New Chevy Buried For 50 Years Somehow Looks Better Than It Has Any Right To

A 1975 Chevrolet Vega was unearthed from a sealed vault after 50 years underground.
The “World’s Largest Time Capsule” was built in Nebraska in 1975 by Harold Davisson.
Over 5,000 items were stored in the 45-ton vault including letters, tapes, and drawings.

Time capsules usually offer small windows into the past, like letters, photos, or maybe a newspaper, but few are large enough to fit an actual car. One ambitious exception is the so-called “World’s Largest Time Capsule” in Seward, Nebraska. Sealed in 1975, it holds more than 5,000 items, including an entire Chevrolet Vega.

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The 45-ton underground vault was the work of Harold Keith Davisson, a local store owner who passed away in 1999. He left the capsule in the care of his daughter, Trish Johnson, who oversaw its recent unsealing. Locals had contributed all kinds of personal memorabilia, from handwritten letters and drawings to cassette tapes filled with messages to the future.

Davisson, meanwhile, decided to include a full-size car and motorcycle, betting that future generations might find them just as fascinating as any note or keepsake.

How a Chevrolet Vega Ended Up Underground

Initially, Davisson asked the three local dealers to donate vehicles, promising to make the vault large enough to fit all of them. When none were interested, he bought the cheapest new car he could find at the time: a Chevrolet Vega.

The Vega, a subcompact built from 1970 to 1977, developed a poor reputation for reliability and engineering flaws. Few have survived in good condition. That makes the 1975 notchback model sealed in the vault something of a time-warp rarity.

Emerging After Half a Century

When the vault was opened 50 years later, the Vega saw daylight for the first time in decades. Despite some rust on the hood and sun damage to the steering wheel, the car is remarkably well preserved. It’s now displayed alongside the original Kawasaki motorcycle that shared its underground stay.

As if two vehicles weren’t already unusual for a time capsule, a third was added not long after. A Toyota Corolla was parked beneath a pyramid structure built a few years later to help protect the vault below. That car was uncovered last year during preparations for the official opening ceremony on July 4, 2025.

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Reaching the main vault wasn’t easy. Workers had to cut through the concrete pyramid using a 34-inch grind wheel before removing the original seal, precisely 50 years after it was last closed. While some letters inside were water-damaged, most items remained intact and legible.

One major challenge is returning the objects to their original owners. The detailed item list was lost in 1991, and a separate box of receipts and donor records was reportedly stolen in the late 1990s. Still, Trish Johnson is determined to reunite as many items as possible with their families. In doing so, she’s uncovering personal stories that have waited half a century to be told.

As for the Chevrolet Vega, it could be the only surviving example with delivery mileage. Whether it ends up in a museum or goes through some form of restoration, it’s already earned its place as an unlikely symbol of both nostalgia and perseverance.