TOOL TIME NOMAD

Stand-up comedian Tom Allen made his acting debut on the longrunning American sitcom Home Improvement which ran for 204 halfhour episodes from 1991 to 1999. As Tim Taylor, the accident-prone and often over-confident presenter of a DIY TV show promoting the fictitious Binford Tool Co., the show followed the trials and tribulations of the Detroit-based family. This involved giving moral guidance along the way, aided by Taylor’s mild-mannered co-host Al and his neighbour, Wilson, whose face was never shown below the eye-line.

Sports and petrolhead Taylor featured a number of cars in the series, including a bright red 1955 Chevrolet Nomad which was his on-screen wife’s daily driver. In one memorable episode Taylor borrows the Nomad for an on-site shoot and accidentally drops a heavy steel beam from a crane along the length of the car, destroying it. Realising the furore this would cause, Allen came on after the show to explain that the Nomad, actually part of his personal collection, was not harmed, it being substituted for a converted station wagon at the last moment.

The wreck was later auctioned for charity. Greenlight Collectibles’ 1:64 replica is a cute model with a black interior, tinted side and rear glass, chromed custom wheels and silver printed trim. Bubble-packed with the cast of Home Improvement, including Wilson typically fence-obscured, it’s a neat model for around £7.