Images: MW Classics

In 1957 Ford introduced to the world the Ranchero, a car-based utility vehicle that was the first of its kind from a major American automaker. Despite a two-year lead though, it would be GM who stole the show with the El Camino two years later, just as another famous sport utility vehicle, the two-door Chevy Nomad, was phased out. But what if instead, the El Camino had come to market one year earlier…and was based around the Nomad?

That’s the fantasy-turned-reality of this eBay auction for the “El Nomado.” Jalopnik stumbled across the auction for this one-off automobile, the ultimate hot rod coupling of Nomad and El Camino.

Since such a vehicle was never actually produced, this project involved a lot of custom work. This included melding together a 1958 Chevy Biscayne sedan with a ’58 Nomad wagon to create this one-off body. And it looks just swell. We have to believe that, if GM had decided to actually create a Nomad-based truck, it would look damn close to this.

Of course the drivetrain is a bit more modernized, with a 348 cubic inch motor fed by a tri-power induction system, but with a modern cooling setup that includes a 4-core radiator, as well as an MSD ignition system.

Backing this potent powerplant is a rebuilt Powerglide transmission. It’s one hell of a car no matter how you cut it, and we like it even better than the first-generation El Camino. But that’s just us. What’s your opinion of this one-of-a-kind hot rod masterpiece?