Back in about 1991, I painted the grill and insides of the wheels black on my ’73 Nova. I thought it looked pretty cool at first, but it didn’t take long for the black paint to start flaking off of the chrome wheels. Here’s a photo taken while the paint was still fresh (and yes, those are zebra-striped seat covers on the front buckets.)

The point is, I’ve been a fan of the blacked-out look for some time, so I was happy when I found this Johnny Lightning Blacked Out 1968 Nova from the 2017 Street Freaks R3. This Set A variation wears gloss black paint and black wheels with chrome rings. The Nova in Blacked Out Set B – which I’m still on the lookout for –  is an even more attractive flat black with redline tires.

Johnny Lightning | JLSF005 | 2017 Street Freaks R3, Blacked Out Set A | 1968 Chevy Nova SS | Tuxedo black with collector’s card

I think this is the first JL third generation Nova that I’ve found since the 40 Years 1970 Nova came out in 2009. This is also the first JL 1968 Nova in my collection, although the casting appears to be identical to the 1969 and 1970.