LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the help of a $250,000 reward, a Ball State University alumnus finally reunited with the muscle car he sold years ago to help keep his family's national pizza chain business afloat.
John Schnatter - the founder of Papa John's pizza who graduated from Ball State in 1984 - sold the gold-and-black 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 for $2,800 in 1983. The money helped save his father's tavern in Jeffersonville, 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.
"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 said. "That kind of hit me emotionally. I was kind of numb."
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.
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