In the middle of a pond next to Fox River behind a tow shop there’s a 2001 Volvo S80 on a piece of land big enough for just the car.
According to a recent addition to Roadside America earlier yesterday (Apr. 10, 2020) there’s a 2001 Volvo S80 trapped on its own tiny island in the middle of a pond in Ottawa, IL right off Highway 6. Supposedly the Volvo’s been trapped there for eight years and counting, surrounded by water that’s 40 feet deep.
Here’s a screenshot of what locals dubbed Volvo Island below.
True to its name, the screenshot shows a 2001 Volvo S80 stranded out in the middle of a pond. A rough-and-ready measurement has this Volvo about 100 feet from shores on either side.
The official story is that this Volvo S60 was intentionally left out there in the middle of winter as sort of an inside joke.
The Volvo was placed on the island in January 2012 by Scott Mann. The surrounding lake, formed when water seeped into a strip mine, is 40 feet deep.
A story on MyWebTimes popped up shortly after the Volvo started gathering attention. According to Sundance Auto’s manager,
The car was towed out to that little island. Then we used a big excavator to dig the dirt away from the car to make it look more like an island. Luckily this was all done when we had that nice weather.
Click on the story above and you can see a detailed shot of the Volvo. Surrounding all four tires are some bricks to support the Volvo from sinking in any direction.
If you zoom out in Google Maps you can see, although waters go 40 feet deep, the pond topography does rise up to the surface. If you wait long enough and if there’s a long enough drought, I reckon the waters might dry enough land where the Volvo might be able to drive back.
Knowing that this car was left out there intentionally and is there to stay, as long as Sundance Towing owns that piece of property, makes the story that much better.
Regular folks driving by are confused and left scratching their heads while those in the know just slyly grin every time they see it.
And it’s a fine choice, using a Volvo, since those are some of the most solidly built cars ever made. Illinois residents will enjoy decades of bewilderment at this small town peculiarity.
