Two Custom Chevy Novas Headline Mecum Houston Auction Block
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector
Muscle car fans will have a chance to bid on two stunning Chevrolet Novas this weekend as Mecum Auctions brings a high-powered duo of bowtie classics to the block on Saturday, April 5, during its 2025 Houston event.
Leading the pair is a meticulously restored 1967 Chevy II Nova Custom, finished in eye-catching Marina Blue with a tan hand-crafted interior. Under the hood lies a Magnuson-supercharged 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 paired to a 4L65E automatic transmission with a B&M bump shifter, generating substantial street and strip performance. Additional highlights include Snow Performance water-methanol injection, a ChassisWorks powder-coated frame, Mustang II front suspension with coilovers, rear air shocks, Wilwood 4-wheel disc brakes, and Boyd Coddington wheels. The cabin houses modern touches like Auto Meter gauges, a Pyle double-DIN multimedia unit, and a full Alpine sound system with dual 12-inch subwoofers.
Built for performance and show appeal, this Nova has been stripped of its heater and A/C systems, and even has capped wipers—underlining its purpose-built nature as a true pro-touring cruiser.
Joining it on the auction floor is a tastefully customized 1963 Chevrolet Nova Convertible, featuring a 6.0-liter V-8 and 4L60 automatic transmission. This drop-top combines vintage flair with modern refinement, including a leather interior, air conditioning, power windows, and a tilt steering column. Its mechanicals are equally impressive, with a Heidts front end, rack and pinion steering, 4-link rear suspension, and a 9-inch Ford rear end. Like its coupe counterpart, it rides on Boyd Coddington wheels and is brought to a stop by Wilwood disc brakes at all four corners.
With contrasting personalities—one a hard-edged restomod, the other a refined cruiser—both Novas reflect the enduring appeal of Chevrolet's compact muscle car platform, and both will cross the Mecum Houston block with high expectations from bidders.
To see the full selection of cars selling at Mecum Houston on April 3-5, visit Mecum.com.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Miami Herald
Class-Action Lawsuit Targets Tesla Over Repair Restrictions and Odometer Practices
You paid $80,000 for a Cybertruck, hold the title, and park it in your driveway, but a single pothole can leave you pleading for help. When Reddit user u/IcerC faced a $34,013 repair bill after hitting a washed-out road, Tesla demanded $21,076 for VIN-locked parts and four months of downtime to fix its stainless steel "tank." The kicker? Insurance covered the cost, but the real damage was exposed: ownership dies when corporations control the parts, labor, and timeline of repairs. Tesla's repair monopoly doesn't just cost owners money; it undermines their control over their own vehicles. Tesla's proprietary software locks basic functions like air suspension calibration behind digital gates that only its technicians can bypass. VIN-locked components turn salvaged parts into paperweights when remotely disabled. Warranty policies allegedly discourage third-party repairs through restrictive practices, despite federal protections under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The "Odometergate" lawsuit exposes systemic manipulation. Tesla allegedly inflates odometer readings using energy-consumption algorithms rather than actual mileage. One Model Y owner faced a $10,000 suspension repair bill after his warranty expired prematurely, as claimed in court filings. This built-in failure keeps drivers stuck in an unavoidable cycle: owners race to Tesla service centers before coverage lapses, only to face denied claims for prior repairs. Legacy automakers prove EV complexity doesn't require repair tyranny. Ford's F-150 Lightning provides independent shops with diagnostic access through standard OBD-II ports. GM's Ultium platform uses modular components priced 40% below Tesla's proprietary parts. The financial toll is undeniable. Tesla's parts and labor reportedly exceed competitors' prices by up to 66%, with wait times for restricted parts stretching months. A Model 3 cabin heater replacement runs $920 versus $320 for a comparable Chevrolet Bolt unit. Tesla's services revenue for 2024 was $10.5 billion, 9% of total earnings, growing 26% every year precisely because of this racket. With this kind of profit center built into the business model, it's clear how Tesla's meme stock came to be: the books are cooked against the consumer. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson has given the go-ahead for a class-action suit accusing Tesla of antitrust violations by "tying" essential repair parts and software to its own service network. If successful, the case could force Tesla to open its parts catalog and diagnostic tools to independent shops-something drivers say would cut repair bills and shorten wait times. For now, anyone facing a six-figure repair estimate will be watching this decision closely: it could reshape how and where Tesla owners get their vehicles fixed. At the end of the day, owning an EV shouldn't mean signing up for a lifelong subscription to the manufacturer's repair department. When a single software-locked component can cost more than a year's worth of car payments, it's time to ask whether you truly own your truck or simply rent it from the factory. If you value affordable repairs and faster turnaround, consider models that support third-party maintenance and offer standard OBD-II access. The right to fix your own car is the clearest test of ownership. No fine print. No strings attached. Read the full article here Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Motor 1
16-05-2025
- Motor 1
A Supercharged V-8 Ranger Raptor R Exists, But Not From Ford
You can buy a Ford Ranger Raptor in the United States. It starts around $57,000, which gets you an upgraded suspension with Fox shocks and a twin-turbocharged V-6 making 405 horsepower. It's a neat truck, but V-8 swapping Ford Rangers is an American pastime. Turns out, it's an Australian pastime, too. This isn't just a V-8-swapped Ranger, though. A company called Killa Conversions & Performance essentially built their own Ranger Raptor R with a supercharged V-8 under the hood. It's called the Raptr8 S, and it uses a third-generation 5.0-liter Coyote engine crowned with a Roush supercharger, among other things. The result is 750 hp—30 more than you get in the American F-150 Raptor R with its Predator-derived 5.2-liter engine. The Australian tuning company shared the news on social media with a cool video and a brief announcement. We don't know what kind of upgrades are included, but we assume it's close (if not identical) to the current Raptr8 listed on their website. That truck only has 460 hp courtesy of its naturally aspirated Coyote V-8 swap. Since it's based on a normal Ranger Raptor, the long-travel suspension is left untouched. Brakes are also stock, though upgrades are available. The company does add a beefed-up 10-speed automatic transmission for both the Raptr8 and the new Raptr8 S. Stuffing a supercharged V-8 under the hood isn't cheap. The conversion alone costs $89,000 in Australian currency, which equals about $57,000 US greenbacks. However, The Drive points out that other high-performance trucks like the F-150 Raptor R—which isn't officially sold in Australia but can be imported—sell for much higher prices. With the price of a Ranger Raptor and the Killa Conversions & Performance upgrades combined, the cost comes in around $122,000 USD. That's expensive, but it's about $110,000 USD less than the cost of an imported F-150 Raptor R. And that much power in a Ranger feels like a small price to pay. V-8 All The Things: LS-Swap Your RC Car With This Scale-Model V-8 Engine LS-Swapped Porsche Cayenne Is the New King of Drift Cars Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Killa Conversions & Performance via The Drive Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )

The Drive
15-05-2025
- The Drive
Tuners Create Ford Ranger Raptor R With a Supercharged V8
The latest car news, reviews, and features. In case you hadn't heard, the Ford Ranger Raptor is a weapon. When my buddy Andrew reviewed it last March, he called it an 'instant classic,' and it even won The Drive 's Truck of the Year award. Not only is its Fox Live Valve suspension incredible, paired with that snazzy Watts link rear-end, but the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 is also mighty in its own right with 405 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. But what if Ford made a Ranger Raptor R with a V8? That's effectively what Killa Conversions and Performance out of Australia has created with its new supercharged Coyote V8 swap. It elevates the power specs to 750 hp and 670 lb-ft of torque thanks to a Roush blower. Importantly, this switcharoo also involves a transmission swap to the sturdier 10R80 from the stock 10R60 in the Ranger Raptor, Bronco Raptor, and Explorer ST. Now, I can't pretend to know what this rig is like to drive. But I imagine it compares similarly to the F-150 Raptor and its Raptor R counterpart. The supercharged, dual overhead cam 5.0-liter surely makes it faster on the top end and rowdier all around, if not necessarily better in most real-world situations. Both the F-150 and Ranger Raptor are more than capable enough; crank up the power and you start to see diminishing returns on handling and, crucially, balance. But whoever's willing to pony up nearly $57,000 USD on top of the cost of the truck probably cares more about V8 grunt anyway. You have to remember that this isn't being marketed in the States, where you can buy an F-150 Raptor R for $115,000. In Australia, one of those full-size monsters costs the equivalent of $230,000. That means this DIY Ranger Raptor R is a big bargain at the US equivalent of $125,000 all-in. The Gen 3 Coyote on its own wouldn't be a worthwhile swap. Sure, the noise is good, and even though the naturally aspirated V8 makes 460 hp on its own, it's actually down 10 lb-ft of torque compared to the 3.0-liter EcoBoost. That explains why Killa Conversions and Performance went all the way over the top with the supercharger. If it weren't for that, I'd feel a little meh about this truck. If you're going to eliminate the finesse of a factory-built rally truck with more power, you'd better give it enough to blow through the turns it can't make. I'd say that's exactly what they've done here. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@ From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.