Todd Nelson poses with his 1956 Chevrolet Nomad, which he purchased in 2006. The station wagon had five or six owners before Nelson got his hands on it.

Todd Nelson poses with his 1956 Chevrolet Nomad, which he purchased in 2006. The station wagon had five or six owners before Nelson got his hands on it.

BELOIT—Station wagons were coming into their own in the 1950s. Driven by the post-war boom and an expanding and improving network of highways, buyers looking for more room for those longer family vacations were increasingly turning to station wagons.

All 1956 Chevrolet cars, except the Corvette, were built on the same chassis. A wide variety of body styles was offered, though, including four-door sedans and hardtops, two-door sedans and hardtops and two- and four-door station wagons. Three distinct trim levels were offered that year including the entry level 150, the mid-level 210 and the top-of-the-line Bel Air.

Todd Nelson’s Chevrolet Nomad represents the very top of the Chevy lineup for 1956. It shares features and trim with the rest of the 1956 Bel Airs but boasts a unique body shared with no other Chevrolet that year.

Nelson has owned his Nomad since 2006 when he bought it from its fifth or sixth owner. It came with full documentation going to back to its second owner. Over the years it had been traded among owners on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border until Nelson’s purchase from a Canadian owner.

It was built at Chevrolet’s Oakland Assembly plant in Oakland, Calif., in July of 1956. It was one of 7886 Nomad wagons built for the 1956 model year.

Nelson’s Nomad was fully loaded with options like power steering and brakes, a Wonder Bar signal seeking radio, wire wheel covers, windshield washers, a visor vanity mirror and more. Most importantly, it was ordered with 265 cubic inch V-8 Power Pack engine with four-barrel carburetor and Chevy’s Powerglide automatic transmission. All told the car cost around $3,000, a hefty price for a car in 1956.

The Chevrolet Nomad began as a 1954 concept car. Station wagons may have been roomy and practical but they were far from sporty. The Nomad was intended to change that image.

The concept car was built on a two-door station wagon body but featured front and rear styling from the Corvette. It proved popular enough to become part of the regular Chevrolet line up—without the Corvette styling cues—beginning in 1955.

For model years 1955 through 1957 it shared styling details with the other Bel Air models but with the concept car’s rakish center portion. Instead of the more upright design of the other wagons, the Nomad borrowed the doors from the two-door hardtops and had its own forward slanting “B pillar”. Also unique to the Nomad were its sliding rear side windows and vertical chrome strips on its lower tailgate.

Despite its sporty looks the Nomad was just as roomy and practical as any other Chevrolet wagon. Sharing exterior and interior trim with the other Bel Airs, the Nomad was also fairly luxurious for its day.

The Nomad name would continue after the 1957 model but it would no longer have its own unique styling. Instead, it became the top trim level for the 1958 Chevrolet wagon line. In later years the name would be attached to the intermediate Chevelle station wagon and still later—and rather ignominiously—to a version of the Chevrolet Vega.

Nelson says he had always been a “Chevy guy” and always admired the styling of mid-1950s Nomads. His previous car was a 1957 Corvette he had owned since he was 21 years old. Once he and his wife started having children the Corvette became a little impractical so he eventually sold it and made room for the Nomad.

The car had received a full restoration before Nelson acquired it. New interior door panels and carpeting had been installed as part of the restoration but the car retains its original upholstery, exterior chrome and wiring.

Since he has owned it Nelson has installed a new water pump and brakes and had the transmission rebuilt. It runs and drives extremely well and Nelson has driven it to car shows all over the country. Those drives get to be a bit expensive as the car only gets about ten miles per gallon on premium fuel.

Taking it to car shows pays off, though, as it frequently comes away with a trophy. Nelson has collected around a dozen trophies with the car. The proudest achievement was taking first place at a national Nomad convention for the 1956, original, restored—driven category. Nelson plans on showing the car again at the Beloit Autorama on Sept. 18, 2022.

Nelson hasn’t made plans for what will happen to the car when he is ready to give it up. It is clear, though, that day is probably a long way off.

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