Why didn’t Chevy sell more than 23,000 Nomads throughout their three-year run in the mid-1950s? It was part of the top-of-the-line Bel Air series, so there were plenty of creature comforts. They sold plenty of other station wagons across the 150, 210, and Bel Air portfolios, including the Bel Air 4-door wagon. So perhaps it boiled down to it having just two doors on this Sport Wagon. Who knows. This 1957 edition is in beautiful condition having been recently secured from 20 years of storage as part of an estate sale. It’s not perfect, but it’s far nicer than this other ’57 Nomad we ran across this week. Located in Orange, California, this Chevy even has factory air conditioning and is available here on eBay where $45,555 hasn’t gotten the job in terms of the seller’s reserve.
Of the Tri-Five Nomads, the ’57 version is the rarest at 6,000+ copies. From the cowl forward, it carried a Bel Air front clip. But from there back, it was its own special design that was inspired by a Corvette show car and applied to the new Pontiac Safari, which was also built in 1955-57 but at two-thirds the numbers. This Nomad has seen little action in the past two decades and the seller managed to secure it from an estate that didn’t have much history to share. There is no rust on the car anywhere with no mention of the paint being original. With a little “touch-up” it could be quite the looker.
The V8 under the hood is “correct” (does that mean it was replaced?), but we don’t know if it’s a 265 cubic inch motor or the 283 which was new that year. The seller provides a variety of photos, but they don’t show the wagon in the best light or even in its entirety. It’s a well-equipped Chevy with power steering and rare A/C which is going to need attention. The black and silver interior is also “correct”, so again has that been redone in original materials?
We don’t know if things like fluids and tires have been changed after being in storage for many years. But the seller did bring up the California registration to current and no back fees are due. The odometer reflects 37,000 miles, but that could easily be on its second time around. The car is said to “run, drive and stop” without an adjective to say how well. So perhaps some TLC is in the next owner’s future. It still surprises me that the Nomad was not a bigger seller back in the 1950s.
People bought wagons for utilitarian purposes and a 4 door was a much better choice for that especially with a family. Wagons were looked as Grandpa or family cars back then so younger folks without families didn’t want them is my guess. so why buy a fancy 2 door wagon when you can buy a bel air coupe instead and look cool not like grandpa. My buddy had one a 57 40 years ago that he bought for 300 it was the stripper version I think a 210 handyman and he lived in it for a while until he could afford rent.This car is a beauty I love it .Need to know if it’s a #’s car for that kind of scratch imo.glwts.
I just hope it doesn’t go to the … I gotta LS SWAP IT crowd. Anyone that butchers something like this… Give me 10 minutes with them 😂😆
That’s a good question and I agree. But if they built say 123,000 would they be worth as much?
To the people from the generation this was built in, as was said families didn’t want a 2Dr station wagon that the kids were constantly climbing over the seat to get in and out. Young people (me) didn’t want anything that resembled a family care especially a station wagon. Now at 80 I would gladly sacrifice some of my nonfunctional body parts to have that, but I don’t have the cash to spare. Lol
I always liked the Nomads, and I was 14 when this one was on the market. Today everyone seems to drive SUVs (and this was basically a fore runner.
The Nomad was more expensive than a Belair convertible, which probably dissuaded most buyers who wanted a wagon. No denying that they were gorgeous though.
Sun’s are nothing but a short wheel base chopped off rear end station wagon. When people catch on to that the SUV will disappear.
I am also Bob P’s age and remember these when they were new and I loved them then as much as I do now. I honestly don’t remember any of my peers saying they thought these were old folks’cars. They were very high end and expensive and have always had a large following just because of the cool factor. My dad had a 57 BelAire 4 door sedan, I drove it but when I went in the drive in, It was Daddy’s Car, whose got Daddy’s car. Very embarrassing, I hate 4 doors to this day!
This Nomad looks good, but I suspect there might be a few surprises, it really depends on the price.
Beautiful……Love to have it in my garage.
A really beautiful car. I remember in the summer of 1961, I was 6 years old, my Uncle had a ’56 Nomad, I remember it was light blue and white and that it had only 2 doors and that the tail gate leaned way in, I thought. He always bought new cars and kept them for many years. He is gone now, but I do wander if he knew what he had at the time. He was a carpenter and maybe bought a wagon for that purpose and to haul the wife and kids on the weekends.
Nice I would love to have it but I’m not in a position to drop that kind of coin on a toy
Sport wagon? So who decided to put that name to one. GM never did.
Fastback, Sportback
Tomato, Tomatoe
It was a sport Wagon.. 2 door hardtop style.. it was originally a corvette wagon.
I thought it was a shooting brake.
The “Sport Wagon” term came to life technically with the Trans Am Sport Wagon concept car ’78 and ’79. Realistically the first actual one that really was sporty was the Corvette one. If if not mistaken 6 were built. It’s a shame Chevy didn’t officially call it Sport Wagon.
C’mon man !-Nobody yet caught
that fellow from OZ on what he said Whattabout the BUICK Sport Wagon? It was their version of Vista Cruiser I Almost got a 66 one black with red interior Very cool.
Eons ago when I was in high school I had a friend who’s older brother was into 57 Nomads. He had two, one for a daily driver. This was a very nice car with a 327 3speed. The other was just like the one in the story. It was restored to perfection and of course had EVERY OPTION in the book and more. I don’t know what happened to these cars. (GRANDMA FINANCED THE BROTHER’S HABIT.)
I’ve always liked the Nomad style and have owned one for 40 years. At my present age, I find that I require a bit of “squirming” to bend low in order to clear the roof edge on entry and exiting….Which reminded me as to what one of the major complaints was back in ’55….Men wore hats back in the day…real hats with brims and found that they had to remove them to get in. Other than that, your other readers were right…wagon buyers wanted 4 doors..
Cool as F Sport Wagon. The black helps the chrome pop. Be fun to cruise to the car club.
Nothing beats black and chrome.
Some talk about “families wanted 4 doors” but in the other camp were folks that were wary of rear doors for their kids sake-with the 2 doors no one was going anywhere until the front seats were vacant and pushed forward!
Classic Nomad colors on an iconic car. The factory a/c and p/s certainly make it more attractive to a certain demographic :) Like so many of the desirable cars of the last quarter century, the ask may have outrun the willingness of people to pay the freight. It’s clearly out of the grasp of the average car nut. I hope I live long enough to see the values fall to earth…..not my car or yours of course :)
No question, the Nomads were very good-looking and this one in black is beautiful, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black one, and with factory Air conditioning, making this one very rare. I have lived in the San Fernando Valley all my life, I seem to remember these were very popular with the surfer crowd, along with the real woodys. As good-looking as they are, I never understood a 2 door wagon. It couldn’t be very practical. I know Ford also offered a 2 door wagon in the Ranch wagon model. I have always loved station wagons, but I would never own a 2 door. Even though the wagons with the fake woodgrain panels make more sense than the 2 door wagons, and if you think about it. vinyl woodgrain paneled wagons didn’t make much sense either, but they made more sense than a 2 door wagon. But that’s just me. That said, a car with factory Air conditioning from the late 50s is pretty rare, I’d love to see how that looked.
Not everything is practical and practical means different things to different people.
I’m born in 57 so this is my all time fav car. And if I ever have a chance again will own another one of them. If I would of used my head wouldn’t have sold the one I used to have owned.. And maybe someday now that I’m single again I will own another one all dicked out with all the goodies
I was born in 56 came home from the hospital,in my folks 55 nomad. They bought it about 7 months prior to my birth I was the 3rd of three boys but the old man wasn’t ready to give up his cool car mentality so he figured a family of five would all fit in the nomad. I think for the time and the family situation that was about the coolest car a guy with a family could have and still be somewhat practical. Course pop had dual glass packs and baby moons ,plum/grape. Many drive in movie and summer vacations remembered in that car. About 64 or 65 pop decided that they were going to be collectible in a few more years, so he bought three more and stored them away in my grandmother’s garage and a couple other places. Sat on them till about late 90s. When he pulled them out and sold them. I didn’t complain too much about my dad being in to cars I always had something kind of cool to drive either a Riviera or nomad or cameo pickup,eldorado , 56 MARK II CONTINENTAL.citreon SM. B The nomad is the foundation of my childhood. Didn’t know how good we had it post war till it was gone
Yes, that was the best time.
A gentleman in our town was a sign painter and his “truck” was a ’55 Nomad. He used this Nomad for years and I regularly saw him in the truck garage at H.J. Heinz Co. painting the Heinz sign and logo on the doors of new trucks. The wagon was always parked inside as he worked, and I could see that it was well used, as the linoleum cargo area was speckled with many colours.
The Nomad, like the ’68 Dodge Charger, is an impossible dream of mine. Love them both. Glwts.
Ya know talking about 2-4 door wagons,my pop bought a brand new 62 Ford loaded 4 dr. Wagon. Summer of 62, we were headed to the drive-in theater. Went around a corner, rear pass. door came open, my 3 yr. old brother went flying out, landed in the middle of the highway. He had a blanket wrapped around him. Thank God. E.R. trip, was ok. Car was traded next week week, no more 4drs,ever. Short story of years ago.
A lot of people shared that fear back then.
I fell out of a ’53 Ford sedan in the same manor your brother did. Might have been six or seven at the time. Mom replaced the Ford with a ’62 Corvair sedan. Turned that car upsidedown when a rear tire blew. My little brother was onboard and got bounced around on the headliner.