A vehicle from almost half a century ago was found buried beneath a former parking lot on the University of Ottawa campus on Friday.

Ottawa police Sgt. Russ Hrabchak said construction workers dug up the mangled vehicle at a site in front of the school's Faculty of Social Sciences building, near 120 University Private.

A rusted-out wheel and what looks like a gas tank were among the items in the wreck.

Decades ago, the area was residential but was expropriated in the 1970s. Police believe the vehicle was bulldozed when the area was paved over to make room for university buildings.

Early stages of the investigation say the vehicle's presence is likely not suspicious, but investigators are trying to determine the vehicle's specific make and model. Police believe it is from the 1960s.

"Right now this vehicle has been crushed in two, so we got to figure out how to unfold it," Hrabchak said.