It's won numerous car shows, appeared in a Hollywood movie, and ferried brides to weddings, high school kids to proms and politicians in local parades. Now, the head-turning, cherry-red custom-built 1957 Chevy Bel Air -- valued at $150,000 -- is missing after thieves executed what employees called a well-planned heist at a Reseda auto shop. It was the first break-in at Leon's Transmission Services in the shop's 50-year history, said owner Henry 'Hank' Springer, who bought the car a decade ago and rebuilt it from the wheels up. The Chevrolet had been his dream car since his days at Van Nuys High School, where he envied other students who pulled up in brand-new Bel Airs. 'I told myself, 'One day I'm going to have that car,'' he said Friday. 'It's kind of sad that I finally got one and someone stole it.' According to shop employees, the steel gate latches were cut early Thursday at Leon's, located in the 7500 block of Reseda Boulevard. The burglars seemed to know where the two-door convertible was parked and dented the bay door enough so that it could be lifted from its latches. They flipped on the lights and swiped the Chevy's keys, which were hanging on a board, employees said. By the time an employee and authorities responded to an alarm, the burglars were gone -- along with the Chevy, which boasts customized leather seats, 350 horsepower, 400 pounds of torque and license plate 5HEINZ7. 'It certainly could be an inside job, but we don't know that right now,' said Lt. Edward Pape of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Division. 'We're looking at every clue.' The Bel Air was rented out for special occasions at $100 an hour and was often donated for charity use, such as fundraisers for the Girl Scouts, breast cancer awareness and Operation Gratitude, which sends care packages to troops overseas. It also appeared in the 1983 film 'Losin' It' with Tom Cruise. 'You don't have to be good-looking in that car,' said Chad Ferrell, a manager at Leon's. 'You go down the street and everybody's going to look.' The car, which also has Mercedes-Benz tan wool carpeting and a chrome engine and gas tank, has been featured in Super Chevy Magazine and made rounds in numerous local car shows. Its convertible top is red, instead of the white found in stock cars. 'It's just a beautiful car,' said Stewart Solomon, founder of the Classic Car Show at Fields Market in Canoga Park. 'It's a shame to see it in the wrong hands.' Several employees lamented the disappearance of the car they had spent countless hours fine-tuning, detailing or chauffeuring at events. 'We just loved it,' said Ferrell, who had once asked to work two years without pay in exchange for the car -- an offer that Springer rejected. 'It was just a once-in-a-lifetime car.' 'It's sad because that car was used for so many things,' Springer said. 'I wanted everyone to have fun with it. And they did.' Anyone with information is asked to call West Valley detectives at 818-374-7730. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. 