The Buried Belvedere Unearthed

Since I’m on a everything but politics kick today you may recall my post last December on the Buried Belvedere:

On June 15, 1957, a new gold and white 1957 Plymouth Belvedere Sport Coupe was buried in a time capsule in downtown Tulsa, OK. The time capsule was part of Golden Jubilee Week: Tulsa’s celebration of Oklahoma’s semi-centennial. The car is buried under the sidewalk in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse, approximately 100 feet north of the intersection of Sixth Street and Denver Avenue.

The car was seen as a method of acquainting twenty-first century citizens with a suitable representation of 1957 civilization. According to event chairman Lewis Roberts Jr., the Plymouth was chosen because it was "an advanced product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years from now."

The contents of a women’s purse, including bobby pins, a bottle of tranquilizers, cigarettes and an unpaid parking ticket, were added to the glove compartment of the car shortly before burial.

Well, it was dug out today:

It’s going to be unveiled in a few hours. 

A crane lifted a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere out of its hole Friday, a half century after it was buried under the courthouse lawn.

Hundreds of curious onlookers watched as the car, covered in a protective wrapping and coated with dirt and mud, was placed on a flatbed truck about 12 p.m. CDT.

Spectators packed city streets to catch a glimpse of the Belvedere as the truck carried it to the Tulsa Convention Center, where it was to be spruced up and officially unveiled Friday evening.

The gold and white two-door hardtop _ buried to celebrate Oklahoma’s 50 years of statehood _ was encased in a 12-by-20-foot concrete vault, supposedly tough enough to withstand a nuclear attack.

Event officials already had to pump out several feet of water from the crypt that held the Belvedere for a half-century. But the condition of the car, wrapped in three layers of mud-caked protective material, remains a mystery.

Precious little about its condition will be known until it is uncovered and examined. The car appeared brown and red as it came out of the hole, but it was unclear if that color represented dirt or rust.

Will it start? Is the bit of shiny chrome visible on the bumper a good omen?

Those who gathered to see the vintage car pulled out of the ground did not seem to care.

And it looks like car builder Boyd Coddington is apart of the event:

Thursday afternoon, legendary hot rod builder Boyd Coddington inspected the vault and what he was able to see of the car with his crew.

The task will fall to Coddington, host of the TV series American Hot Rod on The Learning Channel, to try to start the thing up at a ceremony Thursday evening. Tens of thousands of tickets were sold for the event.

“We’re optimistic,” Coddington said. “I’m really concerned about the rust on the bottom of the car.”

I have a feeling there is going to be LOTS of rust on that car, but still looking forward to seeing it unveiled.

UPDATE

Video of the unveiling:

UPDATE

Just watched the unveiling on the simulcast and sure enough, it’s rusted rusted rusted……will get pictures up as I find them.

UPDATE II

Pictures are out:

The items inside the time capsule were intact tho which included a yearbook from a local highschool, plates, and documents…along with a American flag with 49 stars.  All in pristine condition.

Curt

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