TRIBUTE TO A MOVIE STAR
PAUL VELLA
1957 CHEVROLET
“AS A 17-year-old back in 1987, I was at a house buying Valiant parts from a wrecked RT Charger. Suddenly, I was overcome by the sound of the ’57 Chev coming down the driveway, rattling the windows. At the time I was so in awe of the car I couldn’t do anything but stare at it. This big Maltese bloke got out – black T-shirt; cigarette box up the sleeve; glasses. That was Paul Vella, who’s now a good mate of mine, and who I’ve built a few cars for over the years. Earlier in the 80s, he had sold, before later buying it back minus the running gear. These days, Paul has a ’57 four-door, and after a few beers one day, he showed me a photo of the original ’57 and asked if I reckoned I could build a replica of the movie car out of the four-door. We talked about turning it into a two-door, giving it a tilt front, cutting the wheelarches and all the stuff that would be needed. Well, lo and behold, we actually did it, and have just got back from the 2022 Festival, where Paul’s ’57 won Grand Champion.” W0rds: Tim Wales
