In the heart of Illinois, in an old mine transformed into an artificial lake, there is one of the most unusual corners of the United States: Volvo Island. This small islet is famous for hosting a 2001 Volvo S80, parked there since 2012, and visible to the whole world via Google Maps and Street View.
The history of the island and the car
Volvo Island is not the result of a tourist or urban planning project, but a decidedly original initiative by Scott Mann, mechanic and owner of a workshop in Ottawa, LaSalle county.
The area, an old sand mine, was abandoned, and over time the basin filled with water, creating an artificial lake. Thanks to a small spit of land that remained above the water level, Mann decided to take his Volvo S80 with a tow truck. With the help of an excavator, he removed the surrounding soil, thus creating a sort of island that completely isolated the car.
At first, Mann thought about holding a contest to guess how the car got there, but abandoned the idea for safety reasons, as the lake has depths exceeding 12 meters, making it too dangerous to try to swim to the island.
From curiosity to viral phenomenon
In 2015, Google Street View immortalized Volvo Islandbringing the unusual story to the global spotlight. Since then, the island has become an online attraction, marked on Google Maps as a place of interest, with hundreds of reviews, often amused or ironic, celebrating its extravagant character.
Despite the passage of time, the Volvo S80 has remained surprisingly intact: Street View images show the car exposed to the elements, but with no obvious damage caused by water or weather.
Mann considered protecting the car or even using it as advertising space, but ultimately chose to keep everything as is, preserving the authenticity of the gesture.
Today Volvo Island continues to arouse curiosity and be a point of reference for car enthusiasts, virtual tourists and Google Maps users, who visit the place via the platform or mark it during their explorations.
