How the new car buried underground in Oklahoma for 50 years became an experiment gone wrong

The US State of Oklahoma once decided to put together a time capsule by burying a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere that would represent the state of the industry at the time when someone opened it 50 years later.

Time capsules have always been fascinating ways to pass on valuable information and goods through time for future generations.

In 1957, the authorities in Oklahoma held grand celebrations across all cities to mark the state’s 50 years of existence, and the Tulsa city’s event stood out the most.

The city got a brand-new ’57 Plymouth Belvedere and put it inside a time capsule, which would be opened in 2007.

(RKinColoUSA/Wikimedia Commons)

You probably have some questions — why did they choose this car? What came of it after its opening?

Well, the authorities thought that the Belvedere had a timeless design that would still remain relevant five decades later.
It got the ‘Miss Belvedere’ nickname to honor its glory or sacrifice — you get the point.

(Wikimedia Commons)

They also held a friendly little contest where anyone who would correctly guess the city’s population in 2007 would eventually win the car.

The authorities came up with several ideas to ensure that the car would survive, or at least give it the best chance.

For instance, the time capsule was nuclear-proof, had moisture countermeasures, and had layers of thick concrete blocks.

(The Magnum/YouTube)

The nuclear-proof time capsule, however, wasn’t waterproof.
Groundwater entered the concrete vault and submerged Miss Belvedere completely.

When the supposedly grand unveiling of the Plymouth Belvedere took place in 2007, the nine thousand fans that attended left with utter disappointment.

https://supercarblondie.com/new-car-buried-oklahoma-underground-experiment-gone-wrong/

(Freyzel Productions/YouTube)

That’s because Miss Belvedere had thick layers of rust everywhere the eyes could see, and it was nothing but a box of rusted metal at that point.

Moreover, the engine’s condition was beyond repair, and some of the interior was transformed into unworldly things.

(Freyzel Productions/YouTube)

The car was originally intended to go to the person who correctly guessed Tulsa’s population in 2007.

However, the winning man died in 1979, so the car went to his 101-year-old sister.

Ref: How the new car buried underground in Oklahoma for 50 years became an experiment gone wrong (supercarblondie)

Photo Credit-Freyzel Productions/ YouTube, The Magnum/ YouTube, Wikimedia Commons, RKinColoUSA/ Wikimedia Commons