By Chris Holstrom – Images by Chris Shelton
This black 66 Nova is a classic example of “the one that got away”. Mardy Betschart was gifted with a great business mind and a natural ability to hustle. I first noticed it back in high school where we met. He always worked hard and traded for cool stuff—even owning a 10-second drag car. Arguably, his best trade came after he parted ways with a mustard-yellow Toyota pickup. The prize? An arrow-straight, jet-black 1967 Nova. The car was the envy of our school. Even in the ’80s, clean mid-year Novas were hard to come by. It looked good and ran an honest low, 13-second e.t. while smoking the tires.
Right after high school, Mardy bought a house, got married, and was working hard in his career. The Nova sat neglected in his backyard, so I swooped in and grabbed the forgotten high school hero car. I breathed new life into it and had great success showing and racing it, but it was still known as “Mardy’s car.” I later sold it.
Fast-forward decades later. Mardy is now a successful business owner and had started building a car collection. The hope of replacing that Nova always burned deep. We often talked about that black Nova as the “must-have” pinnacle of his growing collection.
Car #2 came from a little inspiration from yours truly. I had known about the ’66 Nova on these pages for years. A friend had this clean hardtop project car he had been sitting on. I planned to purchase it to build for a client but passed when we got word of a ’67 Nova with an LS9 crate engine already installed. We took that car, painted it jet black, and hauled it to SEMA where it earned a spot on Sony’s Gran Turismo driving simulator. That’s all it took. When Mardy saw that car, he had to have one. I told him, “I know just the car to start with!”
We secured my buddy’s ’66 Nova and began the transformation. The first order of business was sourcing the drivetrain. Mardy had already fallen in love with LS power. I had built him a ’69 Camaro with an LSX454. This time he wanted something more sedate, so we settled on an LS3 525hp Connect-and-Cruise setup coupled to a TREMEC six-speed. Fuel delivery is handled by a Holley Stealth fuel tank and pump. Electronics are factory GM. A Be-Cool radiator and fan module control the temperature. A GM accessory drive, Holley intake manifold, and Holley valve covers dress the engine. Exhaust is handled by Ultimate Headers routed through 2½-inch tubing and Borla ATAK mufflers.
The suspension on the Gran Turismo Nova worked so well that we chose to replicate it here. Parts from Detroit Speed & Engineering were enlisted for the task. They offer a completely assembled bolt-in front cradle that is a game changer! From a builder’s standpoint, the quality of the components and the street manners are fantastic. A matching QUADRALink rear suspension was also sourced, complete with the optional sway bar. The 9-inch Ford rear axle houses a 3.89 gear ratio and Truetrac posi unit. Thirty-one-spline axles send power to the wheels. Harnessing over 500 hp is futile without maximizing tire size, and thankfully Detroit Speed offers deep tubs to accommodate a larger wheel and tire package. We filled every possible inch with 19×11.5 Forgeline GT3C wheels wrapped in 305/30R19 Continental tires. Fronts are 19×8 with 275/35R18s. The only other sheetmetal modifications were relocating the fuel filler and enlarging the transmission tunnel for the six-speed.
Braking duties are handled by a Wilwood 7/8-inch master cylinder feeding Baer Brakes six-piston calipers with 14-inch rotors. The unique caliper color, tied to the valve covers, is called Monster Green and pays tribute to Mardy’s company colors.
Once the drivetrain components were mocked up, the Nova was handed off to Austin Riddle, who prepped the body and sprayed it with PPG 9700 black. Steve from The Shine Doctor cut and polished the paint.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I brought the black 66 Nova to my home garage and did the final assembly. A TMI Sport R interior with low-back buckets and custom door panels were installed, along with a Billet Specialties steering wheel. It connects the driver to an Ididit tilt steering column and rack-and-pinion steering. Dakota Digital HDX gauges monitor the engine vitals. Mardy is a minimalist when it comes to creature comforts in his hot rods; manual windows, no stereo, and a heat-only unit from Vintage Air keep the cabin manageable without detracting from the tune of the LS as he rows through the gears.
Mardy’s Nova embodies the perfect classic muscle car design. It has all the modern technology to make it enjoyable and reliable to drive while maintaining the classic look of the car from his youth. It’s easy to say this is the sweetheart of his collection and gets the most use. This black 66 Nova will always be known as “Mardy’s car.”
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
TECH CHECK
Owner: Mardy Betschart
Vehicle: 1966 Chevy Nova
Engine
Type: LS3
Displacement: 6.2L
Compression Ratio: 10.7:1
Bore: 4.065 inches
Stroke: 3.622 inches
Builder: GM Performance Connect and Cruise package
Machine Work: GM
Rotating Assembly: Nodular iron crankshaft, powdered connecting rods, Hypereutectic aluminum pistons
Camshaft: Hydraulic roller 0.551/522 lift, 204/200-degrees duration at 0.050
Cylinder Heads: Aluminum L92-style port, as-cast with 68cc chambers
Induction: Holley intake
Fuel Injection: GM
Exhaust: Ultimate Headers, 2.5-inch custom exhaust, Borla ATAK mufflers
Valve Covers: Holley
Accessory Drive: GM CTSV style
Ancillaries: Be Cool aluminum radiator; Holley Stealth fuel tank and pump
Output: 525 hp
Drivetrain
Transmission: TREMEC six-speed
Clutch: GM
Rear Axle: Ford 9-inch, 3:89 gears, Truetrac differential, 31-spline axles
Chassis
Front Suspension: Detroit Speed & Engineering front subframe, Borgeson steering box
Rear Suspension: Detroit Speed & Engineering QUADRALink
Brakes: Baer six-piston calipers, 14-inch rotors
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Forgeline GT3C 18×8 front, 19×11.5 rear
Tires: Kumho 275/35R18 front, 305/30R19 rear
Interior
Upholstery: TMI
Installation: Chris Holstrom Concepts
Seats: TMI
Steering: Ididit steering column, Billet Specialties steering wheel
Shifter: Hurst
Dash: Factory
Instrumentation: Dakota Digital HDX
Wiring: American Autowire
HVAC: Heat only, Vintage Air
Control Panel: Vintage Air
Entertainment System: None
Exterior
Bodywork And Paint: Austin Riddle
Paint: PPG 9700 black
Grille: Stock
Bumpers: Stock
Headlights: Stock
Taillights: Stock
