Buried car gets unearthed today!

Owen

The Plymouth Belvedere which was buried in a time capsule outside a courthouse in Tulsa USA 50 years ago is being unearthed today. It will be very interesting to see what condition she's still in!

http://www.buriedcar.com

E@gle.

they better get the jump leads out

Owen

Eeek, it's not looking good. The cracked open the vault, and found a few feet of water :

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/13/tulsa-hits-snag-unearthing-57-belvedere-time-capsule/

Max_Damage

Lets hope the plastic layers around the car helped prevent the rust.

Victor Meldrew

Max_Damage wrote:

Lets hope the plastic layers around the car helped prevent the rust.

http://www.fox23.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=20716

It's not looking too good, very brown in fact:eek:

Max_Damage

It was stupid to put a car under the ground for 50 years. They should have put it into a tomb above ground (something like Lenin's Tomb).

Nevertheless, the idea of a time capsule with a car in it is a good and interesting idea.

Andrewf20

Wish they'd hurry up and unwrap it!

mondeoman

Andrewf20 wrote:

Wish they'd hurry up and unwrap it!

Here is what it looks like unwrapped:eek: http://www.buriedcar.com/photo_gallery_new.htm

Guy:Incognito

It would'nt have been as bad if it had been in a field for 50 years.

peasant

Ohhh ...ferrous oxide shaped in the form of a car

mike65

Holy crap! It would have survived better in Iceland I'd say.

Mike.

Owen

Well that was a good idea executed badly. Anyone who's into bodywork care to offer an opinion? Junkyard? Maybe it's surface rust, maybe that's the coating they had on the car which has somehow absorbed the murky water and it'll be better after it's cleaned? Wishful thinking I know.

[EDIT] Just looked at more photos. Screw that, it's a wreck.

Stephen

I wonder what the $100 + 50 years interest is worth?

colm_mcm

they shouldn't have got Americans to build the capsule, Its build quality seems to be similar to their cars

Owen

By all accounts there was evidence that the vault was completely full of water at one stage.

Max_Damage

The Belevedere looks like the Fury in 'Christine' after it was set on fire!

Those 1950's Plymouth's were known to rust anyway. If they had to bury the car in the first place, at least make the coffin out of plastic/bakelite or something, something that wouldn't rot or deterorate for a few thousand years. Concrete though was a very bad choice.

Looking at the pictures, even after 50 years, it seems three out of the four tyres managed to keep the air in them!

Atomic Pineapple

oh what a mess, yeh concrete was always gonna leak water so it was but maybe they couldnt make a plastic container back then? they took guess's off people back then as to what the population would be in 2007 and whoever got the closest wins the car

junkyard

There's no going back for this one ned, it reminds me of the Rolls Royce they used to make an artifical reef a few years ago....a bloody waste, and wasn't there some women buried in a Ferrari in the states a few years ago too, I think it was on Ripleys believe it or not.:rolleyes:

G Luxel

There are plenty of pictures of this unearthing on Autoblog.com. Shame that the car is a wreck but it does probably give prominence to the name Christine even if they are 20 years apart, car and novel.
As for car burials, I do remember a Corvette burial in Texas I think around
I993 and another burial of a Corvair around I996...

Wossack

draffodx wrote:

oh what a mess, yeh concrete was always gonna leak water so it was but maybe they couldnt make a plastic container back then? they took guess's off people back then as to what the population would be in 2007 and whoever got the closest wins the car

hope they had xzibit to hand over the keys:

"Check out your brand new ride!"

yop

I think the guy in the "Sherriff" outfit and shorts in the 2nd picture must have been buried also!!!
http://www.buriedcar.com/photo_galleries/june_15th_unearthing/main.htm