This 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad was previously owned by Bruce Willis, the A-list star of countless films including the Die Hard series of Christmas movies, Pulp Fiction, The Last Boy Scout, The Fifth Element, and Moonrise Kingdom.
This Nomad has been given a few upgrades over the years including air conditioning, an uprated 327 V8, a custom audio system, 15″ Cragar wheels, front disc brakes, aftermarket Stewart-Warner gauges, and more.
Fast Facts – The Chevrolet Nomad
- The Chevrolet Nomad first appeared as a concept car in 1954 as part of the General Motors Motorama line of “Dream Cars.” It was essentially a first generation Corvette front end with a shooting brake-style body – a two-door station wagon.
- Though it had only originally been intended as a concept car the overwhelmingly positive public reception of the design saw it get a green light for production, though it was to be built on the A-body Chevrolet chassis rather than as a Corvette.
- Chevrolet Nomad production began in 1955 and ran until 1957 for the original series of cars. The model line was then succeeded by the four-door Nomad station wagon from 1958 to 1961, and a third generation four-door station wagon with a Nomad nameplate appeared from 1968 to 1972.
- The first generation Chevrolet Nomad you see here formerly belonged to Bruce Willis, it’s been fitted with a few discreet updates as noted above, including things like air conditioning and an improved stereo system.
The Chevrolet Nomad
The Chevrolet Nomad was designed as a concept car by GM head stylist Harley Earl and his team in the mid-1950s as part of the highly influential 1954 General Motors Motorama line of “Dream Cars,” which also included the Bonneville Special and the Oldsmobile F-88.
The two-piece opening tailgate and large rear cargo area made the Nomad popular with surfers, who could sleep in the back when on trips.
The Chevrolet Nomad concept car was based on the still-new design of the Corvette, with the same front end but a new shooting brake (two-door station wagon) body style from the A-pillar back.
The design proved so popular it was given the green light for production, but on the Chevrolet A-body platform rather than as a Corvette.
The production car kept much the same design from the A-pillar back but the front end was changed completely, now using the second generation Chevrolet Bel Air front and wearing some Bel Air badging and trim.
Excluding the Corvette, the Nomad was one of the most expensive production cars offered by Chevrolet for 1955. It was fitted as standard with the 265 cubic inch V8, an optional 283 cubic inch V8 was later available.
A year later in 1956 Ford introduced the new Ford Parklane as a competitor for the Nomad, though it only remained in production for a single year despite outselling the Chevrolet almost two-to-one.
Known as a “shooting brake” in Europe, this two-door body style was calling a “sport wagon” by Chevrolet.
1957 would be the final year for the first generation Nomad, two futures Chevrolets would wear the Nomad badge but both would be standard four-door station wagons with no real link to the original vehicle other than the name.
The Ex-Bruce Willis Chevrolet Nomad Shown Here
As mentioned in the introduction, the Chevrolet Nomad you see here formerly belonged to A-list movie star Bruce Willis.
It now benefits from a number of upgrades including a new 327 cubic inch V8, air conditioning, a custom audio system, 15″ Cragar wheels with Goodyear Eagle GT tires, front disc brakes, and aftermarket Stewart-Warner gauges. The car also has front disc brakes and a dual-circuit brake master cylinder.
The engine is fitted with a Holley four-barrel carburetor, an aluminum intake manifold, an MSD electronic ignition system, Corvette valve covers, and an aluminum radiator.
The car is finished in India Ivory and Cashmere Blue over beige and blue vinyl upholstery and it’s being offered for sale out of Los Angeles, California on Bring a Trailer. if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
