MODEL DETAILS: The Plymouth Belvedere is a model of automobile which was produced by Plymouth from 1954 to 1970.
The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. In 1954 the Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top trim and became a full model line with sedans, station wagons, and convertible body styles. The Belvedere continued as Plymouth’s full-sized car until 1965, when it became an intermediate, and was replaced after the 1970 model year by the Satellite, a name originally used for the top-trim level Belvederes.
The 1957 model year had high sales for the Chrysler Corporation, and for the Plymouth line. Plymouth’s design was so revolutionary that Chrysler used the slogan “Suddenly, it’s 1960!” to promote the new car.
Standard on all body styles except the convertible was the “Powerflow 6” L-head engine. The convertible was only V8 powered and V8s were available in other Belvederes with an optional “Fury” 301 cu in version as well as a “High-Performance PowerPAC” at extra cost. A manual transmission was standard with the push-button two-speed PowerFlite optional and the push-button three-speed TorqueFlite automatic also optional on V8 cars. The front suspension introduced Chrysler’s Torsion-Aire Torsion bar suspension, which was shared with all Chrysler products starting in 1957. In 1957, Chrysler products offered an appearance of either single or dual headlights. Plymouth installed the headlights in a facia that accommodated dual headlights while offering both single and dual lamps. This appearance can be seen with front turn signal lamps installed inboard, next to the headlight, while vehicles installed with dual headlights offered a concealed turn signal above the headlights in the headlight alcove.
The 1957 models were restyled; longer, wider, with very large vertical tailfins and a new torsion bar front suspension replacing the previous coil springs. While the new styling boosted sales, quality control suffered for all Chrysler products as they were brought quickly to market before their design and construction weaknesses could be fully addressed by engineering.
WHY THIS MODEL IS FASCINATING: The 1957 Plymouth Belvedere featured in the photos is known as ‘Miss Belvedere’. It was sealed in an underground vault on the grounds of the city courthouse of Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 15, 1957, as a 50-year time capsule.
The car, a desert gold and sand dune white two-tone sport coupe which displayed only four miles on its odometer, was entombed as part of the city of Tulsa’s “Tulsarama” Golden Jubilee Week festivities celebrating Oklahoma’s 50th year of statehood. The unnamed vehicle was intended to be a prize awarded upon the vehicle’s unearthing to the individual, or their descendant, who came nearest to guessing Tulsa’s population in 2007. A matching automobile had been awarded in a separate contest a few days prior.
Many items were placed inside the trunk and glove box of Miss Belvedere. A partial list of items included a five-gallon container of gasoline, a case of motor oil, a case of Schlitz beer and items that were considered typical contents of a woman’s purse, which included a bottle of tranquilizers, an unpaid parking ticket, 14 bobby pins, a compact, cigarettes and matches, two combs, a tube of lipstick, a package of gum, a plastic rain hat, pocket facial tissues, and $2.73 in bills and coins. Some of the items placed in the sealed steel capsule, welded shut and painted white, behind the car included a 48-star American flag, letters from various state and city officials and documentation for a savings account valued at $100 in 1957 along with entry postcards for the contest regarding the city’s population in 2007.
The car was unearthed on June 14, 2007, during the state’s centennial celebration and publicly unveiled the next day. Reflecting the Cold War tensions endemic in late 1950s America, the enclosure – built of poured in place concrete and sprayed with pneumatically applied gunite – was advertised as having been built to withstand a nuclear attack. However, the vault was breached by long term water intrusion, that submerged the entire vehicle, causing significant cosmetic and structural damage.
In November 2007, the car was shipped to the New Jersey facilities of Ultra One, a restoration firm whose specialty product is a de-rusting solution which is designed to remove only rust while leaving the underlying metal, paint and decals intact. It was estimated that the stabilization project would take roughly six months or perhaps longer, given the difficulty of removing the mix of cosmoline and mud that were caked on the car. While there were no plans to disassemble or restore the vehicle, there were discussions regarding the return of the drivetrain and electrical system to operating condition.
In May 2009, when Dwight Foster of Ultra One participated in a podcast and provided details and new pictures, it was shown that the car’s exterior had been virtually freed of its rust and mud concretions. After investing more than $15,000 and evaluating the condition of the frame and body, further restoration efforts ceased. The car stayed in Ultra One’s warehouse for ten years, while a permanent display location was sought.
After the stabilization work on Miss Belvedere was completed, the city of Tulsa was approached and offered the chance to have the car returned as part of a permanent display. The offer was refused by the city, as was an offer to the Smithsonian Museum.
In 2015, it was announced that Miss Belvedere would be permanently displayed at the Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois. The owner of the Historic Auto Attractions Museum stated that he hoped the exhibit would be open by 2016. In June 2017, it was reported that the car had been shipped to the museum, where the owner worked on preparing the exhibit and getting the car and facility ready to display. On June 9, 2020, the display opened for public viewing.
Along with the photos of Miss Belvedere, one of the photos below is of another 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, showing what the car would have looked like in its pristine, pre-burial condition.
Principled Thoughts 