Ken McKitrick, of McComb, has owned this 1965 Nova for four years.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
McCOMB – If you’re looking to restore a classic car, you better have the time.
Ken McKitrick found that out 30 years ago when he purchased his first Chevrolet Nova. He was getting married and didn’t have a place nor the time to work on it.
The car was sold.
Since then, he’s owned a 1960 Mustang and a ‘69 Chevelle. But, he says, “I’ll never forget that Nova.”
Four years ago, he was looking at car ads on the Internet and came across a 1965 Nova in West Virginia. “The next thing I knew I was driving six hours to look at it. I ended up buying it,” McKitrick said.
He’s never regretted it.
“I’ve redone the interior, but everything else was in great shape. I love this car,” he said.
Last summer he drove from his home in McComb, near Findlay, to show his car at the Heartbeat of Lima Car Show, sponsored by the Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships.
“It gets looks everywhere I take it. Everyone loves my car,” he said.
General Motors introduced the Nova in 1962. It would be part of Chevrolet’s lineup for 20 years, although it never hit the sales figures that General Motors desired. Part of that was because GM never had a long-term vision of what the car was to be. It went from being a compact economy car to a muscle car and then a luxury car. It also found itself competing against two other new Chevrolets in the same market segments — the Chevelle and Corvair.
There was even some confusion about the Nova’s name. It was introduced as the Chevy II Nova as members of the GM marketing team insisted that the names of all Chevrolet models begin with a “C.” It wouldn’t be until 1969 that the nameplate dropped the Chevy II.
McKitrick’s 1965 Nova is the last of the first generation of the car. It is best remembered as the year the Nova became a muscle car. Under the hood of McKitrick’s car is a 383 stroker engine.
“It will get you where you’re going,” McKitrick said.
GET YOUR CAR FEATURED
The Lima News publishes photographs of vintage cars, 20 years or older, free of charge in Real Wheels. It is easy to get your car featured:
• Mail: Real Wheels, Newsroom, The Lima News, 3515 Elida Road, Lima, OH 45807.
• Email: [email protected]
• Include: Photograph of your car; year of car, make and model; how many years you have owned the vehicle; car’s history; best memory of car; your name, address and telephone number (the phone number will not be published).
If you have further questions, contact The Lima News newsroom at 419-222-6397 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
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