Losses and Lessons: Trailered Nova II fights gravity, then sees the light (pole)

VEHICLE COVERED: 1966 Chevrolet Nova II custom

WHAT WENT WRONG: Even pampered classics can have a bad day once in a while. The owner of a 1966 Chevy Nova II custom trailered his car to a show, strapping it down and placing it in neutral before hitting the road. After arriving at the show, he unstrapped the car and prepared to ease it off the trailer, not realizing that he hadn’t put the car back in gear. The Nova II rolled backwards off the trailer and crashed into a light post.

DAMAGE/LOSS: The accident caused $4,500 in damages to the rear of the show car, which Hagerty paid. The good news is no one was standing behind the car when it rolled off the trailer; someone could have been severely injured.

LESSON: The owner of the Nova II did the right thing by placing the car in neutral while it rode in the trailer; the transmission could have been damaged had he left it in gear. The lesson: never unstrap a car you’re trailering until you put it in gear. To be doubly safe, use a set of wheel chocks (in front and behind a tire), and don’t remove them until the car is in gear.