What Happened To Vincent Vega’s Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu From Pulp Fiction – SlashGear

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.