VCOA Sweden 2007

by John Holtzapple

Sixty two members of VCOA from across the US, Canada, and even Australia all converged in Stockholm on a bright sunny warm Saturday morning in June.  Flying in of various flights, we all met later that evening at our Royal Viking SAS hotel in downtown Stockholm for a welcome dinner and introductions.  Prior to dinner, some toured Stockholm on their own, rested or watched the thousands participate in the Stockholm marathon through the downtown area.

Sunday we had a all day guided tour of Olde Town Stockholm, the City Hall (where the Nobel prizes are awarded), the Royal Palace where we were “up staged” by the Prime Minister of China who was visiting also.  For many, the city highlight was a visit to the Vasa ship museum to view the restoration and preservation efforts of the war ship that had lay in the bottom of the harbor for over 300 years, an embarrassment to the King who had commissioned it and insisted on a second gun deck against the designer warnings that it would be top heavy!  The designer was right, it tipped over on this maiden voyage and took on water through the lower gun ports

Traveling by bus the group visited the smaller mid-country towns of Motala (Capital City of the Gota Canal), Vadstena, and Granna.  Next stop was Jonkoping, home of Genuine Classic Parts who treated us to dinner by the lake and an interesting visit to their facility the next morning.  Members saw their dismantling and part reclamation operation as well as bins and bins of NOS Volvo parts.  We were like kids in a candy store.

That afternoon we made another stop in route to Goteborg at VP Autoparts where again we were let loose in the proverbial Volvo candy store.

Once settled in at our hotel in central Goteborg, Volvo Cars met us Thursday morning and started our whirlwind visit with a factory tour and driving opportunity on the small test track.  We had our choice of all their models, from C30 to XC90 to take for a spin – 2 laps then we switched cars for over an hour of track time - would liked to have had one of those diesels to bring home.  Lunch was served in the Volvo employee dining room with a warm welcome by Claes Rydholm, Manager of the Heritage Group and our host for our visit.  After lunch we were addressed by Olle Axleson, Senior VP of Public Affairs who made a short presentation on the Volvo brand and corporate strategy in the global market.

A visit to the Volvo museum took up the rest of the afternoon followed by a very scrumptious dinner provided by Volvo Cars at the River Café overlooking Goteborg harbor.  Jose de la Vega, from the design group made a descriptive presentation on the art and subtleties of emotion that guide the design process.  The entire evening was delightful at water’s edge, with warm temperatures, soft breezes and the mid-night sun keeping light over the entire city.

Friday brought more surprises from Volvo with an early stop at the Factory Delivery Center. Waiting for us inside was Leif Tufvesson and his two custom build projects, the V8 roadster hot rod and custom C70 that you’ve seen on cover of Rolling.  What we hadn’t seen before was the bright red retro 544 Convertible built by the Bildeve team.

The groups split again and visited the Special Vehicle Services building where cars are retrofitted for taxi, police, and VIP service.  Even the Ocean Race and executive editions are created in this area not often shown to the outside world.

Once again Volvo treated us to lunch in a private dining room in the public relations building followed by a surprise trip back to the test track.  This time only two C30s were present along with two drivers from Team Hallered and ONE ramp!!!   Each approached the ramp at moderate speed, sending each car up unto two wheels.   The drivers then paraded the cars around the parking area like a ballet.   First on the left wheels, then on the right wheels.   They had only starting using C30s for this stunt the day before and were using stock automatic transmission C30s with 90 psi in the tires – which they had to change often during the runs due to sidewall destruction.  Then we were all invited to ride along – on the high side – as each driver flipped the cars on the left wheels and gave us the ride of a lifetime!

This excitement could only be topped by those 6 couples who then went back to the Factory Delivery Center for the presentation of the cars they ordered through the Overseas Delivery program.  As each completed their paperwork (5 minutes) their respective cars were unveiled.  Smiles, ear to ear, couldn’t be wiped from their faces for days!

Saturday brought some free time in Goteborg followed by an afternoon city tour with the day ending at a farewell dinner at a Swedish Italian restaurant.  Thanks and goodbyes were exchanged as the group departed Sunday for the US.  A few couples extended their visit by train or in their recently purchased Volvo.

I had the time of my life organizing this venture and escorting this group, who were delightful in every way, making this trip one for the record books.

Be sure to see some of my photos in the gallery

John Holtzapple
VCOA Events Director

• Home
• The Club
• Calendar/News
• Events
• Resources
• Galleries
• Forums
• Marketplace
• Site Map
• Contact Us