Any Nova kit cars here?
Discussion
Where are the style police 
when you need them......? 
This was my Nova that I built at the age of 19 in my grandparents' garage. The kit was a MkIV supplied new from Sam Cobley in Cornwall. I recall him delivering it on a trailer towed behind his Porsche powered Nova - quite a sight that was.
My car used the later semi-trailing arm rear suspension from a 1303 Beetle with the earlier trailing arm torsion tube front which had Spax adjustable coilovers. Steering was via a Mini quick rack.
Initially I used the 1600 engine from my Beetle, but later fancied a little more kick so slipped in a Mk2 Golf 16v engine complete with fuel injection. Rear tyres were 275/60/15s compared with the 225s on the front so the additional weight of the engine wasn't a problem for the handling (aside from one highly cambered snow covered road which I recall steadily driving down at a 45 degree angle).
Around corners the car was sublime. The lack of weight over the front and the quick steering made for incredibly quick turn-in, and being so low there was virtually no roll in corners. The gearshift used a quick-shift kit and had been substantially reduced in length, so you could quite literally change gears with a flick of the wrist and no need to move your elbow.
The Nova was my daily driver - come sun, rain and snow it'd be out on the road. It was even used for trips to the cash and carry for the pub I worked at. The reaction from other people was amazing. Filling up at petrol stations always took twice as long whilst I chatted to other drivers wondering what it was. The car seemed to appeal to women as much as men, and I often found myself taking random females for a spin in it at their request - well it seemed rude not to oblige.
On the whole the car proved to be very reliable. The one area that seemed to suffer was the front suspension. The wider tyres and extra cornering speed compared to the original Beetle was a bit too much at times for the wheel bearings and front beam bushes which I had to replace on an annual basis. In retrospect, if I was to build it again I'd replace the front suspension with double wishbones instead. Occasionally the hydraulic pump for the roof played up, which meant using the sunroof for entry and exit instead. That never really worried me though - just added to the car's quirkiness.
Other changes I would have made had I had the money, time and inclination would have been to change to a 5-speed Porsche gearbox in place of the 4-speed Beetle one, and swapped the rear trailing arms for 944 turbo ones for the rear disc brakes.
jagnet said:
This was my Nova that I built at the age of 19 in my grandparents' garage. The kit was a MkIV supplied new from Sam Cobley in Cornwall. I recall him delivering it on a trailer towed behind his Porsche powered Nova - quite a sight that was.
My car used the later semi-trailing arm rear suspension from a 1303 Beetle with the earlier trailing arm torsion tube front which had Spax adjustable coilovers. Steering was via a Mini quick rack.
Initially I used the 1600 engine from my Beetle, but later fancied a little more kick so slipped in a Mk2 Golf 16v engine complete with fuel injection. Rear tyres were 275/60/15s compared with the 225s on the front so the additional weight of the engine wasn't a problem for the handling (aside from one highly cambered snow covered road which I recall steadily driving down at a 45 degree angle).
Around corners the car was sublime. The lack of weight over the front and the quick steering made for incredibly quick turn-in, and being so low there was virtually no roll in corners. The gearshift used a quick-shift kit and had been substantially reduced in length, so you could quite literally change gears with a flick of the wrist and no need to move your elbow.
The Nova was my daily driver - come sun, rain and snow it'd be out on the road. It was even used for trips to the cash and carry for the pub I worked at. The reaction from other people was amazing. Filling up at petrol stations always took twice as long whilst I chatted to other drivers wondering what it was. The car seemed to appeal to women as much as men, and I often found myself taking random females for a spin in it at their request - well it seemed rude not to oblige.
On the whole the car proved to be very reliable. The one area that seemed to suffer was the front suspension. The wider tyres and extra cornering speed compared to the original Beetle was a bit too much at times for the wheel bearings and front beam bushes which I had to replace on an annual basis. In retrospect, if I was to build it again I'd replace the front suspension with double wishbones instead. Occasionally the hydraulic pump for the roof played up, which meant using the sunroof for entry and exit instead. That never really worried me though - just added to the car's quirkiness.
Other changes I would have made had I had the money, time and inclination would have been to change to a 5-speed Porsche gearbox in place of the 4-speed Beetle one, and swapped the rear trailing arms for 944 turbo ones for the rear disc brakes.
If so, do you you regret selling it and would you go back to one?
Only ever seen the one, slowly disintegrating in someones front garden.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Knowl+Avenue,+Belp...
Typically, the google car picked the only day a red van was parked in the way of a clear side view.
Are they worth rescuing in this sorry state?
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Knowl+Avenue,+Belp...
Typically, the google car picked the only day a red van was parked in the way of a clear side view.
Are they worth rescuing in this sorry state?
Sadly it's probably languishing in bits somewhere having been taken on by someone who's big plans likely came to naught. I can't find a record of it on the DVLA database.
In a way yes I do regret getting rid of it now, but at the time it was in need of a respray as the gelcoat had mottled for some reason and I didn't really have the money to get it done properly, and was looking for a change. If I recall a Mk1 Scirocco Storm followed it.
I suspect if someone offered mine back to me I'd struggle to resist the temptation. Whether it's worth taking on someone else's one - I'd think twice unless it was in good condition on a solid base. As a piece of kit car history, they're certainly important and worth preserving, but I could see that the expense and trouble of restoring one that had been neglected probably wouldn't be worth it. One of the bigger stumbling blocks is the windscreen - supply of these has been patchy to say the least after Sam sold the manufacturing rights. Also, because they use the Beetle chassis, the body has to add a lot of strength to it, similarly across the front to hold nose of the car - if the fibreglass has deteriorated it'd be a lot of work to put right.
Most would have used the earlier swing arm rear suspension, and that's never going to work well. You'd need to replace that straight away which is going to be a substantial job.
The rear of the car now looks very dated on all but the MkIV versions - Sam had redesigned this to bring it up to date and credit where it's due he did a good job. The louvred covers on a lot of the cars also date it quite badly. The rest of it is fairly timeless though and wouldn't look out of place on the road even now.
The car really does need the right wheels and tyres. Too many ran with too narrow a tyre on the back, and looking at mine now could even that could warrant a wider track at the front.
Good ones must be out there somewhere, but there's a lot to avoid as well imho.
In a way yes I do regret getting rid of it now, but at the time it was in need of a respray as the gelcoat had mottled for some reason and I didn't really have the money to get it done properly, and was looking for a change. If I recall a Mk1 Scirocco Storm followed it.
I suspect if someone offered mine back to me I'd struggle to resist the temptation. Whether it's worth taking on someone else's one - I'd think twice unless it was in good condition on a solid base. As a piece of kit car history, they're certainly important and worth preserving, but I could see that the expense and trouble of restoring one that had been neglected probably wouldn't be worth it. One of the bigger stumbling blocks is the windscreen - supply of these has been patchy to say the least after Sam sold the manufacturing rights. Also, because they use the Beetle chassis, the body has to add a lot of strength to it, similarly across the front to hold nose of the car - if the fibreglass has deteriorated it'd be a lot of work to put right.
Most would have used the earlier swing arm rear suspension, and that's never going to work well. You'd need to replace that straight away which is going to be a substantial job.
The rear of the car now looks very dated on all but the MkIV versions - Sam had redesigned this to bring it up to date and credit where it's due he did a good job. The louvred covers on a lot of the cars also date it quite badly. The rest of it is fairly timeless though and wouldn't look out of place on the road even now.
The car really does need the right wheels and tyres. Too many ran with too narrow a tyre on the back, and looking at mine now could even that could warrant a wider track at the front.
Good ones must be out there somewhere, but there's a lot to avoid as well imho.
I had one as my first car 
I originally went to look at a Quantum and the guy selling had just got a Nova in and I ended coming away with that instead
It needed a fair bit of work though, and although I did a few modifications I was never really happy with how it drove. and eventually I sold it and bought a Ginetta.
I still think one day I might buy another and get rid of most of that beetle stuff Replace it with mr2 stuff at the back and maybe some double wishbones at the front
I also think it would probabley float quite well, So would make a great amphibious car!!!
I originally went to look at a Quantum and the guy selling had just got a Nova in and I ended coming away with that instead
It needed a fair bit of work though, and although I did a few modifications I was never really happy with how it drove. and eventually I sold it and bought a Ginetta.
I still think one day I might buy another and get rid of most of that beetle stuff Replace it with mr2 stuff at the back and maybe some double wishbones at the front
I also think it would probabley float quite well, So would make a great amphibious car!!!
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