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1968 Chevrolet Camaro Wagon Is the Muscle Car-Era Nomad We Never Had

Introduced in 1955, the Chevrolet Nomad spent its first seven years on the market as the company's range-topping station wagon. Originally based on the Tri-Five, it became part of the Impala lineup from 1958 to 1961.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS wagon rendering 6 photos
Photo: jlord8/Instagram
1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS wagon rendering1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS wagon rendering1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS wagon rendering1968 Chevrolet Chevelle wagon1968 Chevrolet Chevelle wagon
Chevrolet revived the nameplate in 1968, but the Nomad was no longer a full-size wagon. Instead, it became part of the midsize Chevelle lineup. But it was no longer the glorious two-door wagon that redefined the market in the Tri-Five era.

Sure, it was quite potent thanks to the beefed-up engines of the muscle car era, but it was nowhere near as glamorous as the original iteration of the nameplate. Would have that been different with the Nomad based on another car? Well, that's something we will never know, but this rendering proposes an interesting alternative.

Yup, the contraption you're looking at is a first-generation Chevrolet Camaro SS with a long roof. It's obviously a two-door version, as the original Nomad, with a glasshouse area that extends all the way to the back. Granted, it's nowhere near as stylish as the Tri-Five Nomad, but it's a bold take on the concept.

The base car appears to be a 1968 Camaro SS, which means it could have a few tasty engine options under the hood, including the 396-cubic-inch (6.5-liter) V8 rated at 350 horsepower or its beefed-up L78 cousin that came with 375 horses on tap. Now that's a muscle wagon I bet many people would have liked to have access to in the late 1960s.

If you like sci-fi stories, picture Ford releasing a similar wagon based on the Ford Mustang. It would have been an interesting rivalry alongside that of the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero. How about a COPO Camaro wagon or a Mustang Cobra Jet grocery getter? Imagine how rare and expensive these would be today.

Unfortunately, this Chevrolet Camaro wagon only exists in the digital world, so all we can hope is that some nut out there makes a conversion. It's the only way we'll get to see one in the metal. Would you drive such a contraption?
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Editor's note: For illustrative purposes, the photo gallery also includes pictures of the 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle wagon

About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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