We have been invited back to the Celebration of Cars in Melbourne and as many of our members attend this show the info is posted below. However this is NOT an official FL VCOA meet; we will not be parking together nor any separate awards as in the past. But it is a great show and a chance to see the Muscle Car Museum. Remember that pre-registration is required.
Our Spring Meet IS being planned for April 22nd this year. So please mark your calendars for that.
Our Fall Meet and Track Day at Sebring International Raceway on October 15th would not have been possible without the hard work and persistence of Bill and Tricia Rose. Tricia originally began to explore the possibility of us getting out on the track with Chin Track Days. However, it turned out to be a better option with SCCA, which Bill pushed through and organized to make a reality and an incredible opportunity to drive the track with one’s own favorite Volvo.
There was a car corral set up under the pines on the infield for those that didn’t want to drive the track, and around noon Bill and Tricia graciously hosted lunch at their home just minutes from the Raceway. Lunch was 5-star and plentiful with meats cooked Sous vide (slow in water for a long time) by Jose Laboy and sides and brownies prepared by Tricia. Our crew ate happily and heartily, raving about the meal.
In what was labeled a Track Experience, there were 4 slots during the day for us to take our cars on the track. Bill roared about with the others in his 350Z.
It seems in retrospect that Bill willed himself to keep going and to make this meet happen just so others could enjoy the thrill of driving their cars on the track, as sadly for us all, he passed away just days later in his home.
Bill holds a dear place in the hearts of hundreds of Volvo enthusiasts. With his extensive/superior knowledge of the marque, he expertly repaired and restored our Volvos bringing us so much joy.
With his love of helping others, he freely gave his time to answer questions and give advice to anyone who contacted him. Over the years he and Tricia hosted Volvo meets for both the Southwest FL Volvo Club of America and Florida Volvo Club of America where Bill often gave Volvo repair sessions
He will be greatly missed, and we will cherish our memories of the special times we were able to share with him.
Some of Bill’s particulars:
William Allan Rose, 3/2/1953 to 10/27/2022
Born: Worcester, Mass. Deceased: Sebring, Fl.
Business: Owner and Lead Technician, Auto Clinic of Naples, Inc.-Volvo Specialist-June 1990 to November 2020
Club Affiliations:
Member, Volvo Club of America (Founding Member of Southwest Florida Chapter-1995 to 2002/Florida Chapter 2002-2022)
Associate Member, Volvo Sports America (Founding Member of Central Florida Chapter-2002 to 2022).
Sports Car Club of America-Central Florida Region-1999 to 2022-Competition Racing license 1999 to 2012.
Sponsor of numerous SW FL VCOA local chapter events, FL VCOA State events, VCOA, and VSA National events.
SCCA:
Along with A.C.N. Volvosports Teammate, Steve Alander, built a 1980 Volvo 242 for Improved Touring B. The 242 Volvo was later given to and campaigned by Teammate and Friend, Steve Alander. The 242 (then #17) was totaled in a racing incident in Turn 1 at Sebring International Raceway while being driven by Steve.
*A photograph of the 242 featuring Bill’s daughter, Heather, in front of the original location of the Auto Clinic of Naples, was included in Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. 20th Century Photo Album
Built 1973 Volvo 1800ES for F Production/E Production (dubbed Bluebird#18). Bluebird was campaigned competitively from 2001 to 2012 by both Bill and his wife, Patricia. Volvo was sold to Gordon Ross of Canada. Bluebird still appears at Car Shows and Driving Events around Canada.
*The 1800ES was included in the Volvo In Motorsports, A History of Volvo Car Corporation 1927-2010, page 73.
**The Evolution of Bluebird article appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of Rolling, the magazine of the Volvo Club of America.
Bill campaigned Bluebird, the 1800ES, at Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, Homestead Miami Speedway and Watkins Glen (2001 VSA National Meet-Volvos at the Glen).
Bill married his wife, Patricia (Tricia) Rose, April 30, 1995 after completing the FL VCOA Timed Distance Speed Rally in his 1973 1800ES (prepped for street at the time) at the Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Fl. The article, Life with the ES, appeared in the July/August 1995 issue of S-E-ES magazine, the magazine of Volvo Sports America.
Our Fall Meet and Track Day at the Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, FL is still on for next Saturday, October 15th. Despite everything! Please read on for updated information.
There will be a car corral under the trees in the infield for those not wishing to run the track and a light lunch will be courteously provided by Jose Laboy and hosted by Bill and Tricia Rose.
The Track Day itself is held under SCCA Track Day rules and all you will need is your safe street car, a valid driver’s license, and an approved helmet.
To register for the Track Day part go to www.motorsportreg.com and click on Events and find the listing for Track Event at Sebring on October 15th and complete the registration. The cost is $145 for the Track and $15 for the Weekend Membership of SCCA. Make sure to familiarize yourself with all the requirements listed on www.motorsportreg.com
Registration for us closes Weds 12th. October.
If not running the track, admission is FREE. However, everyone is still required to sign in and sign waivers to gain access to the facility.
For that reason, we must have your RSVP by Wednesday Oct 12th in order to have your name on a list to check in against at the SCCA Office. Please reply to this email to RSVP and you can just say TRACK or MEET with your name. If you have already RSVP’d, thank you. No need to send again.
ALL ATTENDEES MUST ARRIVE DURING THE OPEN HOURS OF REGISTRATION TO GAIN ADMITTANCE.
Sign-In times for the facility are Friday 4:00pm till 7:00pm and Saturday 7:00am till 11:00am.
Drivers Meeting is at 8:00am Saturday.
Directions:
First enter at Gate 3 and head for the SCCA Office where you will sign in to gain access to the facility. Then to Gate 1 for entrance and on down the Midway to meet us at the car corral under the trees in the General Parking section.
Attached is a sample Inspection Checklist to help ready your car for the track.
Feel free to email us with any questions.
IMPORTANT: Even if you are only thinking about doing the Track Day, you should go ahead and register as spaces are limited. You can always cancel if you can’t make it.
Summer is too hot for meets in Florida BUT this coming Fall is shaping up to be an exciting time for Volvo enthusiasts.
Apart from the National VCOA Meet in North Carolina in September that a few of us plan to attend and the return of the Swedish Social at the Ace Café in Orlando on 24 September, we are excited to announce plans for our Fall Meet which will be a Track Day at Sebring on Saturday October 15th.
Held under SCCA Track Day rules, all you will need is your safe street car, a valid driver’s license and an approved helmet. There will be a car corral for those not wishing to run the track and we have been invited to a light lunch courteously provided by Jose Laboy and hosted by Bill and Tricia Rose.
Importantly, this is a Volvo Club Meet, VSA and FVC included. Those wishing to run the track may do so by acquiring a “Weekend Membership” from SCCA ($15) which can be found on CFRSCCA,
Click on “Join SCCA” in the top left corner, follow the link to SCCA and create a member ID and pay for a weekend membership for Oct 15th.
There will be a fee of $140 for Saturday; but this fee is not charged if you do not make it on track to run the event.
Registration is expected to open in September at which point you should sign up for the Track Day itself. We will announce when Registration is open.
Volvo Club Members not wishing to run the track will be admitted for FREE as a guest of the Central Florida Region of SCCA BUT are required to go through SCCA registration at the track to sign the required club and track waivers in order to gain entry to the facility.
Registration hours usually are on Friday night from 4pm to 7:30pm and Saturday morning from 7 am to 10am.
Also attached is an Inspection Sheet so that you can ready and ensure your car will pass inspection – for example, speed rated tires with adequate tread, battery tie down (no bungees) and terminal covers, brake pads over 50%, an approved helmet.
Due to the popularity of these events, we do ask that you let us know if you intend to get out on the Track. More info to follow.
Our Spring Meet this year was held in conjunction with and hosted by Central FL VSA, returning by popular demand to Fort DeSoto Park on the Gulf of Mexico.
Balmy weather breezed across the island the whole day adding to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Pavilion 5 gave some shade to eat lunch and host the activities including the Volvo Trivia.
Ginger Nuesser and Dave and Angela Taylor tied as the winners of that with nearly sixty percent correct answers and received goody bags from FCP Euro and VSA Gift Memberships for their efforts.
Loren Williams and Tom Smith were the winners of the 50/50 Raffle.
The winners of our People’s Choice Awards were: Barbara and Dennis Falcone for FWD/AWD with their 2016 V60 Polestar and Benny Jordan for RWD with his 1970 164 he has owned since new! They will each receive a custom trophy coffee mug with their photos printed on them.
Thanks go to Debbie Martin and Jeannine Dowdell for tabulating the votes for the People’s Choice winners and John Martin for organizing this again. And of course, to VP Auto Parts and VSA for the prizes.
For photos of the meet please visit www.FLVCOA.org
Spring is here! And our next meet, hosted by Central Florida VSA, is just a month away. We are returning to Fort DeSoto Park by popular demand. The Florida Volvo Community, FL VCOA and all Volvo enthusiasts are invited.
When: Saturday, April 9th, 2022
Where: Fort DeSoto Park – Shelter #5
3500 Pinellas Bayway S.
Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Time: 11 am – 3 pm
For those who haven’t been, Fort DeSoto is located on the Gulf of Mexico on the southern tip of Pinellas County and is a great park with an old Spanish American War fort, a very long beach, fishing piers, concessions, biking and hiking trails, etc. Easily accessed from I-275.
Please bring your lunch and a chair, sunscreen, fishing poles, bathing suit, kayaks etc. Dogs must be on a leash.
Pinellas Bayway is a Toll Road and there is also a $5 Parking Fee collected at entry to the Park.
Here’s a link to the park for more information – Pinellas County Guide Fort DeSoto
A map to Shelter #5 is below.
Membership in FLVCOA or VSA is not required. All Volvo enthusiasts are welcome.
We look forward to seeing you there.
The Spanish Moss draped Oak trees at Shelter #1 in Trimble Park, Mount Dora shaded thirty Volvos that spanned the years from 1965 to 2020. The day was sunny and warm with a slight breeze and the humidity was way down.
We had returned to Trimble Park on Saturday, October 23rd for the fourth time based on it being centrally located, picturesque and of historical interest.
It was great to see all our Volvo friends and their cars again and the weather cooperated to make it a wonderful day out.
Cars ranged from 1800’s and Amazons, 240’s, 7 and 9 Series all the way through to a 2020 XC90 T8.
Award Winners were:
People’s Choice Rear Wheel Drive: Jose Laboy, 1973 164
People’s Choice Front/All-Wheel Drive: Michael Jingle, 1997 850R
Oldest Volvo at the event was a 2-way tie: Louie Bouchelle, 1965 1800S and Chris Smith, 1965 122S
We want to thank RockAuto for their $25 gift Certificate, FCP Euro for two $50 gift certificates, John Martin for two VSA memberships and Chris Short for the Volvo paraphernalia for our raffle. Also, to Chris Smith for his event flyer artwork and 18×20” prints.
Photos of this meet and others can be found here
Florida Chapter Fall Meet
Florida Chapter VCOA will be returning to the popular and centrally located Trimble Park for our Fall Meet this year.
When: Saturday October 23rd, 2021. Noon till 3:00.
Where: Pavillion #1. Trimble Park, Mount Dora. FL.
Bring Chairs and Lunch. 50/50 Cash Raffle. Awards and Prizes.
Membership in VCOA Not required. VSA, Florida Volvo Community and all Volvo enthusiasts are welcome.
Please Note:
The safety of all attendees is our main concern during this pandemic. All attendees of the event must practice current at the time COVID 19 protocols. If you or someone you are with show any symptoms of COVID we ask that you do not attend the event. If while at the event you feel symptoms, please exit the event.
Also, current Park regulations limit 50 people at each shelter. We anticipate that this may only be a concern for our Raffle and Awards towards the end of the meet. Please abide by this requirement.
Hope to see you there!
With twenty three cars attending and participants arriving from all parts of the State and beyond, our informal Spring Meet was a relaxed and friendly success.
The weather was about as perfect for a meet as one could ask for, sunny and warm but with a cooling breeze and bright blue skies to go along with the blue-green waters of the Gulf.
Attendees from Volvo Sports America, Florida Chapter of Volvo Club of America and the Florida Volvo Community brought cars that ranged from early round-fenders to very recent models. We even had a couple of guests; an MGA and a second gen Honda CRX and numerous spectators drove by and gave us a thumbs-up.
Thanks to John Martin and VSA for hosting us and booking the site. Rich and Marylin Nelson for the delicious Volvo shaped cookies! Thanks to all who attended and helped make it a success and to everyone who supported the raffle which covered the cost of the shelter rental.
Talk is of coming back next year.
More photos can be found here.
We recently asked for input on having an informal Spring Meet at Fort DeSoto.
The results are in and based on the amount of interest it’s been decided to go ahead and have the meet.
The pavilion is booked!
When: Saturday, April 17th, 2021
Where: Fort DeSoto Park – Shelter #5
3500 Pinellas Bayway S.
Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Time: 11 am – 3 pm
Central Florida VSA is hosting and we, along with the Florida Volvo Community are invited. You are welcome to arrive early and stay later.
Fort DeSoto is located on the Gulf of Mexico on the southern tip of Pinellas County and is a wonderful park with an old Spanish American War fort, a very long beach, fishing piers, biking and hiking trails, etc. Easily accessed from I-275.
Current Park regulations limit 50 people at each shelter and there are still a few places available. We are using first come, first served as the guideline, so please email to reserve a spot as quickly as possible to FLVCOA@gmail.com with the number of people in your party if you plan to attend,
Bring your lunch and a chair, food to grill, sunscreen, mask and sanitizer, fishing poles, bathing suit, kayaks etc. Dogs must be on a leash. A charcoal grill will be fired up around noon. We will have a 50/50 Cash Drawing to help pay for the Shelter Rental.
There is a $5 Parking Fee collected at entry to the Park.
Here’s a link to the park for more information – Pinellas County Guide Fort DeSoto
A map to Shelter #5 is below.
Please Note:
The safety of all attendees is our main concern during this pandemic. As per the Florida Governors Executive Order, all attendees of the event must practice COVID 19 precautionary measures including social distancing, wearing masks, etc. If you or someone you are with show any symptoms of COVID we ask that you do not attend the event. If while at the event you feel symptoms, please exit the event.
FLVCOA or VSA Membership NOT required. All Volvo enthusiasts welcome.
We look forward to seeing you.
