Volvo News
Bootylicious XC90 Contest Ties in to "Pirates of the Caribbean"
By by: George Achorn, photos by Volvo Cars North America
Jun 8, 2006, 08:02

Quite mysteriously, Volvo has been releasing links to photos and video of a mysterious tropical island locale including a container painted with a Jolly Roger. It’s all part of a unique new marketing tie-in between Volvo Cars and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” motion picture.

So how does Volvo tie in with a pirate movie you ask? It’s not like the movie’s star Johnny Depp is going to drive a Volvo in the film. Depp’s Captain Jack character’s world takes place long before the automobile. To do a big tie-in, Volvo and Disney had to get more creative.

For Disney’s part of the bargain, the movie was the perfect fit for sponsorship of the American entry in the Volvo Ocean Race. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” also became the name of the team that sailed around the world, enthralling the imagination of kids who turned out to watch the spectacle. The name of the state-of-the-art carbon fiber sailboat, of course, became the “Black Pearl”.



On Volvo’s end, an extravagant contest has been hatched where an online treasure hunt that promotes the tie-in will determine finalists from around the world – three from the U.S.A., and one each from other included markets. From there it will evolve into a real-live treasure hunt when those finalists are taken to the hinted-at locale where one very special XC90 V8 has been buried in that Jolly Roger-imprinted container and makeshift treasure chest.

This one-off XC90 is quite special, even more so when you consider Volvo won’t be building any more for sale. Whoever wins the SUV will be the proud owner of a truly unique car, as there are no plans for series production. This fact certainly raises the level of intrigue, so here are full details on the car for those who want to know more.



Internally, Volvo’s Roger Ormisher, Mark Gastmeyer and Cleve Mason were charged to plan the build of the XC90 by the California-based shop MetalCrafters, a project that took seven weeks from initial idea to rolling example.

Outside, the big XC was repainted a very special color developed by MetalCrafters. Bestowing the car with a sinister presence, the custom color started with a dark base that was finalized with a tinted red clear layer. Most surfaces received this very fine metallic finish, including the body, rocker panels, wheel well mouldings, roof rack, skid plate, side mirrors and body side mouldings. Brake calipers were also painted the color of Johnny Depp’s character’s red scarf to accentuate them further. These were mated to 20x9.5-inch AT Italia Inox wheels – also custom painted and staggered for a more aggressive look (tires at 255/45-20 in the front and 285/40-20 in the rear) . Upper and lower taillights have been subtly smoked, while the front windows were tinted to match the factory rear tint.



Finalizing the dark and oh-so piratey presence, Volvo added a custom front grille made of metal-looking latticework painted Argent Grey to mimic the look of jail bars and chrome skulls with red-painted eyes adorning the door lock pins inside and tire valve stem caps on the outside.



Changes weren’t just cosmetic though. The XC90 has been dropped 30mm through the use of Eibach springs, and a Borla four-tip exhaust has been added. By going to a dual exhaust, Volvo had to forego a spare tire. Goodyear run-flat tires were added to compensate.

The XC90 also features some unique graphics – done in vinyl by San Diego-based Ape Wraps for relatively easy removal just in case the car’s new owner would prefer something more subdued.



Volvo worked with Disney’s Los Angeles studios for the final design of the graphics – large four-color images from the movie and a corresponding title logo on the rear lower liftgate.

What’s it like to drive? Volvo claims no one has really driven the car since its completion. Once built, it was photographed and quickly moved to its undisclosed location, buried in this immense steel treasure chest. Volvo will tell us though that the exhaust mated to that big V8 sounds amazing.



Interested in taking the Volvo home for your very own? It could happen. Over the next few days, Volvo will transition from the sneak-peeks it is currently providing to a full-fledged campaign to get the word out on the contest – from microsite on the company’s website to support info at the company’s dealerships. We hear you’ll have to stop by your dealer to begin your hunt for the XC90 by picking up your needed info and from there on it’s anyone’s chance to win.

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