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Miss Belvedere
Miss Belvedere is a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere that was sealed in an underground vault on the grounds of the Tulsa city courthouse on June 15, 1957, as a 50-year time capsule: a "product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years [later]."
The car, a gold and white sport coupe with four miles on its odometer, was buried as part of Tulsa's "Tulsarama" Golden Jubilee Week festivities celebrating Oklahoma's 50th year of statehood. As a time capsule, it was intended to be unearthed and presented to the person or their descendent who came nearest to guessing Tulsa's population fifty years later, in 2007. The poured in place concrete enclosure had been sprayed with pneumatically applied gunite and advertised as capable of withstanding nuclear attack.
Nicknamed Miss Belvedere by a member of the 2007 organizing committee, the car was unearthed for the state's centennial celebration and publicly presented the following day only to discover the vault had been long breached by water and the car itself had suffered significant cosmetic and structural damage.
After stabilization and ten years in storage, the Plymouth was accepted by the Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois where it remains on display as of 2025, largely unrestored.
As part of the city of Tulsa's "Tulsarama" Golden Jubilee Week festivities celebrating Oklahoma's 50th year of statehood, it was decided to bury, in an underground vault, a new desert gold and sand dune white two-tone 1957 Plymouth Belvedere sport coupe. Also, along with the unnamed vehicle, other contemporary items were placed inside the vault as a time capsule for the people of the year 2007. It was felt that these items, when the vault was opened in 2007, would help acquaint future generations with life in 1957. When asked why the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was chosen, event chairman Lewis Roberts Sr. was quoted that the car represented "an advanced product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years from now." The car was donated by Plymouth Motors and a group of Plymouth car dealers from the Tulsa area. Ultimately, the car was intended to be a prize awarded upon the vehicle's unearthing for the individual, or their descendant, who came nearest to guessing Tulsa's population in 2007. An additional prize of the value of a savings account, started with a $100.00 deposit in 1957, would also be awarded to the winner of the car. The contest was advertised with the slogan "Suddenly It's 2007” which was a variation of the 1957 Plymouth advertising campaign "Suddenly, it's 1960 ...". A matching automobile had been awarded in a separate contest a few days prior.
A large number of items were placed inside the trunk and glove box of Miss Belvedere. A partial list of items included a five-gallon container of gasoline, a case of motor oil, a case of Schlitz beer and items that were considered typical contents of a woman's purse, which included a bottle of tranquilizers, an unpaid parking ticket, 14 bobby pins, a compact, cigarettes and matches, two combs, a tube of lipstick, a package of gum, a plastic rain hat, pocket facial tissues, and $2.73 in bills and coins. Some of the items placed in the sealed steel capsule, welded shut and painted white, behind the car included a 48-star American flag, letters from various state and city officials and documentation for a savings account valued at $100 in 1957 along with entry postcards for the contest regarding the city's population in 2007.
A 12 feet (3.7 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) underground poured in place concrete vault, with pneumatically applied gunite on its interior walls, had been prepared in the courthouse lawn with the top of the vault being three feet below the surface. Miss Belvedere was placed on a steel skid with her tires off the ground and the vehicle was lowered into the vault a number of times for publicity photos to be taken. After being lowered for the final time, the car was coated in a cosmoline like substance and was then wrapped in layers of sealed plastic. It was hoped that these actions would protect the car from moisture that might seep in. Concrete beams were set on top of the vault as a lid and then the beams were sprayed with gunite to seal the vault. Following the replacement of dirt and sod, a bronze marker, donated by a local cemetery, was placed to mark the spot. In 1997 there were some people expecting that the car would be unearthed due to the inscription on the marker which read "Golden Jubilee, Inc. Time Capsule with 1957 Plymouth To Be Opened in 2007 by Centennial Committee." It was mistakenly thought that the "Centennial Committee" referred to the group that was organizing the centennial celebration for the City of Tulsa in 1997.
In the years leading up to the anticipated opening of the vault, some speculating the car would be found in near pristine condition, and others concerned moisture may have entered the vault causing damage. It was unknown if a nearby 1973 construction accident involving damage to a water main that flooded the area, had affected the vault. After eighteen months of preparation by volunteers, the vault was opened on June 14, 2007, during the state's centennial celebration. In press interviews, the 2007 organizing committee co-chairman Sharon King Davis acknowledged that she had named the vehicle Miss Belvedere, though the official website used leading up to the event did not use the nickname. Interest in the event went viral, with news organizations and interested people from abroad attending the event. Organizers had made arrangements with vehicle customizer Boyd Coddington, under a sponsorship arrangement, to use the sponsor's products in starting the car once removed from the vault. A local crane service volunteered to lift the car from the vault, and customized lifting equipment was fabricated. An identical model Plymouth Belvedere was found and test lifts were made with the vehicle to verify the center of gravity for the lift.
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Miss Belvedere
Miss Belvedere is a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere that was sealed in an underground vault on the grounds of the Tulsa city courthouse on June 15, 1957, as a 50-year time capsule: a "product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years [later]."
The car, a gold and white sport coupe with four miles on its odometer, was buried as part of Tulsa's "Tulsarama" Golden Jubilee Week festivities celebrating Oklahoma's 50th year of statehood. As a time capsule, it was intended to be unearthed and presented to the person or their descendent who came nearest to guessing Tulsa's population fifty years later, in 2007. The poured in place concrete enclosure had been sprayed with pneumatically applied gunite and advertised as capable of withstanding nuclear attack.
Nicknamed Miss Belvedere by a member of the 2007 organizing committee, the car was unearthed for the state's centennial celebration and publicly presented the following day only to discover the vault had been long breached by water and the car itself had suffered significant cosmetic and structural damage.
After stabilization and ten years in storage, the Plymouth was accepted by the Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois where it remains on display as of 2025, largely unrestored.
As part of the city of Tulsa's "Tulsarama" Golden Jubilee Week festivities celebrating Oklahoma's 50th year of statehood, it was decided to bury, in an underground vault, a new desert gold and sand dune white two-tone 1957 Plymouth Belvedere sport coupe. Also, along with the unnamed vehicle, other contemporary items were placed inside the vault as a time capsule for the people of the year 2007. It was felt that these items, when the vault was opened in 2007, would help acquaint future generations with life in 1957. When asked why the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was chosen, event chairman Lewis Roberts Sr. was quoted that the car represented "an advanced product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years from now." The car was donated by Plymouth Motors and a group of Plymouth car dealers from the Tulsa area. Ultimately, the car was intended to be a prize awarded upon the vehicle's unearthing for the individual, or their descendant, who came nearest to guessing Tulsa's population in 2007. An additional prize of the value of a savings account, started with a $100.00 deposit in 1957, would also be awarded to the winner of the car. The contest was advertised with the slogan "Suddenly It's 2007” which was a variation of the 1957 Plymouth advertising campaign "Suddenly, it's 1960 ...". A matching automobile had been awarded in a separate contest a few days prior.
A large number of items were placed inside the trunk and glove box of Miss Belvedere. A partial list of items included a five-gallon container of gasoline, a case of motor oil, a case of Schlitz beer and items that were considered typical contents of a woman's purse, which included a bottle of tranquilizers, an unpaid parking ticket, 14 bobby pins, a compact, cigarettes and matches, two combs, a tube of lipstick, a package of gum, a plastic rain hat, pocket facial tissues, and $2.73 in bills and coins. Some of the items placed in the sealed steel capsule, welded shut and painted white, behind the car included a 48-star American flag, letters from various state and city officials and documentation for a savings account valued at $100 in 1957 along with entry postcards for the contest regarding the city's population in 2007.
A 12 feet (3.7 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) underground poured in place concrete vault, with pneumatically applied gunite on its interior walls, had been prepared in the courthouse lawn with the top of the vault being three feet below the surface. Miss Belvedere was placed on a steel skid with her tires off the ground and the vehicle was lowered into the vault a number of times for publicity photos to be taken. After being lowered for the final time, the car was coated in a cosmoline like substance and was then wrapped in layers of sealed plastic. It was hoped that these actions would protect the car from moisture that might seep in. Concrete beams were set on top of the vault as a lid and then the beams were sprayed with gunite to seal the vault. Following the replacement of dirt and sod, a bronze marker, donated by a local cemetery, was placed to mark the spot. In 1997 there were some people expecting that the car would be unearthed due to the inscription on the marker which read "Golden Jubilee, Inc. Time Capsule with 1957 Plymouth To Be Opened in 2007 by Centennial Committee." It was mistakenly thought that the "Centennial Committee" referred to the group that was organizing the centennial celebration for the City of Tulsa in 1997.
In the years leading up to the anticipated opening of the vault, some speculating the car would be found in near pristine condition, and others concerned moisture may have entered the vault causing damage. It was unknown if a nearby 1973 construction accident involving damage to a water main that flooded the area, had affected the vault. After eighteen months of preparation by volunteers, the vault was opened on June 14, 2007, during the state's centennial celebration. In press interviews, the 2007 organizing committee co-chairman Sharon King Davis acknowledged that she had named the vehicle Miss Belvedere, though the official website used leading up to the event did not use the nickname. Interest in the event went viral, with news organizations and interested people from abroad attending the event. Organizers had made arrangements with vehicle customizer Boyd Coddington, under a sponsorship arrangement, to use the sponsor's products in starting the car once removed from the vault. A local crane service volunteered to lift the car from the vault, and customized lifting equipment was fabricated. An identical model Plymouth Belvedere was found and test lifts were made with the vehicle to verify the center of gravity for the lift.
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