1968 CHEVROLET COPO NOVA SS

Photo:Mecum

“The redesigned-for-1968 Chevy Nova offered some neat options, one being the ability for its engine bay to accept a transplant to the larger-dimension 396 rat motor right on the assembly line. Up until this time Chevrolet had never offered an automatic transmission behind the 375 HP L78, its high-performance 396 engine option. Fred Gibb and Vince Piggins discussed the viability of using the recently developed Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 in a short run of L78-equipped Novas to help create a legal Chevy driveline combination for NHRA Super Stock competition. Soon after, Piggins issued Central Office Processing Order code 9738 for a group of 50 examples — NHRA’s minimum required number — which Gibb then took the responsibility of buying from Chevrolet and finding owners for these fine machines. However, in his back pocket Gibb had a secondary plan as well: his racing friend Dick Harrell.”

Photo:Mecum

“Despite not having factory assistance, Harrell had become known as Mr. Chevrolet for his outstanding racing efforts, especially in what had evolved rapidly into ‘funny cars.’ By this time, Harrell had opened his own performance vehicle shop in Kansas City. After having helped both the Nickey franchise and Don Yenko get into the business of building 427 Camaro ‘supercars,’ he decided he would do it himself. Closely associated with NHRA’s top rival AHRA, who already had a funny car class while NHRA didn’t, Harrell understood that the Novas that his sponsor Fred Gibb had not sold to NHRA racers could easily be modified for the street and for other drag racing classes. This was especially true with an L88 427 engine installed in place of the L78. Voila! You now had an instant supercar and high-visibility for both Gibb and Harrell, who now had several other associated Chevrolet dealerships that carried Harrell-modified cars under warranty.”

Photo:Mecum

“One of the very special L88 Novas will be offered by Mecum Auctions at its naugural Portland auction. This car was amongst those 50 created by GM, which subsequently allowed Bill Jenkins to move into Hemi-only territory. That same season, Dave Strickler won the 1968 World Championship in a Jenkins-built Z28. These cars were basically optioned only in different colors; all got the solid-lifter L78/TH400 combination with 4:10 PosiTraction differential. Through they retained the Super Sport trim package to allow for standard dual exhaust and bucket seats; all were given power drum brakes and were radio-delete models.”

Photo:Mecum

“While many were delivered to Gibb in Fathom Blue, this one in Tripoli Turquoise was the fourth in the sequential series of VINs supplied by Gibb to NHRA for homologation. Alas, it would never get on the track; the buyer was a young man from Topeka, Kansas, named Jim Mirowski, who planned on being king of the street. He personally went to Harrell’s Kansas City operation and bought it in basically stock form, having just some minor Harrell tuning tricks and a replacement ‘stinger’-type fiberglass hood put on it. The car was sold by Harrell through the Fred Gibb franchise and retained a full factory warranty, a fact that came into play less than 500 miles into its ownership.”

Photo:Mecum

“Mirowski’s car suffered a bearing failure, but this was due to a bad water pump from the factory. He took the car to Van-T Chevrolet in Topeka, which contacted Harrell with the issue. The racer suggested they simply put a 427 CI L88 short-block the dealership had on hand into it and send the 396 back to Chevrolet for warranty replacement. With an upcharge of $120, the owner agreed to this and all the parts from the COPO 9738-installed engine went on this new stout bottom end. However, with the responsibilities of a new family, Jim Mirowski traded the car in on a new Vega in late 1970 and never saw it again.”

Photo:Mecum

“Decades later, Ed Cuneen of the COPO Connection saw the solid car for sale on eBay sans engine and, after verifying small details as to its COPO origins, purchased it to begin an exacting restoration. With the old engine now both long gone and the L88 documented as an under-warranty replacement, Cuneen pursued a course of rebuilding it with a 512-casting high performance 427 CI big-block placed back into the car. Its lineage to the COPO process, Mr. Gibb and Dick Harrell Performance Center is without question. After it was finished, the Harrell family verified this car as having come through their late patriarch’s business, and images supplied to next owner Dave Belk by Jim Mirowski himself allowed the final details to be put into place.”

Today, COPO 9738-code Novas rarely come up for sale as a number of them have remained track-ready and others were driven into oblivion by secondary owners. Primarily out of the public eye for a number of years and featured in “Super Chevy” magazine following its refreshing, this car’s new owner will possess a true piece of COPO history backed by a wealth of documentation. This well-known, magazine-featured COPO Nova SS will be offered with an accompanying letter of authenticity from Fred Gibb, the COPO serial number list released by Helen Gibb, a copy of the original MSO, Dick Harrell articles and advertisements, a signed vehicle history letter from the original owner, past titles showing previous owners, the pre-delivery sheet with Protect-O-Plate imprint, vintage photos and the COPO verification certificate from Ed Cunneen.

HIGHLIGHTS

• #4 of 50 COPO 9738 Nova Super Sports ordered by Fred Gibb Chevrolet and sold new through Dick Harrell Performance Center in Kansas City
• Well-known, magazine-featured COPO Nova SS
• Letter of authenticity from Fred Gibb
• COPO serial number list released by Helen Gibb
• Copy of the original MSO
• Dick Harrell articles and advertisements
• Signed vehicle history letter from the original owner
• Past titles showing previous owners
• Pre-delivery sheet with Protect-O-Plate imprint
• Vintage photos
• COPO verification certificate from Ed Cunneen
• Autographed signatures on the dash and underside of the hood from “Mrs. Chevrolet” Elaine Harrell and Harrell crew members, Photos of them signing are also included
• The original owner damaged the original L78 engine under warranty due to water pump failure within its first 500 miles
• Van-T Chevrolet in Topeka, Kansas performed the warranty work and upgraded the engine to an L88 427 CI for a mere $120.00
• Turbo 400 automatic transmission
• 12 bolt 4.10 Positraction rear end
• Power drum brakes
• Bucket seats with center console
• Radio delete
• 14×6 standard steel wheels
• Black vinyl upholstery
• 1 of 10 finished in Tripoli Turquoise
• Dick Harrell options included: super tuned engine, aftermarket headers, suspension upgrades, column mounted tachometer, under dash gauge package and fiberglass stinger hood