The 1962 Chevy II was introduced to be a rival of the Ford Falcon. It was sporty, simple, and conventional.
The Chevy II came in three series and five body styles: 100, 300, and Nova 400 series.
The majority of the styling remained for the 1972 Chevelle, but included a new grille and new parking lights mounted on the leading edges of the fenders.
Lower displayed performance was evident because GM required all performance numbers to be reported as net engine ratings.
The 1971 Nova remained mostly the same with the exception of the loss of simulated fender vents. The 396 was now gone as top engine choice leaving only the 350ci for the performance seekers.