GM Chief Designer Harley Earl introduced his “dream cars” in the 1950s. Every year, GM unveiled these concept cars at the traveling Motorama auto show. Cool concept cars with radical new styling came out every year at these shows from 1949 to 1961.

Instead of scrolling through their phones in their pajamas, consumers would get dressed up and go out in person to see what amazing new cars GM had planned. It was a big event, and Harvey Earl and GM President Alfred P. Sloan called it “Dynamic Obsolescence.” Every year, your used-to-be-new car would suddenly look old and out of style!

The

GM Heritage Center

explained that the idea was to create an unending American appetite for newer and better cars. GM significantly changed the styling of their vehicles every year.

The

Corvette

was introduced at one of these auto shows in 1953, and immediately, Earl and his team began tinkering.

Hagerty

explained Earl’s logic: “What was even more European than a two-seat sports car? How about a two-seat, sports car wagon?”

The Chevy Nomad was born and integrated into the popular Bel Air line and showcased at the 1954 Motorama.

What did the Chevy Nomad look like?

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The idea was to take a boring, run-of-the-mill wagon, and infuse it with style and design. The front half of the Chevy Nomad looked like a Corvette, and the back half looked like a station wagon.

The Chevy Nomad had two doors but could hold six people. It was made of fiberglass, like all Corvettes at the time. It had a tailgate with a window that could be flipped up via button. The back seat also could fold down for cargo carrying capacity. The interior featured leather in blues and white. It looked like a Corvette, but was actually built on the chassis of a 1953 Chevrolet sedan.

America’s Car Museum

explains what “made it different from other wagons of the day were the fluted (grooved) roof, forward sloping B-pillar, wraparound rear side glass, seven vertical chrome accent strips on the rear dropgate and two doors, all of which were transposed from the original, non-running prototype, Corvette Nomad show car.”

Engine and power

The original small V8 engine produced 150 hp. That’s not much when you’re lugging six people, their luggage and the family dog around town! Thankfully, the 1957 model increased up to 245 hp.

In the major 1957 redesign, the company worked hard to keep the Nomad vibrant and relevant in both performance and style.

The

GM Heritage Center

explained that ”all-encompassing appearance changes, larger engines, revolutionary new fuel injection, a new transmission, and extensive chassis revisions combined to produce an outstanding vehicle in every characteristic.”

Chevrolet released its very first fuel injection system with the Nomad. This led to a big increase in horsepower. They also offered the “Super Turbo Fire V8” option, which had continuous fuel injection and produced 283 hp.

That was quite a step up from the original!

How was it received?

The reviews of the Nomad were mixed. Everyone agreed that it had great style.

It looked much cooler than the other wagons at the time. However, it only had two doors, which wasn’t practical for the average family. The profusion of glass often resulted in a broiling hot interior, and a tailgate that leaked.

The worst part was that it was the most expensive Chevy on the market. It debuted at $2,571, which was extremely pricey in those days. Even though it didn’t take off like gangbusters, Chevrolet redesigned the sport wagon through 1957, making a total of 22,000.

The name Nomad continued on all the way until 1981.

It was a trim level for a while, and then had its final moment as a groovy full-sized van from 1977-1981 with space for five passengers, cargo space with carpet, plaid seats, two-tone paint colors, and room for a folding bed … quite the departure from the famous mid-century station wagon!

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