Bill and Deb Peterson's Original Survivor - Tan - 1965

Grandma's 1965 Chevy II Series 400 Nova Sedan


This car has been through three generations in the Peterson family. This 1965 Chevy II Nova sedan originally belonged to my grandparents, Florence and Elmer Peterson. She drove it to the grocery and the beauty parlor, as well as to work as head dietician at Oakwood High School. She retired in the early 1970s, and by the 1980s, she was driving less and less.

In 1982, my parents bought the Nova. They drove it to cruise-ins at first, but after my dad started playing senior sports (softball, volleyball), the Nova spent long sojourns in various garages. In the 30 years that my parents owned the Nova, they drove the car less than 300 miles.

In January of 2012, my parents passed the Nova to me and my wife. While we are now the owners, this is not our first experience with grandma's Nova. In spring of 1974, I borrowed the Nova from Grandma so we could attend the Fairmont East High School prom. I wish we would have known that we would own the car 39 years later. We certainly would have taken a picture of us with the car, to help us compare then and now.

The interior, exterior and tires are original. The 230 cu. in. L-6 engine and the power glide transmission are also original. The car has less than 20,000 miles on her.

We affectionately refer to the Nova as "Florence" for even though my name is on the title, it will always be my grandma's Nova.