We all know the Chevy Nomad as a two- or four-door wagon that went through multiple eras of GM design between 1955 and 1972. Alas, none of the production models were as ambitious as the 1954 Nomad Concept that built its station wagon form on the first-generation Corvette. However, the digital proposal sitting before us paints an alternative past where GM decided to take the Nomad affair to the Camaro muscle family.
With the said Corvette-based show car receiving a warm welcome, Chevy (and Pontiac, but that’s a separate story) went on to produce the Nomad as a two-door member of the Tri-Five range between 1955 and 1957. And, to this day, this remains the most treasured iteration of the family model.
As Chevy invested even more resources into its thriving wagons, the Nomad became a Bel Air and Impala effort from 1958 to 1961. Resurfacing for 1968 (though 1972) the Noman nameplate did get a taste of the muscle revolution since it was now based on the Chevelle.
However, the badge went from representing the top-tier Chevy wagon to portraying the entry-level model Chevelle station wagon. So, while it was available with certain high-performance V8s, it wasn’t exactly a performance star.
The Comad idea is partially backed up by Chevy history
Cue to the Chevrolet Comad showcased in this rendering. This pixel work sees the Nomad being revived one year ahead of schedule as it’s based on the original 1967 Camaro—notice the side vent windows, which were removed for the following model year.
Since GM was determined to see the Camaro not only catching up, but crushing the 1964.5-released Ford Mustang, it gifted the muscle car with tons of goodies from the get-go. And we can only imagine these fitted to the Comad!
On the visual front, you could get the RS package with its trademark hideaway headlights. More importantly, the SS performance pack could go all the way to the L78 Big Block, a 375 hp (380 PS) 396 ci (6.5L) monster shared with the C2 Corvette that retired after 1967—by the way, here’s a 1968 ‘Vette wagon for you.
Come to think of it, this proposal, which comes from digital artist Jim (aka jlord8), isn’t as ludicrous as one might expect. After all, a 1967 two-door Camaro wagon was built by GM-owned Fisher Body back in the day. Unfortunately, this only came as an internal concept, so it never saw the light of day. Still, you can find a rare photo of it in the gallaery (courtesy of GMPhotoStore on Facebook).
The idea was maintained for the second-generation Camaro’s arrival in 1970, with another concept car arising. Eventually, this morphed into the 1977 Pontiac Firebird (the Camaro’s cousin) K-Back show car. That designation is short for Kammback, a designation General Motors once again used in 1985.
That’s when the third-generation Firebird became the base of the Kammback Concept. For units of the vehicle were built, with these serving as pace cars for various races.
