Loads of traditional American muscle vehicles compete at Gatebil, usually within the Excessive Time Assault collection. However one which additionally drifts and will be street-driven too? Naturally, I needed to take a better look.
This wide-body 1969 Chevrolet Nova ‘GTR,’ constructed by Andreas Solli, was one of many standout vehicles at Gatebil’s 2024 Foremost Occasion at Rudskogen Motorsenter in Norway. Amidst the signature smoke and chaos of the occasion, the Nova felt like a breath of contemporary air.
Andreas, a muscle automobile fanatic and workshop supervisor for a driveshaft store in Oslo, acquired the Nova in 2014 and has labored on it each winter since.
What started as a Nova base mannequin with an inline six-cylinder engine has developed into one thing wonderful, that includes a customized aero equipment largely crafted in Andreas’s house storage. The entrance splitter, air dam, facet skirts, and rear diffuser are all his handiwork.
The large 1,810mm-wide carbon fiber wing sourced from a British Stealth B6 GT1 racer is mounted with customized brackets, and it’s not only for present. This Nova actually does all of it, together with time assault. Finishing the outside is a customized bonnet.
Andreas runs two wheel/tire setups: for time assault occasions, 18×10.5-inch and 18×11-inch GS Efficiency 2002R wheels fitted with Yokohama A40 (tender) slicks, and for drifting, the identical wheels however in 18×9.5-inch, wrapped in 265/35R18 Sailun Atrezzo R01 rubber.
Stopping energy comes from a Chevrolet Corvette disk and caliper setup on the entrance and BAER brakes within the rear.
The stance is about by QA1 coilovers on each ends. The entrance subframe has been upgraded to a Corvette C6 unit; the rear boasts a customized 3-link configuration with a Watt’s linkage.
Inside, the dashboard is the one authentic Nova piece remaining, now housing a single Ecumaster ADU 7-inch show. The inside additionally options Sparco Circuit bucket seats, QSP 6-point racing harnesses, and an FIA-approved roll cage.
The carbon fiber heart console, a novel creation by Zyrus Engineering for the Zyrus LP1200 Lamborghini Huracán features a billet DCT sequential shifter tailor-made for drifting.
For decent laps, Andreas switches to an OMP steering wheel with a customized loadout that options an Ecumaster CANBUS card. The wheel has eight-position switches for adjusting energy ranges (increase) and traction management, plus devoted buttons for rolling launch management and scramble increase.
Andreas can even navigate by way of completely different screens on his sprint logger. The beginning/cease button is a contemporary contact, permitting the engine to fireplace up and energy off with a single push.
Below the Nova’s hood is an aluminum 5.3-liter LH6 V8, which Andreas chosen for its strong block and thick cylinder partitions.
Two Precision Turbo 6266 turbochargers with v-band turbine housings and HPO Motorsport 44mm wastegates are largely hidden from sight. Cooling is dealt with by an intercooler that Andreas and his buddy Einar constructed, plus a Hurricane radiator and a Setrab oil cooler.
In observe mode, at 1.6 bar (23.2psi) of increase and revved to 7,000 rpm, the Nova churns out round 1,000hp. Torque, in the meantime, peaks at 1,400Nm. Andreas additionally has a road turbo setup he can swap over to if required.
Energy is transmitted through a BMW E92 M3 dual-clutch 7-speed transmission, managed by a DKGECU transmission module from Sweden. Though it lacks auto-clutch engagement and no-lift shifting, Andreas can clutch kick throughout drifting.
As talked about, the Nova can simply be switched to a street-legal specification, and it sees every day use in the course of the summer time. Andreas even took it on a ten,000-kilometer highway journey from Norway to Spain.
He isn’t completed but both; a greater suspension system and extra weight-reducing modifications are on the horizon. I can’t wait to see Andreas and his Nova tear up Rudskogen Motorsenter at Gatebil’s Foremost Occasion subsequent yr.
Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa
