A Half-Century Buried
On June 15, 1957, the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, executed an ambitious project to mark its 50th anniversary of statehood. As part of the 'Tulsarama!' festivities, a brand-new, gold-and-white 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was lowered into a specially constructed 12-by-20-foot concrete vault located directly in front of the local courthouse. Designed with the paranoia of the era in mind, the bunker was engineered to survive even a nuclear strike.
The vehicle, affectionately dubbed "Miss Belvedere" by organizer Sharon King Davis, was essentially a time capsule on wheels, having traveled only four miles before being sealed away.
The Contest of a Lifetime
The project functioned as a unique competition. Residents of Tulsa were asked to predict the city's population for the year 2007. The individual whose estimate was most accurate would be awarded the pristine Plymouth along with a $100 savings account. According to historical records, the winner was Raymond Humbertson, whose guess of 384,743 came remarkably close to the actual 2007 population figure of 382,457.
A Waterlogged Discovery
When the vault was finally exhumed on June 15, 2007, thousands of curious onlookers gathered to witness the unveiling. However, the scene was far from the triumphant recovery planners had imagined. Instead of a pristine automotive relic, crews uncovered a vehicle heavily coated in rust and thick red mud.
The integrity of the "nuclear-proof" vault had failed, allowing approximately 2,000 gallons of water to seep inside, submerging the car in nearly four feet of standing liquid. Renowned hot rod builder Boyd Coddington offered a blunt assessment at the time:
«I'll tell you what, she's a mess. Look at her.»
Lingering Legacy
Despite the car's deteriorated condition, the public was captivated by the spectacle. Enthusiasts drew parallels to archaeological finds, with one observer noting, "It's our King Tut's tomb. It's like a fairy tale." While the vehicle suffered severe damage, other items tucked away in the vault fared better, including an American flag and various aerial maps that remained in surprisingly good condition.
The prize took a bittersweet turn, as the winner, Raymond Humbertson, had passed away in 1979, leaving the car to his heirs. Following significant restoration efforts by Dwight Foster of the shop Ultra One, the vehicle was stabilized. Since 2020, the historic Plymouth has been on public display at the Historic Auto Attractions museum in Roscoe, Illinois, serving as a permanent reminder of the unpredictable nature of time capsules.