Nova 350 vs Duster 340

That vintage Nova was/is a good looking body style and, equipped correctly, were a force to be reckoned with on the street back in the day.
I'm not sure just how good the magazine driver was for the Duster 340/4 speed test since they reportedly ran the quarter in 14.49 seconds with a 3.91 rear gear. The best my old '69 340 Swinger ran in G/Pure Stock trim with a 727 and 3.23 non-Sure Grip gear was 14.28 @ 98+ mph.

Hey Divenut, liked your story. It reminded me of the time I was heading home after being out on Whittier Blvd one weekend night in my '69 340 Swinger (same car as mentioned above) when a 396 Chevelle pulled up alongside while I was stopped at a red light. We both knew what was coming next since there wasn't any traffic around.
The light turned green and I never saw his front fender alongside me until he caught me at the next light. He rolled his passenger window down and asked, "What have you got in there?"
I just said, "A small block", and enjoyed the look on his face as the light turned green and I drove off.
The Chevelles were heavier and couldn't leave like the light Darts and high-winding 340. The big block could catch you on the top end but never in the "stop light to stop light grand prix".
Great times back then.