Meet the man who unwittingly restored Tarantino's stolen "Pulp Fiction" Malibu

Bill Hemenez of San Leandro, Calif., spent over $40,000 to restore a classic 1964 Chevy Malibu that he'd purchased from a collector more than 12 years ago. He drove the car to countless shows across the state and was continually investing money into keeping it meticulous.

So Hemenez was a little puzzled when police called him last year asking after a stolen Malibu in his driveway — the very same one he'd put so much money and time into.

It turns out that Hemenez's little red Chevy was none other than the car Vincent Vega drove during his troubled date with Mia Wallace in "Pulp Fiction" – a car that went missing outside of director Quentin Tarantino's home nearly two decades ago.

This occurred in April last year, but at the time, the man who lost his prized car through no fault of his own was unnamed. However Hemenez has now come forward, telling his story to Yahoo Autos: He recalls being totally shocked, wondering how this could have happened to him. Hemenez also had no idea who Tarantino was and had never seen the movie "Pulp Fiction."

"After learning of the car's history, I had one of my guys go get the video so we could watch it," Hemenez says. "I then remembered seeing a commercial with John Travolta dancing on the stage. I couldn't believe it."