The Thrifty One-Fifty Handyman?
The Bel Air Townsman?
The iconic Bel Air Nomad?
Or the Two-Ten Beauville?
Vintage PR Photos: A Gallery of 1957 Chevy Wagons – Which One Is For You?
– Posted on April 24, 2021
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Curbside Classics Archives
What’s going on with the Townsman? Beatnik modern artist? Definitely an unusual appeal.
I note that none of these cars are equipped with the optional black rubber falsies on the Buffer Bombs, which were nearly universal on real ’57s.
Ours, a Two-Ten wagon, did not have them.
That’s Judy Garland after the ticker-tape parade!
Why show a red car on a red background?
that is a great pic. they all are fantastic.
To make the chrome trim pop?
Gotta be the Nomad. Never owned one, but came close. Always liked them.
Only the geekiest of car geeks can keep track of all of the trims/levels of wagons over the years. I doubt that I could list every wagon model from the big 3 over the 2 decades from 1950-70, let alone order them by rank in the hierarchy.
For example, I had forgotten that Beauville was ever affixed to a station wagon. I only knew if from Chevy’s passenger vans.
The thought regarding the Beauville nameplate was exactly what I thought. I only knew that name from the ‘70s passenger vans.
It just struck me. I also remember the Nomad nameplate being resurrected for a ‘70s Chevy van, too. It only offered the first rear row, and the accompanying windows. The rest of the van was for cargo, but marketed more towards recreational use. It was also slightly upscale, like the Beauville.
The One Fifty sans whitewalls. I can stand the two tone. I’d choose a V8 Powerglide with power steering to be ideal.
I think I like the yellow one best. It happens to be the Nomad but that’s entirely incidental at this point, the colors could be mixed up and applied to any of the cars here in any order and I’d still pick the yellow one as it looks the most interesting (to me). The relative performance or features of one over the other really doesn’t matter greatly anymore after the car’s been around for 64 or so years. What are you gonna do, drag race a Camry? Just enjoy the look.
’57 Chevy station wagon?
No, thanks.
Same year Ford or Plymouth wagon for me.
Same here. To me the ’57 looks like Grandma wearing too much make-up.
Two years before my time. First wagon in our house (and first time we had two cars) was mom’s ’59 Brookwood (I think, it was the Bel Air trim level) wagon. The beginnings of thirty years of station wagons at the Paczolt residence.
a 150 Handyman modded as a “sleeper” drag car with a fuel injected 327. The constant cross sectional area of the wagon makes it more slippery than a two door sedan.
I really shouldn’t question the judgment of the advertising agency in these odd scenes. McCann Erickson worked for the Chevy Division from 1917 to 2010. That’s success by any measure.
The Bel-Air Nomad; I always liked the sport wagon concept; I once owned a ’75 Opel Sport wagon which was close to the Nomad idea and really liked it.
The ‘57 Nomad always seemed like a watered-down version of the ‘55.
While it retained the distinctive greenhouse, it lost the unique rear wheel openings that captured the spirit of the original, Corvette-based Motorama Nomad.
Agree with BuzzDog.
They’re all pretty .
I’d prefer a 1955 .
-Nate
Thrifty two-door for me. Kids have moved out, so we can lose the extra doors. Plus, who needs all that trim?
Always tie your dog to a suitcase =).