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Mmmmm...Pizza!! Quote »Papa John's founder pays $250K reward, reunites with '71 Camaro Z28 he sold to save businessAssociated PressLast update: August 26, 2009 - 10:58 AMLOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the help of a $250,000 reward, the founder of the Papa John's pizza chain has finally reunited with the muscle car he sold years ago to help keep his family's business afloat.John Schnatter sold the gold-and-black 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 for $2,800 in 1983. The money helped save his father's tavern in Jeffersonville, Ind., and he used the rest to start what would become a worldwide pizza business.But he still missed his beloved Camaro and spent years searching for it. He created a Web site on the search, held promotional appearances and eventually offered $250,000 to whoever found it.It turns out he didn't have to leave Kentucky, where the pizza chain is based in Louisville. The car only changed hands twice from the original buyers, ending up with Jeffery Robinson in Flatwoods, about 165 miles to the east."When I first saw it I still wanted to look it over to make sure it was the car even though I knew it," Schnatter told The Associated Press. "That kind of hit me emotionally. I was kind of numb."The original buyers of Schnatter's car heard about the search when he appeared in a TV interview before an NFL game this month. An online search led them to the car blog Jalopnik, which has followed the search and tipped off Papa John's.Robinson, who bought the car about five years ago for $4,000, recently delivered the Camaro to Schnatter, earning the $250,000 reward. The original buyers will get $25,000 for their help tracking it down.Schnatter says it looks very much the same as it did when he sold it in 1983, but with a larger motor and fatter tires for drag racing.The car will be displayed at the company headquarters in Louisville, replacing a replica Schnatter commissioned while he searched for his original car.In honor of the reunion, Papa John's planned to offer all Camaro owners a free pizza at stores on Wednesday.

lol, yeah I read that and started missing my Camaro's. I think that's a pretty cool thing he's doing. I'm sure they have some fail-safe's to prevent borrowing of the cars, but nonetheless, one helluva deal!

His business is obviously doing well now and he has a lot of money to blow. For a quarter million he could have bought any old Camaro and had it pimped to the max. With this Camaro he just has an old car.

Quote, originally posted by beemerphile1 »His business is obviously doing well now and he has a lot of money to blow. For a quarter million he could have bought any old Camaro and had it pimped to the max. With this Camaro he just has an old car.It is the memory and the story behind the vehicle that matters.

Quote, originally posted by beemerphile1 »His business is obviously doing well now and he has a lot of money to blow. For a quarter million he could have bought any old Camaro and had it pimped to the max. With this Camaro he just has an old car.He DID have a replica comissioned to match his old, one at the company headquarters, but he obviously wanted the original really bad.1st owner after Papa John = $25,0003rd owner after Papa John = $250,0002nd owner after Papa John = $0 <= Priceless!!!

What would have been funny . . "Oh my god, I just turned it in for the cash for clunkers rebate last week."

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »What would have been funny . . "Oh my god, I just turned it in for the cash for clunkers rebate last week."That would have been Classic! He could have paid the government $250,000 to get it back. I'm sure they would have done that...lol.