Custom 1956 Chevrolet Nomad Turns Its Back on $125,000 Bid, Tri-Five Refuses to Sell

The bowtie carmaker, still one of the pillars of the U.S. auto industry, was responsible during those two decades for bringing into the world a large number of nameplates that are still highly appreciated to this day. Even if most of them are no longer in production.

Just think of the 210, Bel Air, Nomad, Chevelle, Corvair, or Impala. Normally, any of these models should have been relegated to the history books, important cars for the evolution of the world, but not necessary things that still make the headlines today.

Yet we not only know a lot about them today, but we see scores of them still in working order, restored or customized. And not only that, but they also sell at various auction events for at times record-breaking sums.

Of interest to us today from the list of models I mentioned above is the Nomad. That would be a vehicle so cherished by collectors, customizers, and the larger general public that it constantly comes back under the spotlight.

The Nomad was introduced by Chevrolet in the mid-1950s and every time one hears it the image of a station wagon immediately forms. Born as one of GM's lines of dream cars put together by Harley Earl, it blended the beautiful lines of the Bel Air and Impala with the practicality of a wagon.

The first version of the Nomad, the one made from 1955 to 1957, is so beautiful to look at that together with the Bel Air, 150, and 210 it was included by car lovers in the so-called Tri-Five series of Chevy cars. You know, the ones that still turn heads and drop jaws even today, and no matter what their owners do to them.

The Nomad that brought us here today is a true Tri-Five. It was originally made by Chevy in 1956, and we have no idea what roads it roamed over the years, or how it was treated by its owners. But we do know how it looks like and behaves today, and that would be amazing.

The car as displayed before you is the custom work of an undisclosed American garage. We stumbled upon it on the list of cars auction house Mecum is sending under the hammer as we speak in Monterey, California. Actually, the hammer on this one already fell, but we'll get back to that soon enough.

We've seen many custom Nomads over the years, some of them on the extreme side of things, from the choice of colors to the engine hiding under the hood. This one however plays it safe, and the gamble worked, as we're dealing it a very elegant, eye-catching, and mechanically capable station wagon from decades ago.

The body of the Nomad, with its simply beautiful lines, was pulled over a Roadster Shop chassis. Holding it upright is a killer suspension system made of adjustable coilovers. A Mustang-style rack-and-pinion steering helps turn the front wheels.

Speaking of which, all four wheels are of Vision make, styled in such a way as to be reminiscent of classic Chevy rides. All four are sized 18 inches in diameter and shod in low-profile BF Goodrich tires. Behind them is braking hardware of the Classic Performance Products variety.

Although the body of the Nomad has been left unchanged when it comes to its general lines, some upgrades were performed to modernize the car a bit. These changes are most visible in the form of the Hella HID headlights backed by LED turn signals, the custom taillights, or the altered tailgate assembly.

The interior follows the same elegant design language as the exterior. The body's Dark Metallic Blue is mirrored inside by the black leather spread all over, but mostly visible on the seats – these things, by the way, used to belong to a Lexus.

The dashboard of the Nomad was gifted with Classic Instruments gauges, there's a center console in there for good measure, and a Retro Sound Wonderbar radio for music kicks.

The distinctive hood of the Nomad lifts to reveal a 6.2-liter LS3 engine, which is tied to an automatic transmission. It sends 435 horsepower to a Currie Ford 9-inch rear. Since being fitted under the hood the powerplant was not used for more than 328 miles (528 km).

The 1956 Chevrolet Nomad went under the hammer this weekend, and someone offered $125,000 for it. The bid was declined by the car's current owner, clearly thinking this incredible piece of automotive history is worth more than that, so Mecum still lists the station wagon as being available.