New car spent 50 years buried in an underground concrete vault

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.

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1957 Plymouth Belvedere makes for an iconic time capsule

But time can be harsh — especially on machines like these.

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.

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

However, even cars with timeless designs must survive the harsh onslaught of time.

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.

Surviving time and being submerged in water

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.

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.

This Range Rover, which spent only a year underground, had a similar fate, so you can imagine what 50 years would look like.

Someone did win, though—unfortunately, he passed away before the unveiling, and his family became the Belvedere’s new owner.

Since then, several have tried their hands to remove all the rust and breathe some life into it.

The car now looks somewhat restored from the outside, which is enough for it to sit at the Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois.

It’s a lesson we could all learn from, though – you can’t outrun time.

Especially not if you’re locked in a box underground with water slowly filling it up.

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