Parkwood was the name used briefly for 1959-61 to represent the Bel Air equivalent of Chevrolet’s line of station wagons. It was positioned above the Brookwood and below the Nomad. Chevy would discontinue those designations for 1962, opting to name these wagons after their series names, the Biscayne, Bel Air, and Impala. This ’61 Parkwood is a one-owner vehicle with a recently rebuilt and tweaked small-block V8. It will need a little body and interior work and then be good to go. Located in Redwood City, California, it’s listed here on eBay where the bidding sits at $17,000, the reserve unmet, but interested parties can leap to the $23,000 Buy It Now price to end all the suspense.
For 1961, Chevy’s big cars (and wagons) lost the tailfins they had worn the two years prior. These cars were redesigned with the goal of helping more folks “See the USA in your Chevrolet” as sung by Dinah Shore in the 1950s. Buyers of the Parkwood wagon had their choice between a 235 cubic inch inline-six or the 283 V8, which delivered 170 hp. Buyers paid $110 extra to get a bigger engine, which surprisingly weighed five pounds less than the six. The seller’s wagon is numbers-matching, and the latter motor is what can be found under the hood.
This 283 was rebuilt and balanced about 750 miles ago. It has an upgraded camshaft with a new Flow Master exhaust system. A brand-new set of tires sit on each point, as well. With 3-on-the-tree for shifting gears, we’re told the wagon drives and shifts well. Mechanically it appears to be a solid car that you could take anywhere, even with 119,000 miles on the odometer. These were popular transports with families who needed more room and Chevy built more than 12,200 Parkwood’s in 1961.
At first glance, the body and paint look nice. It carries its factory fawn-on-fawn color scheme, which suggests it has been repainted at least once. But there are a couple of places where rust is poking through and should be attended to before they get worse. And there are a few dings and small dents here and there. The undercarriage looks nice for a 60-year-old car and the seller says the floors are in perfect condition. The interior is going to need some help, though. The seller will send along a new carpet set and headliner, but given that there is a blanket over the front seat, we suspect it will need recovering.
Most of the online price guides are focused on the Bel Air’s and Impala’s, but NADA does say the 1961 Parkwood will vary from $16,000 to $69,000 depending on condition. The latter number sounds high, but given the known things this wagon will require, the seller may be right on the mark for what he wants to get out of it.
I can’t remember the last time I saw one! Super rare car today and in really good shape. I would think that 23K would be a good price. Good looking wagon and I’m glad there are still some around to appreciate. They went unloved for a long time.
I recall my Grandparents test driving one
in the fall of 1960 before settling for a ‘
leftover ’60 Nomad wagon instead. The
car they test drove was a very dark red
with a cream roof. And boy, did that wagon look sharp! Think it was a 3-seater that had the big 348 4 barrel under the hood backed by an automatic transmission. Seems like Grandpa couldn’t get enough of a trade price for
his ’58 Ford Fairlane wagon so he took
the Nomad which was no slouch either.
It had a 283/Powerglide automatic and
was a 2-seat model. So it was a win win
for my Grandparents who saw the USA
in their Chevrolet.
Under the bonnet looks ridiculous
There used to be a ’61 Parkwood around here, started out as this one’s tired identical twin down to colors and all except an I-6. Now turned into an extremely sweet soft custom in a nice metallic green with ghost flames, lowered suspension and 18inch wheels. Nothing crazy just a mild 350/700 combo, but the color, stance and wheel package makes it resemble a real-life Hot Wheels toy car
https://www.ht.no/bildeserie/article8158211.ece
IMO the ’61 Chev is the most beautiful X-frame vintage ever
To be more accurate, instead of saying they “lost their tailfins”, I would say they lost their gullwings of the previous years.
My brother in law had one white 3 on the tree with a 283 till one day going to work on rt 130 feel asleep hit tje medium and flip it 3 times
Hadn’t the Nomad reverted to being the cheapie model by this point?
Cool
Nice. The steering wheel is different. I thought they had the one with the small circles on it. Love that it’s a 3 on the tree…
This is a Bel-Air steering wheel. Only Impalas had the trim with the holes in it.
NO. Nomad was the top-line (Impala trimmed) wagon from 59-61. In 58 it was the top-line wagon, but there was no Impala SERIES in 58, so it was Bel-Air trimmed. The Nomad name did not show up on the cheapie Chevelle wagon until around 1968.
My family had a 1960 Kingswood 9 passenger wagon. It was my understanding that the Kingswood version was the top-line trim in that year. I don’t remember ever seeing a 1960 Nomad.
“original light rust is typical” Light?