Posted on 06/15/2007 12:26:27 PM PDT by Kaslin
TULSA, Okla. - Hundreds watched Friday as a crane lifted a muddy package from a hole in the courthouse lawn: a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere buried to celebrate Oklahoma's 50 years of statehood.
The wrapped car — a gold and white two-door hardtop — appeared brown and red as it came out of the hole, but it was unclear whether the color represented dirt or rust. A bit of shiny chrome was visible on the bumper.
The car spent the last half-century covered in three layers of protective material and encased in a 12-by-20-foot concrete vault, supposedly tough enough to withstand a nuclear attack.
But event officials already had to pump out several feet of water from its crypt.
The car was placed on a flatbed truck so it could be unwrapped, spruced up and officially unveiled Friday evening at the Tulsa Convention Center. Spectators packed the streets to glimpse its journey.
Whether the car will start was unknown. Those who gathered to watch it being pulled out of the ground did not seem to care.
"I just need to see it," said Marc Montague of Auckland, New Zealand, among the couple hundred spectators amassed at the downtown site Thursday afternoon. "I've been waiting 15 years for this."
Also buried with it were 10 gallons of gasoline — in case internal combustion engines became obsolete by 2007 — a case of beer, and the contents of a typical woman's handbag placed in the glove compartment: 14 bobby pins, a bottle of tranquilizers, a lipstick, a pack of gum, tissues, a pack of cigarettes, matches and $2.43.
There was also a spool of microfilm that recorded the entries of a contest to determine who would win the car: the person who guessed the closest of what Tulsa's population would be in 2007 — 382,457 — would win.
That person, or his or her heirs, will get the car and a $100 savings account, worth about $1,200 today with interest.
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."
Back on the day the Belvedere was buried, all Bixby resident Marlene Parker wanted to do was find a photographer for her wedding. Catching a glimpse of the car being lowered into the ground was the last thing on her priority list.
Unfortunately, not for the photographer: He was shooting the burial.
This weekend, the 70-year-old will celebrate 50 years of marriage and may come downtown to see what all the fuss was about back then.
"Probably across the pond people know about it," Parker said. "If nobody knew where Tulsa, Oklahoma was before, they do now."
They’re going over the “noon raising” of the car out of the vault. They said there was about 300 people for that downtown event.
It looks like they’re wrapping it up at the Tulsa Convention Center....
That’s it..., I guess we’ll read more of the details in the newspaper or wherever, online...
The “show” is over. They said they’ll rebroadcast the even a couple more times, but I would guess they’ll put an archive of this video, online, at this TV station...
Over and out...
Oh, I think the people of 1957 were more optimistic than that. More likely they figured that after the future Tulsans had lifted the car from its vault with hovercraft, they would simply zap it with a Restore-O-Matic ray that would turn any rust to gleaming steel. And afterward the workmen would enjoy a fine lunch (delivered via pneumatic tube) of white bread and Veg-O-Pills, followed by a couple of Luckies.
What the Tulsans of 1957 expected compared to what they really got is about the same as what Tulsans of 2007 expected and what they really got.
It's both sad and amusing at the same time. Maybe the Germans have a word for that.
They should not have exhumed “Christine”.
I dunno. Maybe. 5,500 years is a very long time. Even the arid 'Valley of the Kings' has probably had flash floods from time to time. They have evidence of that in some of the lower tombs they've found, if I recall correctly.
Whole societies of ancient Egyptians passed through the ages without the later ones knowing much about the previous kingdoms. Looking back on them today, they all seem the same to us, but their greater civilization lasted thousands of years.
Egyptian antiquities were lost to grave robbers and tomb raiders -- sometimes almost as soon as the vault was sealed, other times they probably came several hundred years later. Some are certainly still undiscovered, and some may never be found.
If that car would have sat hidden and dormant in Oklahoma, it would have been uncovered eventually when ground was broken for a new 385,000 square foot WalMart SuperMax in the year 2125. You'd really have to try to keep something hidden in modern day America for it to have a chance of never being found and preserved intact. I can't think of too many places like that in the USA, but I would suggest the Superstition Mountain range if I were going to try.
So has anyone got a picture of the rust bucket? I’ve yet to see it.
I was in Houston, I know that for sure. Moved away from the Tulsa area in June 1954 and then back in Oct 1958. Just missed all this, lol.
I’m wondering where they got the beer, even if it was three-two - Oklahoma was dry until 1960, I know that! They must’ve made the Caney, KS, run like we all did - or “borrowed” some from their friendly local bootlegger.
Fun stuff! Since I can’t play videos on this puter, I’ll wait on the edge of my seat for some still photos. Loved the photoalbum site that was posted - the Visitor Cars album was the best one!
Thanks!
http://www.kotv.com/newsimages/640/cda2f85c-d7b6-42a2-aaa4-7c551f8240fe.jpg
http://www.kotv.com/newsimages/640/6a16d1b0-ba01-4d9b-8496-d9bf6bef105f.jpg
http://www.kotv.com/newsimages/640/95423553-3e03-41e2-a8ca-30df973f59e4.jpg
It’s pitiful. My Saratoga is much nicer, and has bigger fins.
Thanks for posting those. What do you expect from a state whose tourism motto for many years was “Oklahoma is OK!”? A pristine Christine?
A muddy Plymouth is about right, lol.
Just teasin’ - it’s my heart-home.
LOL
Speaking of “time capsules,” do you remember the one they buried at . . .
40° 44’ 34” .089 N
73° 50’ 43” .842 W
?
True--nobody's found the Lost Dutchman mine.
Or if they have, they're not talking.
Miss Belvedere made Good Morning America this morning and is on the Today Show right now, too - so now I’ve gotten to see the video - to the tune of Pat Boone crooning “Love Letters in the Sand.” *sniff*
Thanks for the thread!
BOY,ain't that the truth! I member one time they found an unrestored 1965 GT Mustang fastback that I would do about anything to have and fix up. The first thing they did was burn the rear tires off till they blew out. Then they kept the gas peddle down till the engine blew! After that they cut it apart and built some custom street rod out of it.I was sick about it.
That was the last time I watched his show.
I was hoping they did that:(
ungggghhhh....that’s sad. But thanks for the pics.
Well, I looked up the location... I’m afraid I haven’t been in that area. It showed up in New York. What was there?
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