Someone I wished you all had met
When Volvo held our first celebration for the Volvo for life Awards in 2002, we received an entry that was so unique it caught everyone off guard. Soren, then the number 2 in PR and creator of the hero program, felt this person deserved special recognition. On stage, in Good Morning America’s studio in Times Square, stood little Alex Scott with her parents and sister. As her story was told, there wasn’t a dry eye amongst more than 200 people in attendance. For me, I could not be prouder of what Volvo was doing for her and was amazed at what she wanted to do for other children in her situation. Life does not get any better than those 30 minutes listening and watching her.
On Aug. 25, NBC Sports Network will broadcast the Pirelli World Challenge races from Mid-Ohio. (The races occurred Aug. 4 and 5). Volvo won both races. Within the broadcast, there will be a feature segment on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and Volvo’s connection to the non-profit organization. Included in the segment is what our cars will look like for the last race of the season – Sonoma at Infineon Raceway on Aug. 25.
To say Alex had spunk is an understatement. She embodies all that is wonderful about youth – that drive wherein nothing is impossible, elephants can fly, rainbow ends are pots of gold and Jack can climb a bean stock. For Alex, she was on a quest to help others like herself. I often wonder what she would have grown up to be, I suspect a research doctor. To learn more about ALSF and Volvo’s partnership, visit: http://www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/corporate-partners/volvo.
dan
Oh, and about the racing…many years ago, while testing a 740 wagon (with intercooler and one sweet turbo), we blew off the high pressure air intake from the intercooler to intake manifold. As our crew was tightening its hose clamp, the BMW driver came over and asked “having problems with your farm implement?” Within a few minutes, we were back on the track and shortly thereafter the BMW had really nasty engine problems. Our crew responded, “The Ultimate Driving Experience?”
4 Comments
Dan, those Bimmer boys really have the gall to call a Volvo a farm implement. Furthermore that insult really wasn’t very original. Enzo Ferrari told Ferruccio Lamborghini to go back to his farm implements. And oh, the response to that insult! It took a bit of time to develop, from building a factory, and then developing the Lamborghini 350 and 400 models. But to me the real reply was the breath-taking Miura. To this day, long past the demise of those founders, Lamborghini remains a thorn in Ferrrari’s side.
Now tell me what Volvo’s response to such an insult was – where are the super cars?
Wait a minute! I have owned a number of them and one that still graces my stable. One has to make certain concessions to Swedish and Volvo values for utilitarian designs that feature usefulness along with safety.
It’s always a matter of some interpretation, but to me those were the Swedish Cargo carriers that were perfect for the family of 2.1 kids, nimble & maneuverable enough to stay out of trouble and a safety cage for the precious cargo if that didn’t work. SUVs may be today’s marketing mantra, but I’d never buy one. A station wagon however is what the spouse does want for her next car – she enjoyed the 850 Turbo wagon that was her last.
Among the cars that I have owned are a 145 in which I hauled more than one refrigerator. Very useful when a refrigerator dies and Momma wants a new one, NOW! I really liked the 140 series; when I was looking about for a “project” car, Momma really wanted a 145 to be located. But we settled for a 142E – spare Bosch FI parts are a plus.
At one point I had to do the hauling comparison with a brother-in-law with his new-fangled minivan. There was absolutely no comparison between the 245 I had at that point and his Chrysler product. It seemed that I could pack more behind the rear seats. Both cars could deal with the hard-shell rooftop luggage carrier. But there was absolutely no way that he could also add the bike carrier with four bicycles on the roof. So in a nutshell I could more easily take the family of four on the camping trip with everything needed. The fact that I didn’t factor into the equation rain-soaked camping gear is immaterial, it could have been addressed with genuine Volvo parts. P/N 552136-4 progressive rate rear springs would have kept me off the bump stops quite nicely.
Then there was the 740 turbo-wagon with the four-speed manual and overdrive akin to what you mention. Now that was a car that really could have used a modern dual clutch paddle-shifting transmission with millisecond shifting time. Woe was the one who didn’t get the shift in before hitting the rev-limiter in the 740 Turbo. And quite frankly that wasn’t easy to do. I recall that car being featured in a number of advertisements as well – a lap of the USA being one of my favorites. Its racing history may have been a bit different had the 740 been delivered with the 600+ mile range of my current daily driver (VW Jetta diesel – sorry). But the 740 lost a certain little bit – it failed the refrigerator test.
The 1800ES that I still own was the type highlighted in Volvo advertisements as “a sports car that really hauls”. There are couple pictures and a story to the pictures on the blog OldDeadVolvos ( http://olddeadvolvos.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/cargo-hauling-virtues-of-the-1800es/)
Thirty-eight years after it was made, it still does haul indeed.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand has been supported at many Volvo events and I welcome seeing them, for it also reflects Volvo values. Dealers also support Alex’s Lemonade Stand in their own ways. One such dealership is Keystone Motors, which sponsored Duane Matejka’s #1 Volvo P1800. That #1 is once again on the race track, but as they say, it’s under new management. Jim Perry’s adventures with #1 are quite well documented in his blog ( http://pandbmotorsports.blogspot.com/)
Still also on the track is Duane Matejka, still sponsored by Irv Stein and Keystone Motors, but it’s a different kind of racing – a form I surely do want to see one day, and happily make a donation. Known as the “24 hours of LeMons” the series is a parody of the well-known French event. Seeing a team at work is even more fun when you know some of the cast of characters. I met Irv Stein one fine weekend when he was racing his Volvo 1800 at Watkins Glen, and surprise, the transporter driver was none other than Duane Matejka. The Volvo Keystone Kops makes one more appearance this year, October 13-14 at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL, see this site for more information:
( http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/4937 )
The last time I saw an Alex’s Lemonade Stand was at a VCNA Open House in Rockleigh, NJ. Toward the end of a lovely day, a prize was offered for a car that Volvo employees most wanted to drive. Well, I did offer my keys to no avail, but a good friend did win it with another car that is really a hauler. That car type was mentioned by a Haggerty Insurance article as a future collectible, an assessment that I do agree with entirely. The car? A V70R that had been tweaked a wee bit to enhance the other hauling that we do.
I can understand that.
Oh where have all the wagons gone, I miss thee….
The fact that Volvo Cars got behind Alex and ALSF is heart-warming, but no surprise for those of us who have (over the many years) met and got to know the Rockleigh bunch at VCNA.
I don’t know of any other car company that annually would throw open it’s doors for the faithful to come in and have lunch, gawk at new cars and have a swap meet on the grounds.
Those days have gone, but the memories and friendships among Volvo fans & friends persist.
I certainly hope to we see Dan at this year’s event, it wouldn’t be the same with out you there! I ‘ll always remember the time you tossed me the keys to an 850 racing car which we then drove all over the place…
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the
book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to
drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog.
A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.
Thanks for your kind words. When asked if I would help write this blog that this would be a great way to talk to people about what we do without having to do an advertisemet or something like that, and they even let me use my misserable exucse for English language skills to do it with.
Writing about Volvo and friends like Alex is easy. Amazing how may stories we have and how we have helped so many people. Good car and good people working here.
kind regards,
dan