A trip to Volo (part 1)

"wagon guy now drives a boostang" (wagonguy)
07/10/2015 at 10:14 • Filed to: None

As a Texas resident, I don’t get up north much, despite my parents and sister both living in the Chicago area. My dad asked me to make a trip up and visit, since it had been a couple of years, so now instead of sitting in my Austin man-cave, I’m posting from a flowered chair in my parents’ kitchen. Yesterday we wandered over to the Volo Museum ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) and I got some photos of random stuff they had.

I had been here a few years back, but they’re always acquiring new cars, selling off old ones, and generally changing up their displays. New to me was a room full of Deusenbergs.

This one has a full bar in the back seat.

Seriously, they stuffed seven of these beasts into one room. I can’t even imagine the value of the cars in there.

Once out of the Deusenberg room, we were greeted by this 1969 Firebird Trans Am. I’m inclined to think it’s a T/A “tribute” car, and not the real thing since the original cars were all Polar White with Blue stripes.

Their museum is divided into six different barns. In “showroom #1”, their main muscle car showroom, they had three AAR Cudas.

And one oddball pink Beetle with a surfboard.

More to come...

DISCUSSION (15)

georgechristensen > wagon guy now drives a boostang
07/10/2015 at 10:19

What kind of Volvo museum has no Volvos?

ly2v8-Brian > georgechristensen
07/10/2015 at 10:23

No Volo. It is a town in Illinois.

ly2v8-Brian > wagon guy now drives a boostang
07/10/2015 at 10:24

This is cool. This is close (as in a day trip by car it's an hour plus drive) to where my grandparents live and I’ve never been there. I’ll have to fix that. I do know they often have a lot of cars for sale as well.

georgechristensen > ly2v8-Brian
07/10/2015 at 10:24

Pretty sure that says Volvo there m8 :^)

ly2v8-Brian > georgechristensen
07/10/2015 at 10:28

All that being upside down is making you woozy.

wagon guy now drives a boostang > ly2v8-Brian
07/10/2015 at 10:34

Most of the cars in the place have price tags on them.

wagon guy now drives a boostang > georgechristensen
07/10/2015 at 10:36

No no, it really is VOLO.

georgechristensen > wagon guy now drives a boostang
07/10/2015 at 10:51

But that’s where you’re wrong meighty because it is quite clearly Volvo spelt V-O-L-V-O

Haase > wagon guy now drives a boostang
07/10/2015 at 11:02

I’ve been to this place. I thought it was a joke. Quite a few shit cars in there...I’m surprised they have Duesenbergs.

wagon guy now drives a boostang > Haase
07/10/2015 at 11:11

Oh yeah, we spent a lot of time pointing out flaws in otherwise good cars, and ignoring a lot of things that didn’t really belong. Who puts a 95 Camaro in a museum? Also the sheer number of “tribute” cars was nuts. I think all of the fake GTOs, fake Boss 302s, fake R/T cars, etc just devalue the real thing.

I think their push with the Deusenbergs (which really I could find no flaw with) is to help them gain credibility as more than a place to dump unwanted muscle cars.

There’s more good stuff to come.

Haase > wagon guy now drives a boostang
07/10/2015 at 11:15

Yes. Far too many tribute cars and cheesy movie cars.

I wouldn’t be surprised if those Duesenbergs were on consignment... If they want to gain credibility, they should really remodel the entire property and rethink their inventory. They certainly have the room.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > wagon guy now drives a boostang
07/10/2015 at 11:22

Hate to burst your bubble, but those Duesenbergs are actually Duesenberg I Is, made in the 80s.

StoneCold > Haase
07/10/2015 at 11:29

I’ve been going to Volo for more than 15-ish years, and it is sad how it has... touristified (?) itself. There was a huge push 4-6 years ago to attract kids instead of the older crowd, and it definitely reflects that. I loved going, knowing EVERYTHING YOU SAW WAS FOR SALE. And yes, the open-to-the-public stuff has been declining in value. I remember going ten years ago and there was not 1, but 2 real Boss 429 Mustangs in the muscle car area. The very nice stuff is kept in the houses in the far corner (furthest corner from the main entrance).

wagon guy now drives a boostang > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
07/10/2015 at 11:29

Interesting. They’re representing them as actual Duesenbergs, both online and in their display. They were still really stunning.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > wagon guy now drives a boostang
07/10/2015 at 12:03

I’m aware. I even drilled the guy working there, and he insisted they are really .And *technically*, because they were made under license, they are Duesenbergs. Just not the old ones. Still pretty though.

Honestly, most of what Volo has, muscle cars or movie cars, are recreations. I probably won’t ever be back.