In 1957, a new ’57 Plymouth Belvedere was buried in a 12x20 ft. underground vault, in Tulsa, O.K., as a unique time capsule of sorts; it was to be unveiled 50 years later—in 2007.  According to the Associated Press, also buried was a case of Schlitz beer, 14 bobby pins, chewing gum, tranquillizers, lipstick, a pack of cigarettes, matches, $2.34 and 10 gallons of gas, in case we no longer relied on gasoline to fuel our vehicles, in ‘the future.’

Before the car was buried, the Belvedere was parked outside, in downtown Tulsa, with a sign that said “Enter Your Guess Here.”  The guess that the city was asking for was the population of Tulsa, in 2007. All the guesses were transferred to microfilm and included in a separate time capsule that was made of steel and welded shut. The individual with the closest guess would win the car and a savings bond in the amount of $100.  All the other buried items would to go to the Tulsa Historical Society—the group that put on the jubilee celebration, in 1957, and would once again coordinate the 2007 Tulsarama event for the unveiling of the buried treasures.

Years down the road, Dwight Foster, a rust removal expert from New Jersey, read about the vehicle.

Dwight says that he became aware of the story behind the Belvedere, about 10 years ago, when Old Cars Weekly ran an article that detailed the burial and future unveiling.  He said that he had a feeling that things might not go as the citizens of Tulsa had hoped and planned, in 1957.

“Murphy’s Law,” he says. “Things will go wrong...”

Dwight continues to explain that if, by chance, the car was revealed to be a rusted disaster, a great opportunity to help refurbish the vehicle could be open to him, with his background in rust removal.  So, some years back, he contacted members of the Tulsa Historical Society to see if he could be of assistance, if that be the case.  After building relationships with those running Tulsarama 2007, Dwight was put on standby, if the car was revealed with serious rust damage.

And, in June of this year, the car was indeed found sitting in several feet of groundwater, completely covered in red mud and rust. But, there is hope.  Dwight and Robert Carney, a member of the family that was officially declared the winner of the Belvedere, have big plans for the car.

This week, Dwight and members of the winning family returned to Tulsa to pick up the vehicle and bring it to New Jersey to begin the process of documentation and working to clean and preserve the vehicle.  Dwight says that the vehicle won’t be ‘restored’—but, rather a ‘preservation’ is in store for Miss Belvedere.

“We’ll treat it like the Titanic,” he says. “We’ll work on it in stages.”

“People want to see the right thing happen to the car,” continues Dwight.  “They have become emotionally attached to it.  We’re going to safely reverse the aging process, chemically, then clean it up and replace only a couple of parts—no more than necessary.”

Once the work has been done to bring Miss Belvedere back to life, Dwight says that the car will go on a tour across the country; it will be displayed in different automotive events, such as the SEMA Show, in Las Vegas, and Pebble Beach week, in California.  The city of Tulsa has been promised that the vehicle will be returned for showcasing, whenever requested.

To learn more about Miss Belvedere, and to read regular updates on the de-rusting of the vehicle, visit: http://www.missbelvedere.com/

Story by: Becky McLaughlin