Saturday, March 10, 2007

1957 Plymouth Belvedere Sport Coupe-To be excavated!

The lucky person who in 1957 correctly guessed what Tulsa, Oklahoma's population would be in 2007 is destined to win the brand-new 1957 Belvedere Sport Coupe sealed in a time capsule beneath Tulsa's courthouse.


On June 15, 1957, a new gold and white 1957 Plymouth Belvedere Sport Coupe was buried in a time capsule in downtown Tulsa, OK. The time capsule was part of Golden Jubilee Week: Tulsa's celebration of Oklahoma's semi-centennial. The car is buried under the sidewalk in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse, approximately 100 feet north of the intersection of Sixth Street and Denver Avenue.

The car was seen as a method of acquainting twenty-first century citizens with a suitable representation of 1957 civilization. According to event chairman Lewis Roberts Jr., the Plymouth was chosen because it was "an advanced product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years from now."

The contents of a women's purse, including bobby pins, a bottle of tranquilizers, cigarettes and an unpaid parking ticket, were added to the glove compartment of the car shortly before burial.
Other items included in the time capsule were: 10 gallons of gasoline and 5 quarts of oil.

As part of the "Tulsarama!" festivities, citizens of Tulsa were asked to guess what the population of Tulsa would be in the year 2007. The guesses were then recorded on microfilm and sealed in a steel container buried with the car. When the car and artifacts are excavated, the person whose guess is closest to Tulsa's 2007 population is to be awarded the Belvedere.

Here is a quicktime video that shows what went on back in 1957!

http://www.buriedcar.com/MOVIECLIPS/buried4-tmj.qt