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The Chevrolet design studio in 1954 was under the direction of Chuck Stebbins. With the help of the very talented designers available to him he helped change a none working concept car into a production model that's distinctive features still turn heads today. As you can see from the clay models below the challenge was to retain the sporty lines of the Waldorf Nomad while blending the practicality of a family wagon.

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The fluted roofline was carried over from the concept car as were the front slanted wide "B" pillar and the wrap-around side glass. Front the front doors back the quarter panels were redesigned for the Nomad with full wheel cut-outs and no dip in the beltline. The side molding was not utilized and the only trim was the Chevrolet emblem and Bel Air script that were moved to the rear of the quarter panel. the tailgate kept the seven vertical strips which helped to hide the tailgate handle and hinges. The Nomad used the Bel Air's taillights a a standard wagon rear bumper.

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The Nomad hood and front fenders were the same as the production 1955 Chevrolet models. They also used the same grille and front bumper. The side trim differed as the front chrome spears continued up and around the headlights in a fashion sometimes referred to as an 'eyebrow" effect.

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The front doors were styled similar to the hardtop but didn't have the "55 Chevrolet's beltline dip. The windshield and vent glass were interchangeable with the hardtop or the convertible. Note that on this clay model and the one above the rear wheel cut-outs were more similar to the '55 Bel Airs, but the final design was more like the first clay model.

Below you can see the final product that was put into production.

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In the following pages we'll take a look at the final products that Chevrolet offered as their '55-57 Nomads.

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Intro | Design Studio | 1955 Nomads | 1956 Nomads | 1957 Nomads