When the Hatchback Nova Arrived

Why Chevrolet added a hatchback this late

By the early 1970s, the compact market was shifting toward cars that could double as practical haulers, not just economical transportation or budget performance platforms. Ford and American Motors were already selling fastback and hatchback configurations on their own compacts, and Chevrolet needed an answer that didn't require a whole new platform. The Nova hatchback solved that by adding a top-hinged rear liftgate and a folding rear seat to the existing third-gen body, giving buyers real cargo flexibility without walking away from a car that could still be ordered with SS trim and a small block V8.

This wasn't a halo car. It was a practical answer to a market question, and it arrived on the third-gen Nova platform at almost the exact same time the federal bumper rules and the fading big block option were reshaping the rest of the lineup.

What actually changed structurally

Chevrolet built the hatchback by cutting a hatchback door into the existing two-door coupe, rather than designing mostly new sheet metal behind the B-pillar the way American Motors did on the Hornet. The result looks close to identical to the coupe from the front three-quarter view, but the rear opening, hatch and seal are all hatchback-specific.

That matters for buyers today for a practical reason: the hatch, its hinges, and the liftgate seal are hatchback-specific, so repair around the opening can't lean on coupe parts, and far fewer hatchbacks were built than coupes.

Buying and inspecting a hatchback Nova

Start at the liftgate itself. Check the hinge mounts and the weatherstrip seal for wear, and run your hand along the inside edge of the opening for rust that's found a way in through a failed seal.

Check that the folding rear seat mechanism actually latches and locks the way it's supposed to. These mechanisms see more use and more abuse than a fixed rear seat, and a worn or bent latch is a cheap fix if you catch it early and an annoying one if you don't. Beyond the hatch-specific items, the inspection is the same as any other third-gen Nova: subframe mounts, lower quarters, and floor pans, checked with a magnet, not a glance.

Engine and trim options carried over unchanged

The hatchback didn't come with its own engine lineup. It slotted into the existing Nova powertrain range, from the base six-cylinder up through the 350 small block, and could be ordered with the same SS trim and appearance packages available on the coupe by that point in the third generation. That means the drivetrain inspection points don't change just because the body does. What changes is everything behind the front seats, and that's where a buyer's attention needs to shift when this body style is on the table.

Because the hatchback shared its mechanical range with the coupe, it's tempting to treat the two as interchangeable when you're pricing a car. Check comparable sales for the specific body style rather than assuming a coupe's value carries over.

Where the hatchback fits in the third-gen story

The hatchback Nova is a genuinely useful, genuinely different car from the coupe most people picture when they hear the name, and it's worth cross-shopping if you want third-gen styling with more practical cargo room than the standard trunk offers. It's also a car where documentation and careful inspection matter more than usual, simply because the body style is rarer. If you're building out a full picture of this era, a companion piece covers how this same generation performed when buyers pointed it straight down a drag strip instead of loading up the back for a trip to the hardware store.

"I don't see many hatchback Novas come through the shop, and when I do, the first thing I check isn't the engine. It's that liftgate seal. Water finds its way into places on these that it never had to on a coupe, and by the time you notice, you're already behind on the repair."

Mike Sullivan

Sources and notes

• Indie Auto: 1973 Chevrolet Nova Hatchback
• Automobile Catalog: 1973 Chevrolet Nova Hatchback Coupe specs
• Barn Finds: 350-Powered 1973 Chevrolet Nova Hatchback
• Streetside Classics: 1973 Chevrolet Nova Hatchback
• Wikipedia: Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova

Updated October 31, 2026: Corrected: the Nova hatchback was made by cutting a hatchback door into the existing coupe body rather than by a redesigned rear structure, and the parts-availability and resale comparisons were removed. Added hatchback production figures for 1973 and 1976.