Photo: Barrett-Jackson
So, Americans are no longer into sedans and station wagons as they once used to be. The only new cars that have a chance in today's world are pickup trucks and SUVs, and that’s why carmakers are unleashing them like crazy. But when it comes to old cars, things kind of tend to shift.
The custom industry seems to be unaffected by this change in customer preference. Although we have a plethora of old pickups and SUVs being resurrected, garages seem to have no restraints when starting projects based on other kinds of body styles. That’s because they probably know people will not let themselves be influenced by modern trends when seeing something that clearly has value. And the 1955 Chevrolet Nomad we have here sure seems like it does.
It’s nicknamed the Brandy, and is the work of a Chevy specialist called Denny's Bowtie Restorations. The wagon took two-years to end up looking like this, and it will go under the Barrett-Jackson hammer in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March.
What you’re looking at is a two-door wagon described as an “all steel with no fillers” build. The seemingly perfectly straight body panels are wrapped in layer after layer of paint and primers (three coats of Orion Silver, five coats of Kandy Brandywine, five coats of House of Kolor Show Clear, we’re told) that make it look incredibly alluring.
Keeping the overall lines of the original Nomad, the builder set out to transform the car into something else entirely, mechanically speaking. The most important change was the fitting of a 6.2-liter ZL1 LT4 engine that in this configuration develops 670 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. All that power is kept in check by a 6-speed manual transmission.
It was not only the engine bay that got upgraded, but what holds the wagon upright as well. We’ve got Corvette C5 front and rear suspension, and staggered wheels (measuring 20 inches at the front and 22 at the rear) to make the connection to the ground.
None of the above would have meant much without an interior to stun. In this case, that effect was achieved by means of 7-hide sand-colored leather on the bucket seats up front and the split bench at the rear. Modern-day comfort creatures come in the form of things like a Bluetooth Infinity audio system with six hidden speakers and 500-watt amplifier, phone charging pad, and Dakota Digital HDX instrumentation.
We are not told how much the Nomad cost to put together in this configuration, and neither does Barrett-Jackson say how much it expects the car to fetch. What we do know is that it is going with no reserve, and online bids are already being accepted.
It’s nicknamed the Brandy, and is the work of a Chevy specialist called Denny's Bowtie Restorations. The wagon took two-years to end up looking like this, and it will go under the Barrett-Jackson hammer in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March.
What you’re looking at is a two-door wagon described as an “all steel with no fillers” build. The seemingly perfectly straight body panels are wrapped in layer after layer of paint and primers (three coats of Orion Silver, five coats of Kandy Brandywine, five coats of House of Kolor Show Clear, we’re told) that make it look incredibly alluring.
Keeping the overall lines of the original Nomad, the builder set out to transform the car into something else entirely, mechanically speaking. The most important change was the fitting of a 6.2-liter ZL1 LT4 engine that in this configuration develops 670 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. All that power is kept in check by a 6-speed manual transmission.
It was not only the engine bay that got upgraded, but what holds the wagon upright as well. We’ve got Corvette C5 front and rear suspension, and staggered wheels (measuring 20 inches at the front and 22 at the rear) to make the connection to the ground.
None of the above would have meant much without an interior to stun. In this case, that effect was achieved by means of 7-hide sand-colored leather on the bucket seats up front and the split bench at the rear. Modern-day comfort creatures come in the form of things like a Bluetooth Infinity audio system with six hidden speakers and 500-watt amplifier, phone charging pad, and Dakota Digital HDX instrumentation.
We are not told how much the Nomad cost to put together in this configuration, and neither does Barrett-Jackson say how much it expects the car to fetch. What we do know is that it is going with no reserve, and online bids are already being accepted.
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