1957 Chevrolet Nomad Will Only Sell for the Price of Three Brand-New Corvettes

The Nomad has been in our lives ever since 1955. American carmaker Chevrolet introduced the term back then to designate mostly station wagons – meaning not exactly the type of car people generally turn their heads to see pass by.

Yet that's exactly the effect the Nomad had. Maybe it was its incredible jet-age styling or the more than decent engines under the line's hoods, but the family of wagons has had such an impact that it endures to this day, more than half a century after the moniker was discontinued.

The many custom garages that have ventured into the Nomad world are responsible for keeping the flame burning. Shops like Zoomers Automotive from Denver, Colorado, and Poor Boy Rods from Wheatridge in the same state, which joined hands and became responsible for the creation of this stunning blue Nomad.

The model that served as basis for the transformation is a 1957 example, meaning a member of the breed's very first generation, the one that is proudly included in the Tri-Five family of stunning Chevys. And it's now a two-door sport wagon so impressive its owner would want to get the price of three brand-new Corvettes for it.

I brought up the Corvette because the Nomad uses the engine of one. More specifically, the custom engine bay and cover cradle and hide an LS2 that was generally used to power America's sports car. It's a configuration that runs a 4L65E automatic transmission and develops a respectable 400 horsepower.

The engine's pull is sent to the road through a 12-bolt rear end with Positraction and 17-inch (the same size on all four corners) Schott wheels wrapped in Nitto tires. For effect, the center caps come with Nomad script.

Behind the wheels sits a RideTech Air Ride Pro E3 suspension system rocking QA1 shocks and a Helwig sway bar, while the power the car needs to stop comes from Wilwood disc brakes on all four wheels.

The exterior of the wagon was left pretty much as was, as far as the general lines are concerned – there are only minor modifications, like the deletion of the vent wing window and the installation of sliding side glass.

But an impressive paint job was devised for the exterior, using Dupont Hot Hues colors. Blue in nature, these hues are perfectly contrasted by the shiny, stainless metal fitted as the trim and bumpers.

Inside, however, changes are a bit more extensive. The bucket seats are new, and wrapped in Bel Air upholstery, offset by factory-correct carpeting. The dashboard, which, just like the interior panels and center console, is custom-made, holds a new set of gauges sourced from Classic Instruments.

For comfort and enjoyment, the builders installed in the Nomad both a Vintage Air system and an AutoSound stereo setup.

The impressive 1957 Chevrolet Nomad is presently listed by auction house Mecum as being for sale. It will go under the hammer in early March in Glendale, Arizona, and its owner hopes to fetch anywhere between $140,000 and $180,000 for it.

To give you an idea of how much that really is consider the fact a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette is selling from $68,300, so you could technically buy yourself three of these for that money.

There are several things that warrant such high expectations from the owner. The first, naturally, has to do with the Nomad's lineage, what it means for the industry, and what's been done to it by the two garages that handled the build.

A bunch of other reasons have to do with how this particular build was received by the public. That would be really good, as the example of great custom work was featured in Super Chevy magazine, and later went on to snatch a number of awards at specialized shows. The Nomad is most proud of its inclusion in the Top 25 at the 2017 Tri-Five Nationals.

Last but not least the owner is throwing into the fight relevant documentation, including the build book, photos of the awards the Nomad received over the years and, the cherry on the cake, a show plaque with build details.

Like we always do, we'll keep an eye on this piece of custom work and report back when we learn for how much it eventually went during the Mecum auction. If it goes, that is, as it appears this is a reserve auction, and we know of Nomads not selling because of that, despite their incredible appearance and performance levels.