In my quest to perfect my T-jet fleet, I have scheduled a very few cars for replacement for various reasons, at which point the old ones will be retired, and either scrapped for parts or offered for sale…or in the case of this one, there’s a slightly different plan!
Here is my second of a small handful of planned replacements…
The 1970 Chevy Nova SS, in Gulf Green with a black vinyl top.
This comes in as a replacement for the plain dark metallic blue version. Now, unlike the blue Ferrari profiled in “Episode I”, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this blue Nova; it runs very well, certainly not one of the fastest cars in the fleet, but dependable and predictable…and utterly, utterly boring! This wasn’t even originally a member of the racing fleet, but rather served as my track test car. This was a role it fulfilled superbly, and is now going to return to it, as I need a reliable “tester” any time I make changes or adjustments to track configuration, or build a new track.
But let’s face it: that plain dark blue paint job is just yawn-inducing. Even the redline tires don’t do much to dress it up. At one point I did have custom wheels on it, but it seemed like a waste of the wheels! So, when I found this green version with the black top, I decided to grab it and use it as its replacement; thus I still have three ’68-’72-style Novas in the fleet.
My perception is that this “Gulf Green” version is quite rare, because I’ve only ever seen it for sale one time-and that was the time I bought it! As it has the Chevy centenary logo on the trunk lid, we know it was released in 2011, which makes it a decade old now, and thus probably not so easy to come by. I got it as a body only, which is fine-I always prefer to add my own chassis, as that way I know it will meet my standards for performance.
She got a set of Road Race Replica “Stones” wheels and the same firm’s low profile tires, which just clear those tight rear fender wells, and it sits on a new but standard Ultra G chassis: no ups, no extras. Sharp eyes will note the difference in the hood scoop; while the dark blue car (as well as it’s red line mate) has a large hood scoop to clear the high rise air cleaner setup of what is doubtless a 396 big block V8, the green replacement looks more like a 350 mouse motor version…and for those of us that actually prefer small block Chevy power over the heavier big block versions, that’s good news: weight loss with very little horsepower loss!
The unanswered question, here, is what to do with the car’s nickname. For the Ferrari in the sports car fleet, when the blue one was replaced with the turquoise one, the new car took over both the previous car’s racing number, its driver and crew team, and its handle. The dark blue Nova was named “Nightcrawler”, a name that fit its deep dark blue coloring and silent running. The green replacement cries out for a new handle, so I think that’s what it will get, while the “Nightcrawler” name will follow the blue one back into its old job as “test pilot.” Open to suggestions on a name for this car if anyone wants to suggest one before something occurs to me from out of nowhere!
Over to YT for a look at an original California “Blue Plate Special” ’72 that looks almost identical to the latest addition to my slot fleet:
With an sound and an attitude like that, I ask you: who needs a big block???
UPDATE:
- CAR NAME: “The Grinch”
- DRIVER: Ferris “Fireplug” Finnigan