Robert Allen

Detroit Free Press

A Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 stolen from Papa John's pizza chain during the Woodward Dream Cruise was discovered in an abandoned home's driveway this morning on Detroit's west side.

The Camaro was found on Detroit's west side, across from Samuel Gompers Elementary-Middle School on Pierson Street, about three blocks north of I-96. The gold vehicle with black stripes was parked deep in some weeds, its license plate missing and the holder bent backward. Ernest Webster, 48, arrived to mow a nearby area at 7:30 a.m. when he recognized the vehicle from a TV report and called 911.

Police arrived, found paperwork in the car and quickly confirmed it to be the one used by the pizza chain during last weekend's event featuring classic cars. An enclosed trailer that contained the Camaro when it was stolen was recovered last night at Wildemere and Bourke streets, about 8 miles east of where the Camaro was found. A separately stolen truck was found with the trailer and had been used to tow the Camaro from the event, Detroit police Sgt. Jonathan Parnell said.

An up-to $10,000 reward is offered for tips leading to the thieves who stole the car over the weekend, and tipsters can call 1-800-242-HEAT, he said. The car and trailer were reported stolen Sunday morning from 960 East Woodbridge east of downtown Detroit. The car's theft had been widely publicized, so the thieves likely wanted to distance themselves from it.

"Because of the intense media pressure, we were able to get the vehicle recovered here between two vacant homes," Parnell said, adding that police had been working 24 hours on the theft, as well as thefts of two other vehicles stolen during the Dream Cruise.

The vehicle didn't have noticeable damage, but an Altoids tin was seen wedged behind the steering wheel.

The car is a replica of the original car Papa John's founder John Schnatter sold to help save his father's Indiana tavern and start his pizza business, according to the Associated Press. The replica is frequently used in promotions for the pizza chain.

The Dream Cruise, featuring classic cars for miles along Woodward, draws hundreds of thousands each year. This year, two other classic muscle cars were stolen; a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette was stolen from Birmingham, and a 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle and a pickup used to haul it was found in Detroit, the AP reported.