Belvedere

On June 15, 1957, some people in Oklahoma decided to honor their state's semi-centennial anniversary by ceremoniously burying a Plymouth Belvedere Sport Coupe. The idea was to dig it up 50 years later, and award it to whoever at the time was best able to estimate the 2007 Tulsa population. Here's the full story.


I was inclined to blog on this subject, naturally, if only for the opportunity to post a picture of the cast of "Mr. Belvedere". When I started my research though, I found much to my disappointment that the car has already been unearthed and examined by "hazardous materials crews"; aka, the Oklahomians couldn't help themselves and peeked. Before they peeked, the story had some intrigue because nobody had seen the car in 49 years; it could be anything from a rusty piece of trash to a $22,000+ gem. Now, thanks to the haz-mat crews, we know that some water got to the Belvedere, but an event organizer is still optimistic that the car is "90 percent solid". There will still be a ceremony (followed by a sock-hop) to unearth the Plymouth (again), but it won't be the same. By cheating and having an early look at the Belvedere, the Oklahomanites ruined the whole event and my will to blog at the same time. The story is not a total loss; when it comes time to sell my Civic, I will now know to tell potential buyers that I am "optimistic" that the car is "90 percent solid".