Rusty 1957 Plymouth unearthed in Okla.
TULSA, Okla. - A concrete vault encasing a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere buried a half-century ago may have been built to withstand a nuclear attack but it couldn't beat back the natural onslaught of moisture.According to an earlier article:
At a Friday ceremony complete with a couple of drum rolls, crews removed a multilayered protective wrapping caked with red mud, revealing a vintage vehicle that was covered in rust and wouldn't crank.
There were a few bright spots, literally: shiny chrome was still visible around the doors and front fender, and workers were able to put air in the tires.
But the unveiling in front of thousands of people at the Tulsa Convention Center confirmed fears that the past 50 years had not been the kindest to Miss Belvedere.
"I'll tell you what, she's a mess. Look at her," said legendary hot rod builder Boyd Coddington, who was unable to start the thing up as planned.
Buried with the car were 10 gallons of gasoline — in case internal combustion engines became obsolete by 2007 — a case of beer, and the contents of a typical woman's handbag placed in the glove compartment: 14 bobby pins, a bottle of tranquilizers, a lipstick, a pack of gum, tissues, a pack of cigarettes, matches and $2.43.But when they looked in the glove compartment, all they found was what appeared to be "a lump of rotted leather."
Well, we still use gasoline and we still drink beer. But did the "typical" woman from 1957 really walk around with tranquilizers in her purse? Is that why June Cleaver had her supernatural aura of calmness?
Anyway, back to the car: There had to be a bad feeling about what was to come when they had to pump water out of the crypt. It was designed to withstand a nuclear attack, supposedly, but it wasn't watertight. Let this be a lesson to the good people of Tulsa in case they decide to bury a 2007 Plymouth to be dug up in 2057: Rust never sleeps.
