Organizers of a coming-out party for a buried 1957 Plymouth Belvedere could use some help. The car, which was buried in brand-new condition under the lawn of the Tulsa County Courthouse in 1957, is scheduled to be unearthed June 15 as part of the Oklahoma Centennial.
Promoters are looking for people who helped lower the car into its crypt in 1957 to perhaps shed some light on what to expect when the car is unearthed.
When the car was buried, a contest was announced to award the car and a $100 savings account to the person who came closest to guessing Tulsa’s population in 2007.
At the time, the guesses were recorded on microfilm and sealed in a steel container buried with the car.
My recollection of ’57 Plymouths was that you could poke your finger through their bodywork when they were shiny brand new. It should look like spiderwebs when they disinter the critter.
I love it when they do stuff like this. I’m intrigued by what they might find in the box? Keep us updated please.
John, you’re not old enough to remember a 57 Plymouth.
Uh, #2 — read the very top and you’ll see that I posted this one, not John. Got my driver’s license in 1954…
Dad had a ’57 Plymouth wagon. It was junk, but mom wrecked it (not her fault) in 1960, before the rust got a good start. A cousin had a Dodge of similar vintage that essentially lacked any skin before it was paid for, though.
Can’t complain – a girl who worked for me had a ’72 Pinto that was repainted twice before it was paid for, and the ’75 I bought my wife needed one pass through the paint line before we got rid of it around 1980.
(A Crown Vic bought in early 1984 needed it’s rocker panels repainted before 1986, but was reasonably solid. The “sacrificial” materials under the trim strips did their job.)
Never quite kept that Plymouth’s transmission behaving, though. Crack in the housing or a gasketing issue that was never located until mom got hit while crossing an intersection and spun into a telephone pole.
Regards,
Stu.
(Who’d also like to hear what happens….)
When the car was buried, a contest was announced to award the car and a $100 savings account to the person who came closest to guessing Tulsa’s population in 2007.
I’m assuming any winner of this would’ve had to be Eideard’s age (no offence) or younger when they entered in order to even make use of the car. Also, this $100. savings account > did they create it in ’57 and let it draw interest or is the winner going to get a new $100.00 account?
Sorry Eideard, I wasn’t paying attention – again.
I live in Tulsa and have heard about this my whole life. I am really looking forward to it. They buried it with gasoline because of course no one would be using gas in the future.
There was a lot of rust problems with them. Dad had a 56 Plymouth Coup and my then 5 year old sister fell through the floor board. Car was about 5 years old at the time. Coastal ownership or salted roads would destroy them.
Yes. the saving account was an interest baring account they believe it would be around $1200 now but it unsure whether the bank still exist after the saving and loan problems of the 1990s.
i just saw thempull the car out of the ground like 20 minutes ago later tonight imgonnasee the time capsole be opened and the car be revealed!!!
From the 1957 entry in the Tulsa Tribune:
“Maybe we ought to put a can of gasoline in with the car,” said capsule chairman Lewis Roberts. “Who knows – maybe cars of that time will run on solar power or uranium or something.”
NOT. Fifty years ago, I am sure they expected flying anti-gravity cars running on tap water by 2007. I’m still waiting for mine.
I bet this thing disintegrates to dust now that it is exposed to oxygen.
Today’s “Dagens Nyheter” (daily paper in Sweden) carried a picture of the wreck as it was pulled from the ground. My only question is “What were they thinking?” Junk in 57 can only be junk 50 years later.
There is, however, one of these cars still around, here in Sweden. A car enthusiast has spent undoubtedly a lot of money so he can bring it out every summer.