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.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg! Hear me now, scallywags, the treasure’s done been found! David Hutz, a 30 year-old man from Herndon, Va., yesterday reached true pirate status when he uncovered a buried Volvo XC90 V8 SUV in the Islands of the Bahamas after a challenging two month global, multi-media treasure hunt for the vehicle that Volvo Car Corporation secretly hid as part of its sponsorship of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.


David Hutz a computer programmer from Herndon, Va. competed in a grueling, clue-filled search conducted by foot, boat, motor vehicle and helicopter in a competition reminiscent of reality TV shows. Upon completion of the race, he announced that he will be giving the car to his wife, Sheila Hutz. He was joined by six other finalists who also reached the final leg of the search, including two others from the United States as well as from Japan, United Kingdom, Spain and Austria.


Volvo surprises each finalist with new vehicle The treasure hunt’s biggest surprise came when Volvo announced that all seven finalists would walk away with booty even Captain Jack Sparrow would be proud of: a new Volvo vehicle.


These individuals were the first among their respective nations to complete a fun, yet challenging, online treasure hunt presented by Volvo that launched on June 12, concluded four weeks later and elicited 52,000 participants in the U.S. alone. They arrived on the Islands of the Bahamas earlier this week unaware of the location of the final leg until their aircraft landed.


The seven competed in a series of mental and physical challenges on the islands that either eliminated them from competition or advanced them to the buried vehicle. After Hutz determined the final location, assistants dug up the $82,000 Volvo and presented him with the keys. Volvo also surprised the other finalists with keys to a new Volvo at the conclusion of the hunt.


Individuals worldwide will have a view all the excitement of the historic hunt when Volvo premieres a series of Webisodes chronicling the Hunt at www.volvocars.us/thehunt on August 25.


Other finalists in the Hunt included:

Jenny Buckalew, 35, Newnan, Ga.
James Hutz, 57, Carefree, Ariz.
Karl Lloyd, 33, Surrey, England
Susanne Kalintsch, 44, Trieben, Austria
Akihiro Horibe, 36, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Jose Luis Dominguez Monge, 31, Valladolid, Spain


The buried one-of-a-kind, Volvo XC90 features a variety of elements inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, including menacing graphics from the film, black leather seats, custom painted 20 inch wheels and more.


“While it would have been a lot of fun to watch Captain Jack Sparrow cruise the Caribbean Islands in this summer’s Pirates of the Caribbean, it just didn’t make sense,” said Anne Bélec, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Cars of North America. “So, we sought a more creative way to celebrate our partnership with Disney, and we think it’s been a phenomenal success for Volvo and we hope a lot of fun for would-be pirates worldwide, particularly these seven finalists.”


Volvo’s promotion of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest grew out of the partnership with Disney for the worldwide Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo ship bears the name of the same boat in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, “The Black Pearl.” The Ocean Race began in Vigo, Spain on Nov. 12, 2005 and ended in Gothenburg, Sweden on June 17, 2006.


Other official sponsors in the Pirates of the Caribbean film will be participating in the final leg. Zizzle Toys will be providing each of the finalists with a $350 Pirates of the Caribbean toy package. Kodak will also be donating to finalists digital cameras upon their arrival at the final destination.


Volvo Cars of North America Volvo has been building cars with Safety in mind for over 75 years. The current 2006 model line-up of Volvo Cars includes: the award-winning new S40 and its wagon counterpart the all-new V50; the award-winning XC90; the sporty S60 sedan – including the award-winning performance sedan – S60 R and the performance wagon version – V70 R; the S80 luxury sedan; the versatile V70 wagon and rugged XC70 (Cross Country); and the soon-to-be released new Volvo C70, the convertible with the innovative retractable hardtop.