1954 Corvette dream cars – Corvette Corvair fastback, Corvette Nomad wagon and Corvette convertible coupe
For the 1954 Motorama shows, General Motors Styling Section created not one but three distinct Corvette dream cars: the Corvair fastback coupe, the Nomad station wagon, and the convertible coupe. All three shared some recognizable Corvette features, such as the front grille and fascia treatment, but were given certain unique styling elements in order to set them apart. The Corvair and the convertible coupe maintained the same wheel base and overall length as the 1953 Corvette. The Nomad wagon had a longer wheelbase and was approximately two feet greater in overall length.
1954 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Coupe dream car
The Corvette Convertible Coupe was the closest in styling to the production model. It was painted in a muted yellow hue and it’s main distinctive was a fiberglass removable hardtop that gave the sports car new “all-weather utility” as touted in the Motorama brochure. This feature would appear on production models as an aftermarket accessories beginning in 1955 and would officially become an option for the 1956 model year
1954 Chevrolet Corvette Corvair dream car
The 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Corvair concept was a 2-door fastback, 2-passenger coupe. When it made its debut at the 1954 GM Motorama in New York City. It was a ruby red color but was repainted light sea foam green for the Los Angeles show in March. It was built with a fiberglass body and was touted as a “new aerodynamic design” for the closed sports car class. The streamlined roofline swept back into the jet exhaust-type rear opening.
The Corvair used the Corvette front end, though it sported ribbed air intakes on the hood that routed fresh air to the interior and fender vents that allowed heat to escape the engine compartment. The Corvair had a wrap-around windshield and the roof was aircraft-inspired sweeping back into the chrome-trimmed licensed plate housing, which resembled a jet-fighter exhaust port.
Inside the body appeared to have the roof grafted right on to a production Corvette, as there was no storage area behind the seats. The stock trunk area was used with a deck lid contoured to the new roofline. The seats had the production fiberglass divider between them, just like a stock Corvette roadster. The remainder of the interior was largely stock, with custom white seats and chromed interior C-pillar trim pieces.
The chassis and power train of the Corvair was strictly Corvette. Sluggish sales of the 1954 Corvette deterred GM management from moving forward with the fastback coupe. The time for a Corvette fastback eventually did come, though nearly a decade later and on a new-generation Corvette. The Corvair nameplate would be recycled later for the 1960 Chevrolet Corvair rear-engine compact car.
The Corvette Corvair was rumored to have survived the crusher, but no trace of it has shown up. Also rumored that there was actually more than one car built, but no paperwork has surfaced that can verify this
1954 Chevrolet Corvette Nomad dream car
The Nomad combined the sleek styling of a sports car with the versatility of station wagon. Built with a “glass fiber reinforced plastic” body, the Nomad was two-door with space for six passengers. It was built on modified 115-inch Chevrolet wagon chassis to give it the extra space necessary for this seating capacity. The Nomad also had an electrically operated rear window that automatically retracted into the tailgate when unlocked or could be remotely controlled by a button on the instrument panel. The Nomad was most lauded of the three Corvette dream cars for 1954. A larger version of this concept appeared for the 1955 model year and the nameplate would appear on concepts in the late 1990s and 2000s.
The 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Nomad concept station wagon, designed by Harley Earl’s design staff, was introduced at the 1954 General Motors Motorama in New York City. Nomad was another name that Chevrolet would tag onto a production vehicle in the near future. Although resembling a Corvette, and in fact using many Corvette components, the Nomad was built on a modified 1953 Chevrolet sedan chassis. From the windshield posts forward, the Nomad was strictly stock Corvette.
The silver-blue and white Nomad was fitted with a Corvette 150-horsepower, 235 C.I.D., 6-cylinder engine with a 2-speed Powerglide transmission. This 2-door fiberglass show car station wagon had room for 6 passengers. The tailgate had electrically-powered glass. The interior was finished in blue and white leather with a fold-down rear seat and a ribbed headliner.
Pieces of the 1954 concept “Corvette Station Wagon” were actually put into production in 1955, and the car became the Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad Wagon
1954 Corvette dream cars Gallery
