Back in June I started the process that would lead to buying a Sonic Blue 2006 Volvo S60R (one of the first in USA). OSD (OverSeas Delivery) by Volvo is a cool program. They really go out of their way to make a memorable experience. They flew two of us to Sweden (we paid for Sonja's ticket), and put us in a nice hotel for one night (the SAS Radisson in downtown Goteborg). Volvo arranges for pickup at the airport and a limo to the H-U-G-E factory outside of Goteborg. They even provide lunch.

On Monday October 3rd under a clearing sky we go into the delivery center and wait about 30 minutes for the Volvo door to open. Out she comes.

After a few minutes of explaining the controls (which I had already spent the previous two months reading about forwards, backwards, in circles, standing on my head, just about everywhere and anywhere) we took the car out on the small test facility. After a visit to the factory store and eating the nice lunch Volvo provided, we were on the road aiming south for Malmo. We said goodbye to a family from LA who were getting their Volvo (S40 T5) at the same and then headed out on E6 with the easy goal of reaching southern Denmark. Crossing Denmark is like crossing New Jersey. It just doesn't take long.

Before heading out we walked around the factory tour area. I stumbled upon the Volvo SCC showcar (look at the orange car) which I was not supposed to be snapping pictures of (even though one of the Volvo employees had left his newspaper on top of the car + the car has already been on the international auto show circuit...but whatever). Of course the first thing I did was reach for the Digital Rebel and snap a few. The car was locked; too bad.

We drove across the Orseund bridge which connects Denmark and Sweden. The bridge opened a few years ago and has made a trip between Malmo and Copenhagen a matter of just a few minutes. Unfortunately, there wasn't a good spot to take a picture of it. Having just spent about $40 to cross this huge bridge and tunnel combo, I really wanted a picture. But oh well. The bridge ends near Kastrup Airport (Copenhagen's airport), so I did settle for a picture of the car with a SAS MD80 on short final.

After spending the night in Rodby in Southern Denmark, we took the ferry to Germany from nearby Rodbyhavn.

Time for some fun. E6 also becomes A1 in Germany. The A stands for, of course, Autobahn. Being the speed addict that I am I was anxiously waiting for the first sign that would indicate no speed limit. With the car being new I didn't want to go totally ape-shit (just partially), but I did get up to 140 MPH (225 KPH) a couple of times, and spent a fair amount of time in the 100 MPH to 120 MPH range. The proof is in the picture (which actually shows about 135 MPH). A lady in a BMW 520 was anxious to get out of my way as I was closing in on her like a guided missle. A VW Bora (Jetta) was trying to keep up. It was most satisfying watching the VW become smaller and smaller.

After a couple of days in Hamburg (see the seperate pictures for Hamburg), we were back on the road again heading west and north to Bremerhaven. After some more time on the Autobahn ( a lot of traffic between Hamburg and Bremen limited the speed to just a few bursts) I washed the bugs off the car and met with the shipping company. The port area was beyond belief. The conservative estimate stands at 50,000 cars being shipped out or arriving from various areas around the world. As I write this on the 14th of October, the car is due for shipment tomorrow on the 15th with arrival in the LA area on the 11th of November. I will be able to track the car once it sails from Germany (once I get the name of the ship). After arrival in Los Angeles the car will be put on a truck for Seattle where I will be reunited...Hopefully by Thanskgiving.

For anyone who likes to travel and also happens to be thinking about getting a new Volvo, you shouldn't hesitate about doing an OSD delivery. Look at Volvo's website for details.

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