Tulsa's 1957 Plymouth Becomes a Monument to the Cruel Ravages of Time

Well, now it's official.  Tulsa's 1957 time capsule was built to withstand a nuclear bomb, but it proved powerless to resist the corrosive effects of seeping groundwater -- as well as the rigors of time itself.

When civic leaders unveiled their freshly-unearthed 1957 Plymouth Belvedere last night in a gala ceremony involving plenty of colorful lights, draped curtains, and Enya-like music, they were no doubt horrified to discover that the car had been reduced to a giant, tailfinned paperweight.

Clearly this is a metaphor. But for what? And what lesson are the citizens of 2007 Tulsa supposed to derive from this time capsule left behind by their Jet Age ancestors of 1957?

According to the Tulsa World:

Now we know what 50 years in a hole does to a Plymouth Belvedere.

The tires go flat. The paint fades. Hinges and latches stiffen, upholstery disintegrates, the engine becomes a very large paperweight.

But what the heck. None of us is what we used to be.

The Belvedere buried at the Tulsa County Courthouse a half-century ago and recovered from its vault on Friday turned out to be more artifact than memento. Displayed to the public Friday night at the Convention Center, its ruined paint suggested just about every color except the original gold and white. Corrosion bubbled the surface of the radiator.

The engine that hot-rod guru Boyd Coddington had hoped to start Friday night was just plain hopeless. [...]

Most of the artifacts said to have been left in the car were unrecoverable. About the only thing to survive intact were two glass jugs of gasoline, a cigarette lighter and some thickly encrusted cans of Schlitz beer.

The beer, left in the trunk of the car by nightclub owner Clarence Love, managed to migrate to every nook and cranny of the interior, carried along by the water that inundated the vault sometime during the last 50 years, rotting fabrics and rusting metals.

(Photos above by the Associated Press)

LINKS:
Videos of the Tulsa Plymouth unveiling (TuslaWorld)

UPDATE: Watch "Destination Earth," a 1956 film by the American Petroleum Institute salvaged from Tulsa's Time Capsule.

UPDATE: Flickr user Michael Bates has uploaded some remarkable photos of the waterlogged Plymouth. As a monument to 1957 technology, the time capsule must be deemed a failure.  But as conceptual art, it's varsity-level stuff.  Check out all of his Tulsa's Buried Car photoset.

(Photo by Michael Bates)
 

Comments

[lemonadesoda]

The time capsule 1957 Plymouth Belvedere should not be restored. It should be PRESERVED. Yes, clean it up a little, then stick it in an oxygen free glass coffin (against rust and fingers) and stick it in the foyer or exhibit room of Tulsa's city museum. Along with the story. Let's make sure it lasts another 50 or 500 years, and people can gain knowledge or insight from the exhibit.

What is the point of restoring it? There are thousands of Plymouths available that can be restored, driven, worn out and thrown away. No need to do it with this one. That would be a decadent waste of a historical artifact.

If we found a rare, priceless, musical instrument from thousands of years BC, should we treat it with care and stick it in the museum, or polish it up and give it to the local school for their teen orchestra? Exactly.

[photo-restoration-services]

I like this article very much. Please keep update me about this subject more. :-) Alex

[ben]

just a reminder that there hasnt been a good looking car built for over 40 years now

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[Oakman]

I believe she should remain as is, but at least pressure washer her off a bit.

[run your car on water]

you should restore this car it would be awesome.

[Brian]

This was not smart but I would restore it and I would love to own one just like this some day.

[neal]

i think that it's great that they found the car i hope that they restore it to the way it was it's going to take some work my dad owns 15 old cars he buys them from junk yards and restores them to there pristine condition he has restored a 1957 chavy bel air convertible, a 1963 ford galaxy convertible, and 2 1950 rolls royce, and we a currently in the process of restoring the colonial theater in Tarboro north carolina it was built in 1919 and it is going to take the amount of 1 million dollars to restore it back to way it was in the 50's but we have the money and we are on our way but i know reststoring things is'nt easy but i got a good feeling about this car if they want to they can do it.