ROGAN NOVA BREAKS COVER
> PURE VISION’S LATEST CREATION FOR PODCASTER JOE ROGAN WAS A SHOWSTOPPER AT SEMA 2021
WHETHER you love, hate or are gloriously indifferent to US podcast giant Joe Rogan, there is no doubt the bloke loves his cars and is prepared to spend big to achieve his automotive dreams.
His latest commission is a 1969 Chevrolet Nova, built by Steve Strope and his team at Pure Vision Design in California and unveiled at the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The build blew minds in bare metal at the 2019 Grand National Roadster Show and also appeared on the April 2019 cover of Hot Rod. Dubbed the Rnova, the build was inspired by Chris Banning’s infamous chopped Porsche 911 Turbo that ruled LA’S Mulholland Drive street racing scene in the late 1970 and early 1980s – and inspired the 1982 film, King of the Mountain. In short, the Nova has been built to drive hard on the street.
To provide strong foundations, the Pure Vision team sourced front and rear subframes from Art Morrison, complete with a multi-link IRS and C6 ZR1 Corvette hubs on each corner. The underpinnings are tucked up tight, giving over seven inches of ground clearance.
For a driveline, GM donated a factory-blown, 6.2-litre LT4 engine, backed by a T56 Tremec ’box.
The real magic sauce is the bodywork, which includes blending in ’69 Camaro-style wheel openings and fender ‘spears’. This gives the Nova a real Coke-bottle shape and adds three inches to the car’s width without flaring or stretching.
Other Camaro-inspired elements include the door handles and deck spoiler.
That is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the metal magic performed by frequent Strope collaborator, Joey Angelo.
“What I wanted from it was to look like GM stamped it,” Strope told Hot Rod back in 2019. The interior is equally impressive, the highlight being a 1966 Corvair Corsa dashboard that has been split, widened and beautifully integrated as if it was always meant to be there. Rogan’s impressive car collection is best saved for another article, but Aussies will be most familiar with his Chip Foose-designed ‘Sick Fish’ Barracuda, which was built by Rad Rides By Troy and inspired Graeme Cowin to create his Smoty-winning King Kong ’Cuda.