Many of you will no doubt recall the ’57 Plymouth Belvedere that in 2007 was unearthed from a time capsule in Tulsa Oklahoma. Some of you may even remember when it was buried. Hi Gramps! That capsule had turned into a bit of a watery grave, and instead of showing the people of the future an example of decadent ’50s style, it showed them the value in rust proofing. The rust bucket Belvedere resides today in a shop in New Jersey, which has offered it back to Tulsa for display. The city however, has declined the offer, seeking to avoid the expense that such a display would require.
Materials and sealing technologies have advanced at a precipitous rate since the ’50s and it’s unlikely that a modern time capsule would suffer the same failure that befell the ’57 Tulsa box. Considering that, as well as a longer time – 100 years in fact – buried away, what do you think would be the best automotive items – cars, parts, publications, etc – that we could put in a hypothetical time capsule to best demonstrate the state of the automobile to the residents of 2115?
Image: The Garage Blog
Hooniverse Asks: What Automotive Item From The Present Would You Put in a 100-Year Time Capsule?
By Robert Emslie
Mar 16, 2015
Jeff Glucker
BMW X4 or similar, if just to rid the road of one of them for 100 years.
Also, we need to warn the future, so they learn from our ugly, compromised, badge-whoring ways.
http://www.smartusa.com/unassets/img/cpo/used-smart-car-fortwo-red.jpg
I figure just to mess with the future.
A flash drive with the collected wit/wisdom/insight of the Hooniverse clientele!! 🙂
This is shameless pandering.
And I endorse it.
No one will be able to read it in the future. Ones and zeros will be different then.
“Ones and Zeros Will be different then”
Do you work for the government? Just askin’
Well, you want to show what is modern, fresh, revered and desirable, right? Obvious answer is obvious.
http://carpoint.no/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/08-2012-tesla-model-s-fd-1347336762.jpg
I’d put that very same Plymouth into a properly sealed time capsule just to leave the people of the future wondering what went wrong.
I like your way of thinking!
I think the proper thing to do is to put something that we think will not exist in 100 years. So I think that this needs to be a large displacement naturally aspirated engine. While an entire car would be one way to do it, I’d suggest something like a Lamborghini V-12 on an engine stand so it can be run and enjoyed as an engine.
Nobody would drive and use a stored car, it would go into a museum. An engine in a museum could actually be run and enjoyed.
This! My initial thought was Challenger Hellcat or the new Shelby GT350 but your idea is great.
Instead of a car, a PS3 with a copy of Gran Turismo 6, because then they could learn about hundreds of cars! Provided that they had the right adaptor to hook it up to the TVs of the future… maybe throw in a TV into the box now that I think about it.
How about one of the Fisker Karmas that died during hurricane Sandy? Might as well continue the nature-always-wins theme.
Too soon?
None, if John Titor already was able to com back in the past from 2036, they must be still able to do that in 2115!
A Pontiac Aztec…
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
And it’s not really the expense of displaying as to why the city doesn’t want it back, rather it would just be another rusty clapped out beater parked in front of city hall.
It’s not really necessary to time capsule anything. There is not a desirable vehicle built today that won’t already have at least a single example in a museum 100 years hence. Burying a car is unlikely to preserve it nearly as well as active conservation.
One of these. Better yet, all of these.
http://tanshanomi.com/temp/image-macros/Lina-I-liked-it.png
Not only does it perfectly represent the state of the automotive hobby right now, but in a 100 years, some antique car guy is going to LOVE you for it.
http://images10.newegg.com/ProductImage/A4GW_130405410520498047z8NuGDTdlO.jpg
Gasoline.
http://www.gogreenec.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/production-chevy-volt_021.jpeg
Not exactly automotive other than his negative impact on the industry, but Al Gore. If only for a few years of peace.
A manual transmission.