Plymouth Belvedere - Oklahoma Centennial

Oklahoma Centennial

During Oklahoma's 50th Anniversary, a new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was sealed in a concrete enclosure as a time capsule near downtown Tulsa. It was unearthed June 14, 2007 during the state's centennial celebrations, and was publicly unveiled on June 15. In line with the Cold War realities of late 1950s America, the concrete enclosure was advertised as having been built to withstand a nuclear attack. The concrete enclosure, however, was not airtight and allowed water to leak in, which caused significant damage to the vehicle.

The controversial televised vehicle customizer Boyd Coddington would have been the first to start the unburied car, had it been operable.

The car was the prize of a 1957 contest to guess the population of Tulsa in the year 2007. The winning entrant, one Raymond Humbertson, guessed 384,743 vs. the actual figure of 382,457. However, Mr. Humbertson died in 1979 and now only distant relatives remain.

A second such car, this one a brand-new Plymouth Prowler, was encased in an above-ground vault in 1998 to celebrate the city's centennial. It will be revealed after the same period of time as the Belvedere in the year 2048.