TANGELO DREAM MACHINE
It was truly a year for innovation,
especially with the Motorama Nomad
concept blending the sleek styling of a
sports car with that of the combined
utility and versatility found in a
station wagon. When the concept
was brought into production for
1955 it was one of the crown jewels
of the Chevrolet lineup packed with
innovation, including their all-new
small-block V-8. Aside from the
Corvette, it was the most expensive
offering by Chevrolet that year. The
Bel Air Nomad two-door wagon
had the exclusivity of being a low
production vehicle (only 8,386 for
1955), thus making it easily one ofthe coolest cars in town to be seen
in. For Tom Cochran of New Castle,
Delaware, gaining an appreciation for
everything automotive started back
when he was a youngster watching
some of the finest Detroit creations
cruise the streets along the Eastern
Shores in Maryland. It was then that
he fell under the spell of Chevrolet,
gaining a particular fascination
with factory muscle cars and station
wagons, which makes for a pretty
interesting combination.
Before long, Tom was knee-deep in
the hobby, starting a collection with
his favorite ride being a ’66 Chevelle
SS packing a healthy dose of big-blockpower. Somehow though, his passion
for station wagons still kept him up
at night. Having always been a fan of
’55 Chevy Nomads with their time-
less style and well-balanced design
elements he started the search for one.
His quest led him to a respectable