Entombed 50 Years, Miss Belvedere Still Turns Heads

Miss Belvedere finally finds a home

After 10 years of de-rusting and restoration, Miss Belvedere finally found a suitor in the form of Historic Auto Attractions, in Roscoe, Ill. The Smithsonian rejected her. And, while other auto museums offered to display her temporarily, none wanted her around permanently. Now, someone has stepped up to the plate to provide the 1957 Plymouth her final resting place.

Watch the video for Miss Belvedere’s amazing story.

video
play-sharp-fill

Golden Jubilee Week

In 2007, Oklahomans unveiled a Belvedere buried in a time capsule for 50 years.

On June 15, 1957, the city of Tulsa, Okla. buried a new gold and white 1957 Plymouth Belvedere Sport Coupe in a time capsule in downtown Tulsa as part of Golden Jubilee Week, a celebration of Oklahoma’s 50th year of statehood. Before the car was buried, citizens were asked to guess what the population of Tulsa would be in the year 2007 with the promise that whoever came closest would be awarded the car at Oklahoma’s Centennial celebration in 2007. The entries were sealed and buried with the car inside the vault.

On June 15, 2007, the car was unearthed and transferred to the Tulsa Convention Center as part of Oklahoma’s Centennial celebration. Boyd Coddington, host of the The Learning Channel’s “American Hot Rod,” was on hand with his crew to help get the Belvedere running after spending 50 years buried in the underground vault. Coddington was to install AMSOIL synthetic lubricants and filters for the big dance.

Water, water everywhere

Journalists from around the globe were on hand for this truly grand opening. Unfortunately, as Robert Burns once observed, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” In this case, the theoretically watertight vault failed in its mission. Two days before Sleeping Beauty was to be excavated, workers unearthing the Belvedere were shocked at what they found when they removed the cover of the 12 x 22 foot vault. Several feet of mucky water had seeped in.

The walls showed evidence that water levels had risen and fallen to the height of the car during the intervening years. Though shrouded in protective plastic, the evidence of potential disaster presented itself to an array of onlookers who stood aghast at the sight. Some even wept.

Boyd Coddington of “American Hot Rod” attempts to bring this rust heap back to life.

To paraphrase Alexander Pope, “To err is human,” but to be on the air, is still fine. The event still generated buzz and was aired on “American Hot Rod,” despite the unhappy outcome.

There were many lessons learned that week. One was that we now know what happens when you bury a Plymouth Belvedere for 50 years. And in the years since, we’ve learned how difficult it can be to restore a rust-bucket, even a famous one.

A car like “papier mâché”

The greatly disfigured vehicle has not been a welcome fixture at car museums. And attempts to restore it have encountered a range of challenges. Dwight Foster of New Jersey’s Ultra One took a stab at de-rusting the vehicle, in the end acknowledging defeat with these remarks. “It’s basically like papier mâché. We didn’t see the extent of how bad it was until it came here. Anything we thought about doing we couldn’t because it was too fragile. We knew that whatever we touched would be a disaster.” Alas.

The photos that I took (here displayed) are from the day the car came out from its tomb. It was my first trip to Tulsa, and despite the ultimate outcome for the car the occasion was an adventure. Though a few hearts were broken, Oklahomans still celebrated 100 years of statehood.

Extend Turbodiesel Engine Life Turbodiesel vehicles have established a loyal customer base in North America. Follow these sound maintenance practices to extend the life of these powerful and expensive engines. Allow the Engine to Warm and Cool Upon startup, allow the engine to warm up before revving it or driving off. This is especially important […]

15W-40 Commercial Grade Diesel Oil 50% Synthetic AMSOIL’s newest Diesel oil is dialed in for your commercial equipment using normal service intervals but wanting longer life and better performance.  We now have a product customers can buy at the same price (better as a preferred customer or commercial account) of our competition but a better […]

Premium Protection 5W-50 for High-Horsepower Ford Mustangs (Including Track Pack optioned units) We move a LOT of this. If you are not using it you’ll never know the full potential your engine has at power take off!!! Yes – you can feel the difference at the light. AMSOIL adds 5W-50 viscosity to its Signature Series […]

Noack Volatility

Low-Volatility motor oil helps unlock vehicle performance   To meet today’s strict motor oil specifications and adequately protect modern engines, motor oils must demonstrate increased resistance to volatility. Nearly 30 years ago AMSOIL became the first oil manufacturer in the United States to use the NOACK Volatility Test (ASTM D5800) as a measure of performance […]

2022-2023 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Season Gears Up Scheuring Speed Sports driver Hunter Patenaude enters this season with his eyes on the title. We preview his path. _by Lindsay Tousignant|December 12, 2022 Hey race fans, last March we took a trip up to the Klim Compound to catch up with Scheuring Speed Sports between AMSOIL Championship […]

Be Prepared for Winter Driving Prepare your vehicle for hazardous roads before winter arrives. _by David Hilgendorf|October 25, 2022 Ice storms are most common when the air temperature is close to freezing and blizzards become more likely as temperatures fall below freezing. Both can reduce visibility and create slippery road conditions that require enhanced vigilance […]