Me & My Car: ’56 Chevy Nomad in San Ramon this last column’s subject

“Nomad” — what a great name for an unusual car that suggests what many of us wish we could do: Be a rover, just wander arounding, moving from place to place.

In the early 1950s, there were no minivans and very few van conversions, but station wagons were very popular family vehicles. Before that decade, station wagons were a relatively small part of auto production. Many were made mostly of wood (hence the term “woodie” cars), and generally they were expensive vehicles to buy and maintain.