What Happened To Vincent Vega's Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu From Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film "Pulp Fiction" contributed a veritable cornucopia of quotes, references, and gewgaws to the pop culture lexicon. The film is full of unforgettable characters, most of whom didn't have much character. It also had a few iconic vehicles, such as The Wolf's Acura NSX, Butch's Harley Davidson, and the shiny red 1964 Chevy Chevelle Malibu driven by Vincent Vega — incomparably played by John Travolta.

Tarantino himself owned the screen-used '64 Malibu. The infamous filmmaker bought the Chevy off a friend five years earlier (in 1989) from the proceeds he received for selling the script of "True Romance." Tarantino rarely drove it, though, preferring to keep it locked in storage (like Vincent). Here's where the story goes array, much like Vincent's fate ... who ends up like Zed.

Some sources claim it was stolen straight off the set of "Pulp Fiction," while another says it was taken shortly after the film debuted in '94. Yet another says it may have been jacked in front of Tarantino's house or while parked at his girlfriend's house at the time.

Whatever the case, the car was purloined by someone who thought it was exciting to snatch it because they didn't have permission. It went completely off the grid for some 19 years. Jump to 2013 when Sheriff's Deputy Carlos Arrieta in Victorville, California — about an hour and a half northeast of Los Angeles — stumbles onto a couple of perpetrators stripping down a car.

Arrieta lights up the ne'er-do-wells and runs the VIN (vehicle identification number). In a twist that feels like it leaped from the pages of a movie script, the search returned a second car in the Northern California city of Oakland with the exact same VIN. Perplexed, the deputy dug deeper and discovered the VIN had been cloned. 

While the ID number on the Victorville Malibu was legit, it oddly hadn't been registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles for the past two decades. Meanwhile, the Oakland Malibu had been registered during that same time frame. As it turns out, the VIN used on the Oakland Malibu was done to make it look "legal," hiding the fact that it was Tarantino's stolen Chevy.

Bill Hemenez owned the Oakland Malibu yet had no idea it was a hot car. He told authorities he purchased it in 2001, thinking it was a lawful sale. Over the next 12 years, he spent over $40,000 restoring it, and even showed it off at numerous car shows. Unfortunately, just like Tarantino, Hemenez also became a victim as the the Chevy was returned to Tarantino — reportedly without so much as a thank you from the filmmaker. Furthermore, the insurance company refused to pay out any money because it was, in fact, stolen.

It's ironic that "Pulp Fiction" contains a "key" scene about messing with a man's automobile (the very same Chevy Malibu, no less), and makes one wish for a much happier ending for the man who spent so much time and effort taking care of this one.