Daily Weird News Report
A 2001 Volvo S80 has become the centerpiece of an unusual roadside attraction in Ottawa, Illinois, after being placed on a small island created specifically to hold it.
According to Atlas Obscura, the display began in 2012 when the owner of a local repair shop towed the Volvo onto a peninsula. He then used an excavator to reshape the land, leaving the car surrounded by a lake roughly 40 feet deep.
The owner originally intended to turn the scene into a guessing game, inviting people to figure out how the Volvo had reached its isolated position. That contest never took place. Concerns arose that visitors might attempt to cross the water to get a closer look at the vehicle.
The car nevertheless stayed on the island. It has since become a popular stop for people visiting the Ottawa area, according to the Atlas Obscura report.
The Volvo is not the only unusual vehicle in the immediate surroundings. Several other cars have been positioned in similarly curious ways, including Volkswagen Beetles suspended from trees. Together, the vehicles form a collection of unconventional roadside sights rather than a single isolated oddity.
Access to the immediate area is restricted by a fence topped with barbed wire, intended to prevent people from getting too close. Visitors who want photographs can stop at the gate or pull over along the side of the road.
What began as an idea for a public guessing contest instead became a permanent visual puzzle: a sedan resting alone on a small artificial island, visible from outside the fenced area but not meant to be reached.
