(Photo credit: Detroit Free Press) – In a twist even the most optimistic side of us never saw coming, the 1971 Camaro Z/28 of Papa John’s pizza founder John Schnatter was found intact on the west side of Detroit by a landscaper who was working in the neighborhood and saw the gold Camaro tucked between a pair of abandoned houses. According to the Detroit Free Press, Earnest Webster was in the area to mow the grass of a nearby location when he made the discovery. Webster called a family member in law enforcement and they instructed him to call 911. The call was made and sure enough, it was the high profile car that was stolen during the Woodward Dream Cruise week. This is one of three cars known to have been ripped off. A Chevelle and a Corvette are still missing although the truck that was towing the Chevelle has been found.
Perhaps due to the short term nature of the time they had the car and the media exposure that came when it was announced that Schantter’s car had been ripped off, thieves did not have time or perhaps the guts to strip the car or otherwise damage it. Yes, the steering column is smashed to bits but from all of the photos featured on the Detroit Free Press website (click the image below to see them all) there does not appear to be any body damage to speak of. We have to imagine that the guys who grabbed this thing got more than they bargained for when all of the websites, television stations, and radio stations across the country started talking about the disappearance of the car that helped launch the pizza juggernaut. Most of you will probably remember the story from a few years ago when Schnatter was able to track down the car, the actual car that he sold in the early 1980s to help pay debts for his family and boost what was then a small pizza making outfit.
Some people may blow this off and take a swipe at Schantter under the guise of “he can afford it” but the reality is that mentality stinks. He loves that car just like you love yours and the feeling he had in his gut when it was stolen from him would be the exact same feeling you would have if you stuff got stolen from you. Replicating the car after owning the actual one would be the most hollow feeling thing in the world and we doubt he would have even done it.
The was a reward of $16,000 posted to whoever found the car and after the police investigation into the theft concludes is sounds like Earnest Webster will be collecting it. That’s a lot of mowed lawns!
CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO SEE DETROIT FREE PRESS STORY – TONS MORE PHOTOS OF CAR AND RECOVERY
Earnest…you wouldn’t happen to know… Shame on me for thinking some thing’s up.
Pretty moronic to steal a car that famous after it’s been in a bunch of nationally run commercials. I’m not surprised it was found fairly soon.
Intellectual firepower is not something I would ascribe to most thieves in general.
whats the altiods tin for?
I don’t steel cars, so I don’t know about the tools.
Glad that Papa John got his Camaro back, and there are people like Earnest that helped to find the car, hopefully the Chevelle and the Corvette will be recovered as well.
Its just a replica car, as in not the real one. I doubt John lost any sleep over it.
The Bangshift story says it’s the original and the newspaper story says it’s the replica. Anyone know which is correct? The replica was built before he found and restored the real one.
I may be wrong, but it seems like this is the replica – I thought the real car did not have the short 70 1/2 trunk spoiler & was also not a split bumper RS. I also thought the original had Cragar Super Tricks wheels (which could be changed)
I may be wrong but it seems like this car is his replica – I thought his original Z did not have the shorter ‘701/2 trunk spoiler & was not a split bumper RS version – also I thought the original had Cragar Super Trick rims…..
http://jalopnik.com/5344739/how-jalopnik-reunited-papa-john-with-his-camaro
I hope they find the thieves and they resist….
They werent car theives they were little punk asses that knew how to bust a gm steering column open. They would not have found it if it were real theives. Low life scumbags. No one ever catchs these guys in the act and does a little vigilantism..
I believe the Altoid tin was holding down the steel pin that locks the steering wheel.
I’m glad pizza-boy’s car got back – but why haven’t you posted any pictures of the Corvette, or any more of the still-missing Chevelle?
I would be looking at Earnest. That is some tall grass and I don’t see any lawn across from there that he could see that car stuffed in there. The reason the car was not parted out is because he/they knew who’s vehicle it was and they were waiting for a reward to be posted to find it. Mowing lawns is not a big paycheck…especially in Detroit! If they stole it wouldn’t they want to drive it around? Who would steal a car and then hide it between two junk houses and throw brush over it? There are so many empty warehouses around to hide it in. This whole story stinks to high heaven