Irv Gordon bought a brand-new Volvo P1800S back in 1966. What followed was 52 years of relentless traveling, covering more than three million miles in that very same car. That’s not a typo. Three million miles, known to be the greatest distance driven by a private owner on a single vehicle.
His journey began like any other road trip enthusiast. Just a week after that fresh purchase, he clocked 1,500 miles. But Gordon took it to a whole new level, averaging around 60,000 miles a year, crisscrossing America, Canada, and Europe, visiting every continental state except Hawaii.
Gordon didn’t let anyone else drive the car, and he stuck to strict upkeep ... no junk food or drinks inside, routine oil changes, and much of the maintenance done by himself. Amazingly, the original transmission lasted all the way through, and the car needed just two engine rebuilds over that enormous distance.
When the odometer flipped past three million miles near Alaska in 2013, Gordon joked that Volvo owed him three million dollars. Volvo gave a polite no, but instead showered him with perks, public recognition, and a special spot at the World of Volvo museum in Gothenburg.
Ultimately Volvo bought the car from the family. To honor Irv Gordon’s amazing achievement the car is shown to the public at multiple occasions. At the moment the car has a very dominant spot at the World of Volvo in Volvo’s hometown Goteborg.
