Classic Chevrolet Chevelle stolen in Indy, owner says it's like "someone close to me dying"

(CBS/AP) INDIANAPOLIS - Keith Parmer has lost his wheels, but the Michigan man says it feels like he's lost much more than that, after his classic 1970s Chevrolet Chevelle was stolen.

Parmer said he was in disbelief when, during a trip to Indianapolis for a classic car show, he found his box trailer empty outside a motel Sunday morning - locks cut, ramp lowered, car gone, according to police.

They 48 year-old said he fell in love with muscle cars while growing up in the 1970s. Parmer and his wife bought the Chevelle for less than $20,000 in 2008. He estimates he spent $300,000 on parts and labor to restore and upgrade it - including a new engine, a custom-made polished intake manifold made of aluminum and a custom-made trunk and interior.

Jonathan Klinger, a spokesman for Traverse City, Mich.-based classic auto insurer Hagerty, said it's common for such cars to reach a price tag of $300,000, mostly because of the restoration process.

"While that's certainly a lot of money, it's not unlikely for someone to have that kind of money wrapped around a project like that," he said.

Parmer, who works as a car dealer, brought the car from his home near Lansing, Mich., for last weekend's Goodguys 3rd Speedway Nationals car show at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"That's one of the things that's driven me all these years to work so hard," he said. "My love for cars."

"If I don't find this his car and I lose this car, I don't think I can do it again," he told The Indianapolis Star. "Somebody's taking a big part of who I am that I'll never get back."

Parmer is offering a $10,000 reward to see his classic Chevy Chevelle again.

"You can't process it. You're just numb," he said. "Driving home, I couldn't think straight. It's like a bad dream. It's comparable to someone close to me dying."