A rusty old Plymouth finds a permanent home at Historic Auto Attractions in Roscoe
After being underground in Tulsa for 50 years, the classic car was unearthed in 2007.
Picture this: It’s the year 2007. A gold and white 1957 Plymouth Belvidere sports coupe with swooping rear wings is resurrected after 50 years, buried in a time capsule under the front lawn of the Tulsa, Oklahoma courthouse.
As part of Oklahoma’s celebration of 50 years of statehood, the time capsule was sealed inside an underground cement vault in 1957, along with some Tulsa memorabilia and a can of gasoline so it could be driven away in the future by its lucky new owner.
On Oklahoma’s 100th birthday (in 2007) the Plymouth was unearthed. But the vault wasn't water-tight after all. After being underground for 50 years, the car was a rusted mess. The exterior wasn’t in great shape, but the interior was beyond repair.
It was filled with rust, mud and tangled pieces of wire, due to water intrusion in the cement vault. There was significant structural damage. Many items reminiscent of the times had been placed on the seat of the car. All of the historical time capsule pieces buried with the car were destroyed.
Author Sanford Miles has written an historical novel: The Buried Plymouth – A Story Unearthed in Tulsa. As his story goes, a fictional Tulsa, Oklahoma resident, Jacob Duncan, secretly buried something in the Plymouth that would amaze the world because of its historical significance and potential value.
Miles combines history and fiction in telling the story of the two-toned gold and white Plymouth Belvidere, nicknamed “Miss Belvidere.” Miles skillfully weaves history and fiction together to create a story surrounding the burial and unearthing of the buried Plymouth. The story is reminiscent of the Stephen King novel, “Christine.”
Since the unearthed Plymouth was beyond repair and of little value, the city of Tulsa wanted to donate it to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. However, the museum said, Thanks, but no thanks. Tulsa officials decided to reach out to auto museums across the country.
Wayne Lensing, owner of Historic Auto Attractions in Roscoe got wind of the historic car. “They reached out to me. I was more than happy to accept the car.”
The car was delivered to the museum in 2017, where it was kept in storage. When Lensing added a 36,000 sq. ft. addition to the 50,000 sq ft museum, (it now totals over 86,000 sq. ft.), he found a perfect spot for “Miss Belvidere.”
Lensing placed the car in a special room of its own. Graphics telling the story of the unearthed 1957 Plymouth are on the surrounding walls. Artifacts such as a gallon of gas and a case of Schlitz Beer are displayed on the hood.
The Historic Auto Attractions Museum is located at 13825 Metric Drive, Roscoe, Illinois. For more information, visit www.historic autoattractions.com or call 815-389-7917. Copies of The Buried Plymouth can be purchased in the museum lobby.
Sanford Miles, the author of The Buried Plymouth, is a former English teacher, freelance writer, and a classic cars buff. Miles bought his own 1957 Plymouth Belvidere online in 2013. “I thought to myself, I’ve got to get that. It wasn’t cheap – about $35,000 for a car with an original sticker price of about $2,400.” He named this version, “Mr. Belvidere.”
