horsepower. With that engine, the Nova delivered Chevelle-level performance in a smaller, lighter package.

The L78 remained available through the 1970 model year, although an even more extreme version briefly appeared earlier. In 1969, legendary dealer Don Yenko dropped the massive 427-cubic-inch L72 V8 into the Nova, creating a 425-horsepower monster using the same engine found in the COPO Camaro. Those Yenko Novas, however, were dealer-built specials and are exceedingly rare today. As a result, the factory-built Nova SS L78 stands as Chevrolet’s most powerful compact of the era.

The Sunfire Yellow car shown here is one of just 3,765 L78-equipped Novas produced in 1970, the engine’s final year. That might sound like a decent number—until you remember Chevrolet sold more than 300,000 Novas that year. The L78 cars make up roughly 1.2 percent of total production.

This particular example is headed to Mecum’s Kissimmee 2026 auction in January. Along with its desirable big-block setup and four-speed automatic transmission, it wears an especially eye-catching and uncommon finish: code 52 Sunfire Yellow.

While Sunfire Yellow isn’t necessarily rare across all Nova production, there’s no official breakdown showing how many L78 cars left the factory in this color. What’s clear is that they’re seldom seen. Data from classic.com shows that none of the 12 L78 Novas sold at auction in recent years were finished in Sunfire Yellow. Of the 72 Nova SS sales tracked overall, only three wore this shade. That puts this car in truly exclusive company.

Rarity aside, the Nova is described as “nicely restored,” and the photos appear to back that up. The exterior and interior both present exceptionally well, and the 396-cubic-inch engine looks largely factory-correct. The listing doesn’t confirm whether the solid-lifter V8 is numbers-matching, however, which makes pinning down an exact value more challenging.

Still, recent auction results suggest this Nova is a six-figure car. Since 2019, six 1970 Novas have sold for more than $100,000, all of them L78-equipped. Prices have ranged from $105,000 to as high as $275,000.

That top figure was set in November 2025, when a concours-level, numbers-matching example crossed the block at Mecum’s Dallas/Fort Worth auction.

Will this Sunfire Yellow Nova break records? Probably not. But if it turns out to have its original drivetrain, a final price north of $150,000 is very much within reach.