The Chevy Nomad is most remembered as being the iconic “sport wagon” of the “Tri-Five” era (1955 to 1957). Even though the original concept of the wagon was dropped after 1957, the name lived on through 1961 – applied to a 4-door family transport. For 1961, it was the top-of-the-line station wagon with seating for up to nine passengers. The seller’s example looks to be original and baked by the Texas sun. And it has factory air conditioning, a somewhat rare option in those days.
In the 1950s through the 1970s, Chevrolet would sporadically name their wagon differently from their automobiles. In the case of the 1961 Nomad, it was the equivalent of the Chevy Impala. The Brookwood and Parkwood would track with the Biscayne and Bel Air models. Though the Nomad was an Impala, it only had four taillights (instead of six) like the other two wagons. The following year, all that separation would end – at least for a few years. Chevrolet would resurrect the Nomad name again in 1968 as part of its mid-size Chevelle wagon lineup.
Though this Nomad resides in New England now, it once was an inhabitant of Texas which may explain its lack of major rust. The blue and white two-tone paint has loads of patina and the finish may very well be original. So is the interior, but it’s fared worse than the exterior and will need a complete makeover. Chevrolet built more than 31,000 of the 9-passenger wagons in 1961, and yet when was the last time you saw one?
Under the hood resides a 283 cubic inch V8 engine which turns but does not start. It’s paired with a Powerglide automatic transmission (2-speed), and new tires were installed before the wagon went up for sale. There may be some issue with the title as it’s listed as “Rebuilt, Rebuildable & Reconstructed” or maybe it was simply lost at one time. From Worcester, Massachusetts, this nifty project is available here on eBay where $10,000 has yet to crack the seller’s reserve. Also, some of the photos make it look like the wagon sits low in the rear. Camera angle or potential issue?
Is that so? A 4 door Nomad, I never knew, or more accurately, never really cared. Seems to be a resurgence of wagons lately, and for good reason. They worked well then, and can still work today. Like previous posts show, mag wheels really spruce up a wagon, and the same here, I bet. The a/c, that looks aftermarket, as I read, less than 15% of cars sold in 1961 had a/c. and most all were down south. By 1969, almost half the cars made had A/c. The back springs are stacked out, 10 sheets of drywall will do that. Or a “load” of family, heck, grandma was pert near 300 lbs herself. It’s a pretty neat find, I don’t know if anyone interested in such a car is willing to do a restoration. They obviously have the money, just buy a nice one.
The Frigidaire rotary compressor indicates it’s factory A/C. Aftermarket A/C did not use a rotary compressor.
Thanks, just shows to go ya’, how often we saw a/c systems in cars up north then. Heck, we didn’t even have it in our homes yet. My grandfather,( the Packard one) in 1963, had central air installed in his home because of my grandmothers health. It was so unusual to be cool in the summer. All we had was a fan and just sweated it out. My old man was a long time holdout on a/c. I don’t think he understood where the cool air came from. Surely must be toxic,,,or so he thought.
there was a Nomad Vega also. and the A/C in the big Nomad is factory.
The Nomad name continued as a top of the line 4-door wagon beginning in 1958. My dad bought one and the gas station guys all crowded around it to “check the oil” knowing it had the 348 Tri power engine. The Brookwood had the 2 door body.
Just goes to show you don’t know everything – the 4dr Nomad came out just after the 2dr stopped.
Just look at all of the factory air components on the firewall.
Russ, the name Nomad was also used in 58, 70, and 71…
The 1970-71 models that used the Nomad name were Malibu wagons. The `58-`60 models were full-size 4dr. wagons like this `61.
The Nomad moniker was also used on an upscale trimmed model Chevy van from around ‘78-‘80. I worked at a Chevy house in OKC and ordered a 1978 Chevy G20 Nomad fully loaded with a skinny block 400 and turbo 400 trans. They were basically trimmed out like the top model Beauville, except there was no side glass in the rear cargo area and those rear interior walls were finished with a wood look paneling. It was an awesome lake going machine. Room for friends, lots of cargo and would tow the big tri-hull like nothing was behind it!
Nothing wrong with 4 doors on any wagon no matter what you call it,I still have a problem with 4 door Chargers..
It was a missed opportunity for Dodge in all those years not to do a “2 door Charger” April Fools’ prank, complete with glamour shots of a new Charger with the rear doors removed leaving their gaping holes.
You’re so right about 4 door chargers. They’re not for me.
GM only built 4-door wagons of this generation. Apparently sales of the ’59-60 2 door wagons had been low enough to be unprofitable.
Basically so did the other makes….with a few exceptions.
Not the original paint
Fisher Body Plate shows a 970 paint code.
Arbor Beige Upper
Fawn Beige Lower
Oops
Not Arbor Beige but Almond Beige
The door jambs are still metallic beige, which coincides with the interior colors, or what’s left of them anyway.
Those rear bumper steps are rare. We had a ’61 Parkwood – 6 and stick – different blue with a white top. Last year for a tube radio if you skipped the push-button option. We all climbed in for several laps around the block when the odometer turned to all zeros.
Howard, my dad got central air in the late 60’s also as my late brother and I had bad allergies, didn’t help we had a small chicken farm.Of course we had a Sears/Kenmore unit.
Number of doors becomes a secondary concern when you have a tailgate.
looks like a A6 Frigidaire compressor….rebuilt many of them. An odd swashplate 6 cylinder on an axial plane….but for many years the best working compressor out there
Mine was a 1961 Brookwood 6 seater, RHD manual, and I used to drive it from Harare, Zimbabwe, to Ndola, Zambia overnight on a Sunday and return overnight on the Friday, a distance of 1070 miles, every second week for 2 months and that Chevy, five up plus luggage, never missed a beat! It was such a good car that it nearly made me change from being a Ford man (no chance) to a Chev man.
61 Chevies are such good looking cars, my 1st car was a 62 Impala, I prefer a 61. Speaking of factory air wagons, how rare is a 55 Bel Air with factory air? Has an original running 265 even, Bel Air C? Or Bel Air Conditioned?
I have never seen a ‘55 Chevy with factory A/C. Coming from Wisconsin we didn’t really see factory A/C in Chevy’s until the late ‘60’s. A few years ago I was in Dallas at the School Book Depository. A man outside was selling reprints of the November 23rd Dallas newspaper. OMG! The classified ads were in it as well. The used cars listed Chevy’s with factory A/C as far back as 1957, in a black Bel Air convertible nonetheless. I would sure love to have a lot of those cars!
The first year Chevy put A/C in the Bel Aire models was 1955, in V8 engined models only. Im also from WI, and retired to FL in 2018. There was a well known car museum in Punta Gorda called Muscle Car City Museum. Rick, the collection/museum owner had an all original ’55 Bel Aire in his collection with factory A/C. One thing his collection was noted for was all factory built cars had to have factory installed manual transmissions, and they had to have either big blocks, or the highest HP factory equipped V8 offered. I became his Museum Manager/ Curator / Historian the last 2 years he had it open. His cars were absolutely pristine, and mind blowing in rarity. But that red ’55 Bel Aire with factory A/C, 283 with 2, 4 barrels and 3 on the tree was 1 of 11 Bel Aires in that section that would drop visitors jaws.
Nomad was used for the entry-level Chevelle wagons from 68-72, with the “Custom” model being the most basic. My parents bought one new in ’68: 6-cyl, 6-passenger, 3-on-the-tree, no power ANYTHING, rear window hand crank. The only option: push-button AM radio.
The 64 and 65 2 door “Nomad-ish Chevelle Wagon was called a 300. Almost bought one once.
The Brookwood and Parkwood also had 4 taillights, not 6. The difference was in the passenger cars. This car also sports a set of 1962 Chevy wheelcovers.
Had a 4 dr. Impala back in the 70’s in the Fawn beige color. Factory air exactly like this in Nebraska! Surprised the “eyebrows” are not rusted out. My sister said it drove like a marshmallow.
2 doors 2 many to be a Nomad
Do some research Greg, starting in 1958, ALL Nomads became 4 doors. The Brookwood and Parkwood names were used on the 2 door wagons through ’61.
Graff Chevy Sales are still going on today – it’s where my old SS427 came from along with my 1985 square body I have today !
Nice wagon – wonder how it slipped by the local 58-64 crazy’s we have around the metro-plex.
Just look at all of the factory air components on the firewall.
I always understood the term” nomad” was for wagons that had the same rear as the sedans and only applied to Chevy’s. I also never heard of nomads other than the 55,56, and 57.
J drano, just Google “58 Nomad” or “59” or “60” or “61” Then do “70” and “71” when they were built on the Chevelle chassis. There’s lots of information out there. I’m closing in on 73 years old and have seen them all.
Every year of Chevy was beautiful in those days. I especially loved the steering wheel. After letting go of it after a turn it looked so cool returning back to straight.
For SSR Don, Are you sure that the ’55 you mentioned in that Punta Gorda museum had a 283 in it instead of a 265, I’m thinking that ’57 was the first year the General put the 283 into the Chevy’s, but swaps were pretty common back then so maybe that’s the answer. It must have been a trip for a car guy to have a job working in a museum like that ,,,,,,,,,huh .
Moosie, you are correct, sorry for my typo! The 55 had the 265, not the 283. If I recall, the other unique thing about the 265, was that there was no provision for an oil filter on that engine. That came on the 283 in 57.
As for the part time job at the museum, it was a ball. Rick Treworgy, who built the collection over 50+ years, was a real estate developer among other things. Collecting big block, manual transmission Chevy and GM muscle cars was his hobby. He also had every year Corvette from ’54 up (he didn’t want a ’53 because he said he’d have to spend too much to get a car with an automatic and 6 cyl engine.) He owned the ’54 because it was “Pennant Blue” and there were only 300 of those built. So to him it was just as rare as a ’53, but better looking. It was NCRS Certified and the works. While I left the car business at the end of ’93 to become an industrial manufacturers rep, I was a GSM in a few of the largest Chevy, Olds and Cadillac dealerships in WI for about 15 years. So yeah, I’m an old car guy who thought he’d made it to heaven early! Rick (who sadly passed away last fall at 74) had over 350 cars, about 200 of which we had in the Punta Gorda museum. He decided to close it and sell 200 cars after covid did not allow over 20000 visitors from Europe we used to get, to come to the US. Mecum came in and ran an auction the week after their huge Kissimmee, FL sale in January, 2021.
IMO, Chevy made a BIG mistake not modifying the 1999 Nomad concept for production. Today tho, it would be a flop because it has 2 doors & it’s a wagon that sits no higher than a car.
& IMO, other concepts Chevy should have put into productiion were the
1964 Chevy II Super Nova
2012 Chevrolet Code 130R (rear wheel drive!)
& the much better looking 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray concept should have been the current vette.
High bid of $10,000, did not meet reserve.
Steve R