Thursday, June 21, 2007

Follow up to 1957 car capsule story
It was such a sweet idea, rather sad that it didn't work out as planned.

A concrete vault encasing a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere buried a half-century ago may have been built to withstand a nuclear attack but it couldn't beat back the natural onslaught of moisture.At a Friday ceremony complete with drum rolls, crews removed a multilayered protective wrapping caked with red mud, revealing a vintage vehicle that was covered in rust and wouldn't crank.

There were a few bright spots, literally: Shiny chrome was still visible around the doors and front fender, and workers were able to put air in the tires. But the unveiling in front of thousands of people at the Tulsa Convention Center confirmed fears that the past 50 years had not been kind"I'll tell you what, she's a mess. Look at her," said legendary hot rod builder Boyd Coddington, who was unable to start the car as planned.Event organizer Sharon King Davis, whose grandfather helped bury the Plymouth, joked that the car needed a little Oil of Olay to help it out.