The Chevy Nomad debuted at the 1954 GM Motorama as a two-door sport wagon with front-end styling taken from the 1954 Chevy Corvette. The grille was the Corvette’s oval with thirteen chrome-heavy “teeth,” chrome stone guards over the headlights, a forward sloping B-pillar, and taillights with mini fins resembling those of a jet. Five examples were completed for the show circuit, and three are known to still exist.
The Chevy Nomad entered production for the 1955 model year on the strength of the public response to the Motorama show car. The Corvette front-end styling had been dropped, as the Nomad would share the Bel Air platform. What was retained was the sport wagon roofline. The 1955 Nomad was powered by the 265 cubic-inch Small Block V8. Chrome trim on the Nomad was a bit more subdued than on the Bel Air, although the Nomad shared most of the Bel Air’s badging. Interior trim was much akin to the Bel Air, and the rear seats could be folded flat allowing for a much larger cargo area. The Nomad could be had with all the same options as the Bel Air hardtop, and with a $2,571 base price, was second only to the Corvette as Chevy’s most expensive offering.
The 1957 Chevy Nomad remained part of the Bel Air lineup, and offered much the same look and options as the Bel Air. Engine size had grown to 283 cubic inches. The Nomad retained its forward-canted B-pillars, sport wagon roofline, and split tailgate-and-glass arrangement.
Our feature 1957 Chevy Nomad is finished in Matador Red over a tan interior featuring tan vinyl and cloth bench seats. It is powered by a 283 cubic-inch Small Block backed by a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. The Nomad is equipped with tinted glass, seat belts, auxiliary gauges, an aftermarket stereo, and the factory clock. The engine has been dressed up with a chrome air cleaner cover and a set of finned aluminum Mickey Thompson valve covers. It rolls on painted steel wheels with full wheel covers and wide whitewall bias-ply tires.
This 1957 Chevy Nomad will cross the auction block at the Mecum Auctions Kissimmee event taking place January 2nd through the 14th.
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Comments
Nice wagon!
Excellent car all done wrong. They remake the whole interior to exact factory specs at Carsinc; why install that tan crap? It probably cost more to do it wrong. I just replaced all the interior in my 59 Impala from Carinc it looks fantastic, and not expensive, all matching the factory. Then they ruined the engine compartment what a shame. This being one of the most iconic wagons ever made, I hope it goes to someone with a brain that will make this car correct.
Couldn’t agree more. Not sure what is news worthy and special about a ’57 Chevy “restored” with velvet interior and JC Whitney dress up kits installed under the hood. Way to go the “extra mile” in the wrong direction, that interior is garbage….
I’ve restored many Chevy projects over the years, all models and of course the most fun were the “Tri-Five” Chevy’s. One thing that always gets to me though, is why some people who restore these popular cars see the need to go all out body wise, making it look totally stock, and then messing with the underhood area and especially the interior, using cheaper materials, sub standard patterns and or colors not of that manufacture “back in the day”. Yeah I know “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and every one takes their coffee just a little bit different….oh and the most famous reason for doing something like this is “there are lots of pure stock models like mine and so I wanted to be different”. Okay fine, I get it, but at some point the owners of these modified Tri-Five” Chevy’s will tire of their cars and they’ll attempt to sell them and usually they’ll have a ton of money into parts and labor and when they go to auction or attempt to unload them, they never seem to realize that the ones that are “pure stock and done to a higher restoration level” are the ones that most people want and are willing to pay good money for those restored to a more stock configuration.
There are those who want their Tri-Five to be modified in a certain way, and it’s their choice but I’d always warn them “you looking to simply drive this car and then unload it or are you serious about a perfect restoration show car”?
It always comes down to “taste”, you give the customer what they want but things change in life and I always tell them to look ahead a few years and that their Tri-Fives can be slightly modified using stock appearing parts and colors but with some mods that only they’ll know about that’ll improve the cars ability to travel or drive more more safely.
Some listen, some don’t…and so the vehicles is restored to their own defined levels. This particular Tri-Five ’57 from the outside appears very much stock but “hoo boy, that interior is a disaster both in materials and in color” and while someone certainly took the time to make it this way, it’s going to take a “lower ball hit” on the auction block as the stock materials and colors would have really added to the resoration and it’s resale value. Same goes for the underhood area, Simply changing the looks back to a stock configuration with period correct parts, air filter, plug wires, heater hoses, period correct valve covers, maybe an original style generator but with the internals of an altenator, could easily increase the value. These are items that I’ve found most folks look for when they go looking for an unscale Tri-Five unless it’s their goal to buy a modified Tri-Five like this to begin with.
Anyway just my take on these amazing vehicles. I’m sure this car will sell at any auction it’s sent to, and it’ll bring a decent price but…those with the most amount of available cash in hand will always tend to gravitate those restored to a totally stock configuration, with some small mods like an overdrive transmission, or front disc brakes, things that are usually unseen but add to the driveability and give the Tri-Five a higher “Fun Factor” for it’s new owner. Ok, ‘Nuff said.
I like the exterior of this wagon but that interior no… If it where original two tone it would look much better in black and white or white and red but not tan 🤮 yuck! I only wish I could get different colors on an interior besides black, grey, tan and white …. And yes I know the Corvette offers colors but I would like red or blue in my equinox or traverse enough with the dark colors as the only option.