![]() ![]() In 1957, Chevrolet sold 1,515,177 cars, but only 6,103 were Nomads. The original plan was to make the roof retractable, but management wisely put the kibosh on that plan.Īs good-looking as the Nomad wagons were when built, and the rave reviews they received, one might think they were a huge sales success. Another unique feature was the “fluted roof,” which had nine transverse groves. The car had a curved-glass windshield, as did all GM cars in those three years, but the rear side windows were also curved, giving the car a very sleek and sporty appearance. The driver and front passenger windows are like those on hardtop coupes - no railing on the doors to support the window. One styling feature that made the Nomad a head-turner was the glass. The popular but fairly rare 1957 Chevrolet Nomad, a snazzy wagon, owned by Bob Rohatch of Livermore. But it was the unusual combination of hardtop styling with a station wagon that made it unique. The original prototype Nomad was a Corvette Nomad, prepared for GM’s 1954 Motorama show. It was kind of an accidental late entry into the 1955 Chevy lineup. According to, Harley Earl, GM’s head of styling, often is given credit for the Nomad, but it was really the work of Clare MacKichan and Carl Renner. Not only was the restoration well done, the car was extremely well styled from the beginning. The heavy tailgate with seven bold chrome perpendicular strips slants forward and folds down for cargo. The front wheels are an inch smaller than the 18-inch rear wheels. To the untrained eye, the exterior of the car looks as it did when new, but it has been lowered just a little. This car is loaded with chrome, even under the hood. The car has a Chevy automatic transmission with the shift level on the floor, giving it a manual transmission look but the convenience of an automatic. A new exhaust system gives the 350-cubic-inch V8 engine a perfect sound. All new glass was installed the chrome is new, as are the tires and wheels. The red-and-black interior was redone according to factory specifications. In fact, it’s so red that it makes fire trucks look dull. ![]() The restoration included new red paint, brighter than the original factory red. But he’s excited now, as he just got the car last month. The bad news was that it took 8½ years to get it done, about six years longer than Rohatch expected. The good news, though, was that Rohatch’s son’s brother-in-law has a shop near Santa Rosa and could do - and did - virtually all the restoration. A big one was that his new 1957 Nomad had been hit in the front and back but the seller failed to mention that detail before the sale. I bought it for $30,000 in 2008 and had it shipped out from Illinois.” The former owner had it for 18 years, but it hadn’t run in 12 years. “There were a lot of pictures, and it looked good, but you don’t really know until you see it. He had been looking for a Nomad for some time before he discovered this one. He’s very partial to 1957 Chevys, this being his sixth. Owning a classic 1955-to-1957 Chevrolet Nomad had been a longtime dream of Livermore resident Bob Rohatch. In model years 1955-1957, it was also Chevrolet’s most expensive model, excluding the Corvette, selling for about $2,600 ($22,865 in 2015 dollars) to $2,650 ($23,300 in 2015) more than a Bel Air convertible, normally Chevrolet’s most expensive car. It’s kind of a cool name - one could envision being a wanderer, a drifter, a rover or a vagabond while cruising in Chevrolet’s most alluring station wagon. GM had to discontinue that model in Latin America. GM later learned that “no va” in Spanish means “it doesn’t go,” so Latin Americans wouldn’t buy it. ![]() Chevrolet learned that the hard way when it named a new model the Nova. It’s pretty important to pick a name that fits the car and adds to its desirability, but they don’t always get it right. (Photo by David Krumboltz)Īutomobile companies spend a lot of time and money in deciding names for new models. This one originally ran in September 2015. In its place, we’re running some of Dave’s favorite past columns. Editor’s note: David Krumboltz’s regular column is on hiatus until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ![]()
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