It’s follow up time at CC today, when I deal with a question that had been nagging me for the last few weeks. You see, with the many posts of vintage photos I’ve done on wagons from the 1950s and 1960s, I naturally had to wonder: Gee, how’s that ’55 Chevy wagon I came across in mid 2022 doing?
Luckily, the answer was easy to clear up. All I had to do was grab my car and take a short two mile drive to the spot where I originally found it in San Salvador.
So, on the positive side of the curbside hunt factor, the wagon is still there, and aside from the tires being somewhat deflated, looking pretty much as it did in ’22. On the negative, it’s still unregistered, not ready to get back on the road, and it looks like that situation won’t change anytime soon. The ol’ wagon just seems condemned to be in perpetual display at its current tropical spot.
Be that as it may, and being already in place, the quiet Sunday allowed for some decent photo taking, so I’ll share a few more of those. As for the ’55 Chevys, Paul already did a piece and called them GM’s all-time greatest hit. And can we argue with that? I won’t, as the Tri-Five looks have become legendary, and Chevy’s short-block V8 is an era defining cultural icon. As for my thoughts on this find, I already shared those in my previous post.
In person, the proportions on these ’55 models feel just right; size-wise ideal, just before Detroit-gargantuan-syndrome took hold. As for the wagons, you can say the sedans and coupes are better looking, but not by much. The wagons are still lookers, particularly in the case of the Nomad. Plus, having survived in lesser numbers, they’re likely a more exclusive proposition nowadays.
If you wonder what exactly we are looking at here, the missing trim makes it hard to tell if the wagon is a Bel-Air Beauville or a Two-Ten Townsman; the two four door wagon models Chevy sold that year. With its removed rear door handle (silly, I know), this survivor gotta be a custom job that got only halfway done. However, the trim openings are still free, so perhaps the chrome will make a comeback and reveal this wagon’s specific identity?
As has been told at CC before, the all-metal wagon was quite a novelty and a hot thing in the flourishing US marketplace of the 1950s. And with the ’55’s looks, the Chevy wagon was a “sleek city-and-country” vehicle, “at home at work and play — with sports car looks and performance”. Brochure words that, for once, weren’t entirely hyperbolic. Besides the “sports-car” looks, the optional 265CID V-8 added to the performance credentials (if chosen), while their passenger and cargo arrangements took care of the play part.
Yes, that grille is Ferrari inspired, but adopting someone else’s ideas is no problem when it’s managed in a way that feels so natural.
Just enough Jet-Age inspired wonder to speak to the trends of the time.
A shot I didn’t get last time, and showing an interior I’m very familiar with. No, not from ever sitting on one, but rather from the many 1950s-inspired diner menus that use this dashboard on their graphics.
And here’s pure Chevy bliss up close, right on the tailgate.
If I were to guess, I would think this ’55 “belongs” to the repair shop that sits on the opposite sidewalk. Perhaps a half-done project from an owner who couldn’t keep up with the car’s renovation costs? Such scenarios are not rare in this city, with such cars becoming part of a shop’s “belongings”.
Back in ’55, Chevy sold about 107K of these 4-door wagons on the market. So, not necessarily a rare car in that outstanding sales year. However, if one goes by anecdotal evidence, most of these working vehicles succumbed long ago, which makes any survivor all the more special.
Let’s see how this one is doing in three years’ time; hopefully, it will be back on the road then. After all, while icons are by nature legendary, they’re not necessarily immortal, and I wouldn’t like to see this one pressing its luck much longer.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1955 Chevrolet – The iCar – GM’s All Time Greatest Hit
Vintage Road Car Test: 1955 Chevrolet 210 V8 – The Legend Is Born, And Tested
Curbside Classic: 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air – “Nice To See You”
One of the few times GM got it right the first time. Love the Alexander Calder kinetic art appearance in the advert.
A lovely car that’s awaiting it’s re awakening .
-Nate
When compared to the 1954 Chevy station wagon; a huge improvement in appearance and performance.
But: No competition for the same year Ford station wagon. Ford appeared to have spent more time on station wagon styling than Chevy did in this time period.
The four door wagon proportions are more attractive to me now, than the Nomad. And those wheels are just perfect for someone of my age. My 5th grade teacher had a ‘55, a four door sedan, that I rode in a few times, so that dashboard is familiar to me, though it was a LONG time ago.
Agree it’s the perfect size even for the typical ’50s family of 2.3 kids. We had 4 in our familia, but even 6 would fit OK in these. Our uncle had a blue/white top ’55 210 4 dr for his tribe of 6. The ’58s got fat and ’59s lower and wider… too wide really.
Then Chrysler came along with the perfectly-sized ’62/3 Plymouth and Dodge early B-body, perfectly sized, but most of the public wanted more, sadly, and “full-size” cars that were called “standard-size” at the time went on to become ever larger well into the ’70s. Then GM finally got smart in 1977 and produced imo the best driving affordable US rwd V8 family cars ever.
I bought my 1st 55 Nomad in 1974 for$800 bucks! now it’s worth the same as our 1960 Corvette!