(Ed: this was the most popular post on CC in 2023) This vintage picture of unsold 1973 Ford Mavericks being stored underground has been making the rounds of the internet recently, so I figured I would share it here. At first, I thought this picture was fake or at least staged, but after doing a little research, it turns out that this photo is very much the real deal.
A warehouse 560,000,000 years in the making.
Specifically, the cars were being stored in a former limestone mine near Kansas City, Missouri called SubTropolis. As it turns out, Ford has been using this underground facility for decades to store both parts and completed cars, and as we shall see it is still very much in use today.
If you’ve never heard of SubTropolis, you are not alone – I hadn’t heard of it either before researching this post. Today, Subtropolis is a booming commercial hub, managed by Hunt Midwest.
With 55,000,000 square feet (about 1.75 square miles), SubTropolis bills itself with the trademarked phrase as being “The largest underground business complex in the world.” SubTropolis clients include the USPS, which supposedly stores millions of stamps here, and the National Archives and Records Administration.
With both Ford and GM assembly plants close by, SubTropolis also makes an ideal place for upfitters and customizers. SubStopolis has an entire subterranean “Automotive Alley” dedicated to such businesses.
Unbelievable. And cool.
Very fishy Goins on
Yes very cool and so was the temperature. Been there done that. Missouri has some unique places. Food in KC great.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard of it, either, despite living a few hours from Kansas City and spending quite a bit of time there for business.
I scanned the first photo thoroughly, to see if I could spot my brother’s ‘73 Grabber. No such luck.
Where exactly is this located??? And are the featured cars for sale?? If so, I’d be interested in buying one of them.
Send Tom $100 and he’ll hold one for you. 🙂 Read the post for details.
Me too. I want one
Same here I was born in 73 and would love one
I was born in “60”; still want one. lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
North of I-70 and off I-435. Eastern side of Kansas City. There are several similar installations.
There may be several such storage facilities. The most readily visible one is adjacent to I-435 on the east side of the road just south of US 24.
There’s a city just below your feet….that’s crazy a whole another world…
Maybe that is where GM is stashing all the pickups that led to the factory shutdown because they aren’t on the dealer lots
No, here in Fort Wayne, where the plant is, they are stored in freshly paved, formerly vacant industrial lots all over the city. There’s tens of thousands of them sitting in these giant, fenced in, security patrolled lots, some next to the plant, some across the city. It’s wild to see.
If they would slash prices and give in house 0% APR we would buy
Many of us in that category.
Do you think that FedEx truck is going to fit into that entrance?
It should. Looks like the maximum height on that entrance is 13′ 6″, so that picture is playing with our eyes.
If all else fails, the driver just needs to approach the entrance with enough speed to initiate a process to modify the truck to fit. There seem to be plenty of how-to vids on YouTube
Exactly
It makes some sense. The heart of the Midwest is subject to considerable hail risk. Low cost covered storage at the time.
https://www.wowt.com/2021/04/09/first-alert-storm-week-a-look-back-at-a-historic-blair-hail-storm/
“SubTropolis clients include the USPS, which supposedly stores millions of stamps here”
Millions? What’s that, about three boxes? I could lease them half a shelf in my shed for probably less than they’re paying. 🙂
It’s interesting but quite odd. Land in the greater Kansas City, MO area is not and has not been in short supply. The lighting costs alone must be outrageous although I’ll grant the climate is perhaps naturally steady. Still, outfitting it to get from raw cavern to the first picture (polebarn motif) and more recently it seems to the last picture (finished space) certainly wasn’t free either.
I’ve heard of these underground operations before, and I think they’re often the result of some advance planning from the original mining company. This was originally a limestone mine, and the mining company likely left a thicker roof and pillars than would ordinarily be the case, so that the property could be leased (and have an income stream) in perpetuity one mining ceased. Plus, the ground above the mine was developed too – in this case including an industrial and distribution center, plus an amusement park.
Incidentally, I know someone who recently bought an early 1990s GMC 3500 pickup. The original owner used it infrequently, and stored it in a former limestone mine when not in use. Several decades later, the truck remains rust-free and in excellent condition.
I’d guess that the reduced HVAC costs more than offset the increased lighting costs. KC is usually either hot and humid or cold and humid. Reduced insurance costs too, as KC’s historical tornado activity is double the overall U.S. average.
You are correct all the way. I’ve been in the Subtropolis. Year-round, I’d guess temps range from 60-65 degrees.
“The lighting costs alone must be outrageous”
Perhaps in 1973, but not today. LED lighting costs pennies to run.
I can’t speak directly to industrial/commercial lighting, but as for residential… if you have all LED lighting in your home, the cost of operating lighting is somewhere between 1-5% of your electric bill (depending if you have gas vs. electric for heat/hot water/range/clothes dryer).
I do have all LED lighting as well as gas for heat/water/stove etc, but my house doesn’t have 1.5 square miles of square footage to light 100% of every day. 🙂
It’s probably lights-out unless specific activity is going on.
Many spaces in the Subtropolis space are unlit, and some operate lighting only during their business hours.
I’m sure LED lighting, more recently, has provided relief from higher electric bills, but the biggest cost saver is that not all ~55M SqFt are lit around the clock.
Side note, there is also a paintball course underground.
When I was teaching in atchison Kansas. In the late 70’s I took my class on a tour of that place and remember seeing some AMC rambler marlins. How cool to see the underground cave storage. 👍😊
I think it was Road & Track or maybe Hot Rod Magazine that said “it was flat out impossible to burn rubber” in Rambler Marlin. Funny!
In dragstrip-type starts, the torque tube would either make the rear axle hop or fry the clutch instead…
One of the huge benefits is year round consistent natural climate control.
There’s a similar facility in Jefferson County MO, south of St Louis. I drove through once, it was fascinating.
David,
I think you are referring to the BNSF Railroad’s Springfield Underground. It’s setup for both big truck and rail access.
And there are bunch of YouTube videos on the subject:
Saw that first pic the other day on Reddit, and idly wondered what more there was to it. Thanks for answering!
I wonder about the air re-circulation system. Despite the size of the place, where does the carbon monoxide go?
Everything I’ve read states that there are eight ventilation shafts, in addition to 11 entrance/exit shafts.
Back in the day, my one brother worked for a big trucking company that hauled out of an underground mine. It was called Willowa (spelling?) trucking in the NW Illinois area. He often told stories about driving in those tunnels and being underground for hours at a time before coming back to daylight and needing his eyes to adjust to coming out of the ground like a mole. I loved to hear the stories, but don’t think I’d have the stomach for that. Just watching the video above was enough for me! But it’s really cool though.
There is one of those old and abandoned salt mines in Utah which was developed into underground condominiums. Pretty luxurious places but not much bigger than an office cubicle, most of them are under 1000 square feet selling for upwards to a million dollars depending on the amenities.
In 1974, my sister got a new 1974 Pinto, which gave me the opportunity to pick up a brochure for the Maverik. I was 16 years old and spent hours staring at the photos of the Maverik imagining myself driving around town. A year later, I ended up getting a 1971 Pontiac T-37 coupe which served me well all the way through High School, college and early married life.
The concern about the cost of lighting in the cave seems irrelevant to me, as all business complexes I have been to use lighting any time they are open for business, day or night.
If these 50 year old Mavericks were stored in the underground bunker for half a century without being exposed to constant element bombardments such as air, water, weather and temperature extremes, all of them would still be considered technically “brand new” very lightly used with very low mileages on their tachometers. Since these car lack emission controls and the EPA gas mileage standards they might not be legal to operate unless the regulations are waived and the status of these cars much like the timeless 58 year old Mustang category of “classic” status then they maybe exempt from anti-pollution regulations and those cars were 1973 so they were all not equipped with catalytic converters which were mandated two years later in 1975. The good thing about these they are not computer controlled engine components much like the cars produced during the past 35-40 years and today even more so therefore they could still run and operated during a nuclear attack since they would all be immuned from the electromagnetic pulses which usually comes seconds before nuclear detonation in the atmosphere.
“Since these car lack emission controls and the EPA gas mileage standards they might not be legal to operate unless the regulations are waived”
These were undoubtedly sold long ago, but even if they weren’t they would be titled as 1973 models in Missouri (where they were located) and only two counties in the state require emissions testing. Even then, I believe these pre-date such testing so there would be nothing to prevent one of these from being licensed. Further, anything over 25 years old can be licensed with collector plates without an inspection.
I think you mean seconds after
“What is the only way to keep a Maverick from rusting for $500, Alex”
Saw this place a while ago during a trip down the you tube rabbit warren, a good place to store anything.
I don’t imagine those Mavericks stayed down there for very long. 1973 was the year of the OPEC oil embargo, and a Maverick would have (relatively) good fuel economy.
Though they have their faults and foibles, I’ve really come to appreciate the simplicity of the Maverick. The early two doors have the cleanest styling, and even the 1973 front bumper treatment is acceptable… especially compared to the “full assault” bumpers that were fitted front and rear starting in 1974. I’ll take the green one in the front row.
The vinyl roof treatment on the blue car sure does look odd from the angle the picture was taken, eh.
That’s a legit factory vinyl roof style called Halo. Just on the top of the roof without wrapping down the sides, like the rollback roof on a 2CV.
Systems like these re used for archiving in the UK
Springfield MO has an Underground too, SE corner of US65 & Mo744, since about the time of the photo.
I’m just amazed! Thank you for the information, now I’m enjoying the videos about SubTropolis on Youtube.
Ah shucks! Here I thought maybe the Ford plant in St. Paul MN repurposed the old silica mine below its facility for storage. Time to checkout that Subtropolis video as I’ve always been fascinated with subterranean architecture.
I drove through it a few times when I lived in KC. It’s definitely COOL in both senses.
Caves have been used for housing and business around there forever. Bluffs next to rivers, or next to former riverbeds, have small caves that were converted to houses or businesses.
Man, I can’t imagine having to be one of the people who painted (clearly there’s some painting…and a lot in some places) and paved inside of that complex when it was being converted from what looks like a basic mine in the early 70s to the place that it is today. There’s not enough protective gear in the world to preserve ones health after work like that.
On the upside, according to the YouTube video, there’s a “Pet Store” down there. Hummmmmmm.
I’d love to buy one of the cars stored I collect and restore old cars
I miss mine some days, Green with Black hood strips and White side strips. Hit up alot of ems calls with it.
So, are these somehow for sale? I wonder what else is stored down there (cars I mean) and could they be bought and if so how?
I’ll be honest: I thought you were 2 days early with this post.
My first car was a ’73 Maverick. Drove it all through high school. Oh the trouble I got into with that thing.
Do you. Think there are any 40’s & 50’s FORD PARTS THERE?
Even though I am a Chevy fan, if these had survived into the present, I would buy one.
I used to go in Subtropolis with a 53 ft trailer and a long nose Pete. You need to be very careful in there. I was told it was a mine for making concrete. After the mine was done , the owner started renting space and this started Subtropolis. There are factories and warehouses and businesses down there. Places to eat too. It is a city under a city. It is an experience you will never forget. Especially if you are in a big rig.
There is a limestone mine under Louisville KY that has a very interesting holiday display drive thru with some storage facilities. At one point a entertaining train at the Louisville Zoo broke thru the roof and was then removed and sold to a distillery in the area. Well worth the price of admission. There is another limestone mine converted into a kayak and canoe adventure down in the Red River Gorge area in KY.
My father bought my mother a puke orange Maverick, a couple weeks later, he came home in a big Ford bronco, I think practically popped a vein that day she was so angry.
I worked at the Ford motor claycomo plant. I got hired specifically to take all the cosmoline off of those Mavericks so they could get prep for sale. We started in January which was cold as all get out we worked out of a tent.
Wow! What was used to remove the cosmoline? Paint thinner/solvent of some kind, I’m presuming? What-all parts of the cars was it on?
How do I get a grabber? Mom had one, cool ride. I want one.
Our grabber was just a “Maverick” with black stripes and a “302 cid V8”. The front seat would not stay “stationary”. Was always sliding in it’s tracks. Apparently that was a common issue we later learned.
How old is that picture of the Mavericks? I am assuming that they’re all gone now.
I would love to have one I had one 1976 Ford Maverick car
Delivered many loads of furniture to the caves. A 53 foot trailer just fits.
So why didn’t they continue with the model as a sports car? Instead of the hideous truck!!
All anyone wants to make anymore is “trucks”.
I used to own one I want another too bad they are all gone.
Looks like humidity and condensation would be a problem.
I guess an ancient river exposed the cliff face, which doesn’t seem all that tall. Or a very big earthquake.
See “one 4 door”, one ” trimmed out a bit”, tudor. All the rest appear to be baseline lacking much if any trim.