Papa John Schnattner started the Papa John’s Pizza empire in 1984 when he sold his beloved 1972 Camaro Z-28 for $2800 to open his first pizza joint in Indiana. Now 25 years later he wants that Camaro back – badly. $250,000 badly.
Not a car that would normally bring that kind of money, this Z-28 has great sentimental value for obvious reasons to Papa John. The effort began with a $25,000 reward, but that quickly was increased by 10 times when all the interest and leads started coming in. Not only is Schnattner putting up significant cash to find the car, he has developed an entire marketing program around it!
Schnattner, 47, is currently traveling the country promoting his ‘Papa John’s Camaro Chase Contest’. It began on May 27th and will end on August 31st. This contest is complete with it’s own website at www.papasroadtrip.com where you can keep up with Papa John as he travels the country looking for his prized Camaro that he originally bought for $1,600 when he was a 16 year old dishwasher. The Camaro got him through high school and college and when sold that cash was used to launch a pizza empire that is now 3,400 restaurants strong.
Should you find this special Camaro and wish to cash in, there are several important steps you must take. You must show proof that it is the official vehicle with the title proof and the list of all the names of past owners, including John Schnatter and a photo of the Camaro as outlined on the website.
As Schnatter travels the country, he brings along a replica of the ’72 Camaro. He states “It’s not a car that someone would easily turn over to the scrap heap. The real point is, while this car may not be a true classic, it’s near and dear to my heart. It would mean so much if I had any part of that car back. Once people hear the story of why I sold the car, it resonates with them. They understand that sometimes, pursuing your dream requires a heart-wrenching sacrifice…not to mention a lot of hard work and perseverance.”
Also in support of the Road Trip, Papa John’s developed an “augmented reality” icon of Schnatter’s Camaro on the bottom of more than 30 million pizza boxes across the country. ‘Augmented Reality’ is a new marketing frontier that features an online application that allows the user to interact in real-time with computer generated imagery. Available for review at www.papasroadtrip.com , when the icon is recognized by a webcam, customers may virtually take part in Papa’s Road Trip by driving Schnatter’s Camaro and along the way be granted exclusive discounts on future Papa John’s purchases, displayed on billboards along the virtual road.
Keep your eyes open for a ’72 Camaro and here are the original specs of Papa John’s Z-28 Camaro
Gold with black racing stripes
Sunroof
License plate: 10z 54
Split bumper
Original speedometer read 10 MPH too fast
Velvet interior, not vinyl
“Slap shifter”
BF Goodrich Tires
Positrac differential
No air conditioning
I also had a ’73 camaro, just the opposite, black with the gold stripes, Z28 , just loved it, have been trying to find one , but not being very sucssesful, i miss it terribley, !!!!
I too had a 72 camaro sport coupe ….Mojave gold,corvert vinyl top 307ci slsp stick shift a/t tan interior. purchased new, driven off show room floor from Bill Rutland Chevrolet in Charleston, SC Oct. 1971. I drove it from Oct 1971 until May of 1988 when I purchased my second new vehicle, a 1988 chevy S-10 truck. I put 289,000 miles on the camaro before I parked it. sorry to say many years passed and time and weather took its toll. sold it around 1997 or 1998. Wish I had it now, I sorely miss it. I wish you all the luck in the world finding yours!…………..Regards Larry R.Thompson/Hometown..Andrews, SC…Currently Conway SC
P.S. When I saw your comercial of you and your camaro, I had to rewind, pause, and pause my DVR for along time, just remembering and dreaming of days long since past. Mine is gone forever but not forgotten. HOPE YOU FIND YOURS!!!!!!