It appears to be a work-in-progress recreation of GM's famous "Waldorf Nomad" showcar from 1954. The original showcar was built on a 1954 Chevrolet passenger car chassis, with station wagon styling based on the just-introduced Corvette. There have been a few of these replica Waldorf Nomads (so named because it was first introduced and displayed at the Waldorf Hotel in New York) built over the years . . . some as hot rods, some close to stock, even one on a 1956-57 style Corvette body! The roof of the showcar obviously was a precursor to the 1955 Chevy Nomad, and supposedly the show car itself was destroyed by GM in the late 50's . . . a rumor GM will neither confirm nor deny. There have been rumors for years tht it survived, but as far as I can find out no one's actually seen it. The car in the picture looks like a pretty good start on a replica Waldorf Nomad project, but more than one of them has been started and never finished.