A classic car stolen from a resident of Jefferson City in Missouri 16 years ago was finally reunited with its owner this month.

It was 1995 when Edward Neeley last saw his 1969 Camaro and he had to head into Salt Lake City to reclaim it from the Utah State Tax Commission headquarters.

This reunion was not the result of chance, but, in fact, years of continuous belief from Mr Neeley, who was convinced that he could eventually rediscover this most precious of classic cars.

Mr Neeley found the vehicle in a classified ad promoting classic cars posted on the internet and got in touch with the owner, who said that he had acquired it on eBay back in 2007.

The authorities and its current owner had not noticed that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) had been tampered with and so it was able to be legitimately registered, despite its unknown past.

The Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division undertook a thorough investigation of the case and determined that Mr Neeley was indeed the rightful owner.

The nickname given to the car by Mr Neeley is Chelsea Pearl and he is the beneficiary of $10K of restoration work carried out by the man who bought it in good faith.