Introduced at the 1954 General Motors Motorama in New York City, the Chevrolet Corvette Nomad concept was a sleek interpretation of what the family wagon could be. Adding a streamlined station wagon rear end to the back of a 1954 Corvette front produced a sexy American shooting brake. Though the car never came to fruition, it gave the public a look at what GM Styling could do.
The impression was so strong that fifty years later specialty builders Advanced Automotive Technologies would attempt to repeat the build with this 2004 Chevy Corvette coupe, for sale at Streetside Classics. The result is in the eye of the beholder.
Without a doubt, this is a polarizing build. The grille, done to ape the 1954 Corvette, misses the mark more than a little. The thirteen chrome teeth stick out too far from the grille opening, giving the appearance of a horse-toothed kid with braces. The arched front fenders try to blend the styling of the ’54 with the lines of the 2004 Chevy Corvette, with the end result being a front end that looks too long. Other styling cues like the partial front bumpers elicit the correct memories, but just. There is proper-looking side trim fitted.
Amidships, the doors remain original 2004 Chevy Corvette units. From the B-pillar to the leading edge of the windshield, little has been changed, and it is easily recognized as a C5 Corvette.
From the B-pillar back, however, is another story. The wagon greenhouse looks like a fat man wearing a little girl’s backpack. That giant bulbous butt has no tailgate. The greenhouse lifts to allow access to the luggage compartment. Admittedly, this would allow the carrying of somewhat larger parcels, but if that is your primary concern, a 2004 Chevy Corvette may not be the car you need. The latitudinal detail lines in the wagon roof transfer well from the original to this example.
The 1954-style taillights do not work here. They appear oversized and excessive. The rear bumperettes seem to flow well with the rounded rear. The back window looks like a tinted mail slot.
The interior features brilliant red leather with black stripes. Mirror-finished trim pieces have been fitted at the door sills. The lower door trim is black, and the driver’s side door shows ample heel scuffs. The traditionally black dash has been dyed red, as have the console and the vast majority of the interior trim in an attempt to copy early Corvette interiors. Here it seems a bit overwhelming.
In the engine bay, the fuel rail covers have been altered to look more like the 1954 Small Block valve covers. In the center, there is a 50th Anniversary Corvette emblem to signify the fifty years since the debut of the Corvette Nomad.
The problem here is the builders tried to do too much at once, and none of it fits together well. They tried to make the 2004 Chevy Corvette look like the 1954 Corvette Nomad, that was itself a 1954 Corvette with a station-wagon rear end grafted onto it. Whereas the experiment worked for the original because styling was cooperative, on the 2004 it just looks like a jumbled mess.
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Comments
I have unfortunately seen a couple of the refitted C5’s to look like a 53-55 model at Corvette Funfest. The retro just doesn’t fit regardless of it being a convertible or the shooting brake model. Even the 63 retros just don’t work.
If you want an early C1 or C2 there are repop bodies and you can build what you want with modern underpinnings. It’s not cheap, but neither are these refits.
no doubt about it , probably 1 of 1 , sometimes after you go so far there’s no stopping , it was not very well thought out
When you throw a lot of sh!t at the wall, sometimes you just end up with a lot of sh!t.
Saw this conversion (non wagon) at Sema when it was introduced. It looked even worse in real life.
Don’t be so harsh. While I myself am not a fan of Corvettes or this car, I DO give the builders credit for a very fine and detailed build. It must have taken thousands of man-hours and immense amounts of money, but sadly, as you stated, missed the mark. Actually, I think it might have looked pretty cool as just a roadster, minus the tail lights of course.
This isn’t a one off at all. This was sold as a kit. Callaway sold a shooting brake conversion. That also may be part of it although modified to fit the retro kit. So this isn’t the work of one builder but just a mish mash of aftermarket stuff and a whole lot of red paint.
Shooting Brake?
I was upset to read your comments about the Vette wagon. YOU put it in your forum then you cut it apart. If you didn’t like it you could have left it out. A lot of time, money and hard work went into the build. I look forward to your forum every day but your comments weren’t up to your usual good standards.
I like it as well the Calloway Sport wagon they designed. If you have a business and want something that will grab attention, then close in the back windows, paint your logo on there and you will definitely catch the eyeballs. You want to get noticed you have to do something different. “The uncommon men who take risks are those who bring change in a society living in fear of being truly unique”
Too Bad the Ringling Bros. circus is no more.
This would have made for a unique “clown car”
Just NO. A HOT MESS. Just because some folks put a lot of time, effort and money into something does not make it good. Kinda sad really.
Dare to be different and change the world. If we all worried about what the rest thought, did nothing like most of the rest , then we might as well drive off the top of the Grand Canyon. I am glad we have the ability to so such things, sadly there are a few that don’t appreciate this for what it is.
Yesiree. I’m glad there are a few here that respect this. We don’t have to like it but you gotta respect the guts the builder has to stand out and make people complain about that which they do know get. Because without all the ugliness and frustration and crazy automotive driven minds out there, we would not have the custom car industry as it is today. I’ve built and owned many weirdo rides and has been my business and hobby since birth. This isn’t just a quackadoodledoo brain freeze moment but a passion that has been a family tradition building cars that most people will never afford to own. Or they don’t have the guts to own. It’s just a small part of the multi-trillion dollar car-crazy thing most of us do every day.
WHY ARENT THERE MORE WAGONS??? I LOVE WAGONS!!!!!!
BECAUSE AMERICANS DON’T BUY THEM. THEY PREFER SUVS. Stupid Ugly Vehicles. lol
yea man. I’m not a fan of SUV’s, unless i need something for off-road. But for a utility city car, I much rather have a wagon or hatchback, same wheel base and ride height as a sedan but makes better use of the back area. I heard in Europe, there’s a lot more hatch and wagon options. Sucks we dont in North America.
if there was such a thing as a Corvette or Camaro hatchback I would buy one INSTANTLY.
Not my thing at all, but the build quality looks excellent. To each their own!
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There are things that could have done better, and I would have preferred the coupe roof or even the back of the ’64 coupe on this build. With the size of the car’s rear over the original, a second set of taillights immediately below the first would have been fitting as well, to maintain the 4 lights albeit vertical instead of horizontal layout but also carrying forward the 1950s trend that saw more and more flare being added to the cars as the decade progressed (I’m looking at you, Cadillac).
Overall, the coupe roof would reduce the rear end bulkiness, but there is no getting away from the fact that the C6 Corvette as built has a rather fat rear end, even if this was built on a C4 chassis. The front fenders over the wheels on this car even feel a lot like the C6.
Everything from the nose grill to the cabin was done spot on correct. Yes, it has those huge verticle fins – hey Mr. Hatfield, pull your head out of your rear and take a good long look at the nose of the 1953-1954 model, it has all these features you hate. Truth be told, you’d probably hate the 1953-1953 model if Covette hadn’t already built it first.
All this car needs with rhe coupe rear roof is a 7.75 second engine with turbo setup from Texas Speed.