Chevrolet’s Tri-Five series was so popular that the company sold almost five million cars from 1955 to 1957. Chevy produced three different trims and a wide variety of body styles covering everything from two-door coupes to four-doors wagons. Come 2021 and the Bel Air version is the most sought-after.
Just like the more affordable 150 and 210, the Bel Air came in different body styles. The two-door hardtop models, also known as the Sport Coupes, are the most desirable, but they’re not the rarest Tri-Fives out there with almost 490,000 examples built over three years.
The rarity award goes to the two-door wagon version of the Bel Air, more commonly known as the Nomad. Chevrolet put together fewer than 23,000 from 1955 to 1957 and the final production year saw just 6,264 leave the assembly line.
With many of them abandoned in junkyards, forgotten in storage, or transformed into restomods or pro-touring cars, all-original 1957 Nomads are hard to come by. And that’s exactly why I get all hyped up when I see pristine survivors like this Matador Red example here gets some much-deserved time on camera.
This fabulous Nomad that’s as original as unmolested classic cars get belongs to a fervent Tri-Five collector. He reportedly bought it in 2019 to complete his lineup of 1957 Chevrolets and the Nomad now proudly sits in the same garage with a coupe and convertible versions of the Bel Air (among others).
The wagon looks absolutely flawless inside and out and it even comes with the cool two-tone upholstery combining Matador Red vinyl and dark red cloth. And I bet you haven’t seen a better-looking headliner on a 65-year-old car.
And of course, this incredible time capsule also hides a numbers-matching V8 engine under the hood. Chevrolet offered two V8 mills for the 1957 Nomad and this one seems to flex the larger 283-cubic-inch (4.6-liter) unit. The Turbo-Fire delivered 185 to 220 horsepower, while the Corvette-spec 283 came with 245 to 283 horses on tap.
Hit the play button below to watch one of the most spectacular Nomads in existence. The footage includes a comprehensive walkaround, a look under the hood, and plenty of in-car driving footage.
