1957 CHEVROLET Nomad 3.9

Vehicle Overview

If some would have asked an American to design a shooting brake, the 1957 Chevrolet Nomad would have been the answer. In the mid 50s, the Nomad arrived just in time for the Tri-Five Chevrolet models, the 1955, 1956 and 1957 lineup: 150 and 210 versions of the Bel Air and the Nomad. The latter was shown in 1954 at Motorama in New York, alongside other Chevys. It had the front end of a Corvette and the rear end of a station wagon.

The bold statement was that the six-people carrier was able to be driven fast, even if it was built more like a family vehicle. The 4.3-liter V8 engine produced 245 hp and it was coupled to a Powerglide automatic transmission.

The total production for the Nomad was around 22.000 units over a three-year lifespan, and slow sales made GM pull the plug on the car. Previously, in 1956, Chevy first tried to make the vehicle more appealing by installing a new V8 with fuel injection. It produced 283 hp, a feature that could have made it more competitive against rivalling Ford and Chrysler models. But Chrysler already had a three-speed automatic gearbox by the end of 1956. In 1957, only 6000 units of Nomad were made.

The Nomad nameplate remained an important one in the hot-rod enthusiasts world as one of the few two-door station wagons with big V8 engines.