Jalopnik: nomad

Billetproof 2009: Nomad Gasser Is Totally Awesome

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:45:00 EDT

If you think Billetproof is all crusty-cool rat rods with retro-ironic Indian blanket seats and hard-to-find parts, you're wrong. Proof? Check out this gorgeous custom Nomad gasser sporting a built 400 cubic inch V8.

The detailing is magnificent on this car and the customization is both subtle and beautifully done. It's so good you don't even notice all the custom bodywork, the Caddy tail lights look like they were there from the factory, the painted dash and load floor looks like it should be factory equipment, the Frenched antenna going through the fin is spectacularly cool. It's not often the custom world meets the drag racing world so wonderfully, but this baby pulls it off with aplomb.

What Would You Do With the Turbocharged Ecotec?

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:15:00 EDT

One thing we admire about General Motors is that when they do do something right, they do it so right that conversations cease. I'm sure you've all been here before, "Yeah, well, the Porsche Blah Blah Blah does 0-60 in blah and goes around some track in Germany in blah and has this crazy hyper-tech thingy that does blah." To which you simply cock your John Deere trucker's cap, spit tabacky on his Eurotrash spats and grunt, "Z06." Done, next! And what makes the Z06 so damn mighty? In a word, the LS7 beating under it's resiny hood. Turns out that the General has another engine that is the bees knees dressed in cat's pajamas — the 2.0-liter twin-scroll turbo, direct-injected 2.0-liter Ecotec unit that powers both the Solstice GXP and the Sky Red Line to the tune of 260-hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Meaning that a mill 5-liters smaller than the Z06's engine makes over half the latter's power. In fact, it has the highest specific output of any engine GM has ever made. So, we ask you and your GM hat for-a-day, what would you do with? You can see our nomadic response above.

1969 Chevrolet Nomad

Murilee Martin — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:00:48 EDT

We know, we know- a proper Nomad has two doors! Well, better call up GM's Complaints Department and tell them this simple truth, because back in the late 60s The General decided to slap the Nomad name on some Chevelle wagons...

Regardless of what it's called, this is one evil-looking wagon. It started out blue and then got hit with a raggedy coat of what appears to be the lowest-quality black spray paint ever made.

Of course it's equipped with thee most redneck engine ever made: the good ol' 350 small block! Sadly, it lacks a 4-speed, and the real shame is that you could get yourself a Muncie for your new '69 Chevelle for only $44 more than the TH350, yet just about all the buyers went for the auto. $44! That's beyond comprehension!

The '69 A-bodies all had good-looking grilles; the Chevy looks nice, though I prefer the grille on the '69 Skylark.

This car parks a block or so from the Condiment Colored VW Bus, and it scores about 1,000 Menace Units higher than the VW on the Evil-O-Meter. I'm pretty sure this vehicle triggers a lot of Neighborhood Watch alerts during its travels.

We can only hope it has a Holley 750 and glasspacks.

Nice tape repair on the taillight. And check out the dude on a bike gassing up a Beaver RV in the background; think he owns this wagon? – Murilee Martin

Related:
1973 Chevrolet Caprice Estate Wagon [internal]

Motorama Redux: 1956 Corvette Nomad Reproduction for Sale

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 09:38:35 EST

With Chevrolet's Nomad concept car likely never to see the daylight of production, we turn our fleeting attention span to history. The original Corvette Nomad concept, shown as part of GM's 1954 Motorama, is up for sale. With a fascia styled to resemble the 1956 Corvette, the Nomad hearkened Chevrolet's two-door wagon of the same name, which was introduced in 1955. But while the production Nomad was built on a Bel Air chassis, the show car was Corvette based — one of two 'Vette concepts GM showed that year at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel. No word on price, but we'd say bring a pair of sunglasses (oh, the brightwork) and the AMEX Centurion, but leave the wife at home. [Thanks to Josh for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli [UPDATE: It's a reproduction. The original was based on the '54 Corvette. Thanks to Htrodblder for the legwork.]

1956 Corvette Nomad [Corvette World Dallas]

2006 Woodward Dream Pre-Cruise: The 1956 Chevy Bel Air Nomad

Ray Wert — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:46:33 EDT

We've left one Starbucks already this morning due to an ant infestation, and as we were on our way to a non-infested coffee shop / wifi spot to resume our bloggorhea-like coverage of the hoopla leading up to the 2006 Woodward Dream Cruise, we happened upon this little gem on the corner of 13 Mile Rd and Woodward Avenue. It's a beautiful restored 1956 Chevy Bel Air Nomad complete with an Edelbrock engine. Although the Nomad first appeared as a Corvette-based concept vehicle in 1954, the two-door wagon was assigned to the Bel Air series and given a unique body and trim specifically for the model. And oh, that trim — especially the fins. As the owner explained to us:

"...you can always tell the difference between the 1955, 1956 and 1957. The 1957's fins go much higher, but the 1955's...well...they look like a part of a woman's anatomy."

Make a guess which piece of the female anatomy he meant. Farago, no fair cheating.

Related:
All of our 2006 Woodward Dream Cruise coverage [internal]