FIBERGLASS AND MICA

This customized 1957 Corvette has been hidden in storage for decades.

- JERRY HEASLEY

A 1957 Corvette custom show car named Bali Hai that disappeared in 1965, still wearing its original body modifications and custom Tommy “The Greek” pinstripes, has been found in California. What makes this find so special is that the car is a time capsule from the last Oakland Roadster Show, held in February 1960. It reappeared at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, in 2022.

The car was originally purchased used in 1957 by 20-year-old Oakland resident Bill Shelley. Using $3,000 earned from selling cows, Bill bought it in Polo White with a red cove, 283ci engine, and a three-speed transmission. The previous owner had added a low gearset in the rearend and set it up for drag racing.

Bill raced the Corvette at Half Moon Bay and Vacaville before meeting Corvette customizer Bob McNulty at a drive-in. Bob was known for building a ’55 Corvette called the Shark that appeared in the August 1959 issue of HOT ROD in a Best Corvettes section of the magazine.