Candy Orange 1955 Chevrolet Nomad, Big-Block Monster

The Chevrolet Nomad has quite the massive cult following considering that it was a station wagon that was built in fewer than 23,000 examples almost 70 years ago.

The vehicle is one of only 8,530 units built that year (and not as many survivors), this particular Nomad is just as wild as restomods get.

It retains all the iconic Nomad features front and rear, it loses a lot of chrome in the process. The side trim and both the bumpers are now finished in body color, while the door handles and the airplane emblem on the hood are gone.

Body-Coloured bumpers normally wouldn’t look very good on a Nomad in a factory color, but this long roof is painted in the most eye-catching candy orange  out there. All comes together nicely in a visual package that will get a lot of attention.

Also the wagon sits much lower than stock, but the wheels are the ones that set it apart from its factory siblings. While 1955 Nomads usually ride on dish-style wheels wrapped in white-wall tires, this restomod was designed with drag racing in mind. The front wheel arches hide skinny wheels, while the rear end flexes the meatiest rubber you can fit on a Nomad without cutting the fenders. But unlike a full-fledged dragster, this wagon features a set of stylish, high-sheen rims.

Candy orange theme continues inside the cabin, where it trickles through the dashboard and the upper door panels.

Standard seats got swapped too, with the front compartment fitted with a pair of bucket seats. They both are wrapped in Italian leather, as is the custom rear bench seat. The modernization goes beyond visual elements, as this Nomad also comes with a tilting steering column, power windows, power locks, and, get this, a keyless entry system. I guess that explains why there aren’t any door handles on the outside.

If you are not impressed yet you’ll definitely be when you hear what’s under the hood. Instead of the old 4.3-liter V8, this Nomad relies for oomph on a massive, 7.7-liter unit built by Beck Racing Engines. It’s been put together using custom, high-quality, race-spec components and it sends a whopping 625 horsepower to the rear wheels. That’s more than most factory muscle cars that are available today. A Turbo 400 gearbox does all the shifting, likely enabling this wagon to run the quarter-mile in less than 10 seconds.

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