The Man in Love With His 1966 Volvo: An Unbreakable Bond

Many people would only own one car for up to two years if they can afford it, and if they do about 100,000 miles in it, they will buy a new one instead. That’s not how Long Island native Irv Gordon thinks, though.

Gordon and the Volvo love story began in 1966 when he purchased the brand-new Volvo P1800. While he knew the car was reliable, he didn’t expect that it would serve him for five decades and that he would break the mileage records.

It takes a massive effort to keep a car accident free and even hit 100,000 miles, and Gordon was determined to take care of his coveted Volvo. Reaching 3 million miles is not easy, and one has to be intentional about it.

In June 2013, Volvo began a campaign to share Gordon’s story with the world and, more specifically, all Volvo cars enthusiasts. 

When Irv drove off with the shiny Volvo P1800 in 1966, he began a movement that, according to the Volvo manufacturers, continues to “grow through the collective experience and passion of current Volvo owners.”

According to Gordon, “It’s not about getting to the three million miles; it’s about the trips that got me to the three million miles.” The lad had no intentions of hitting the 1 million miles mark; all he wanted to do was travel and experience the car and the country in the best way possible.

We all have different ideas of what the best experience of a country or an exotic place would be, and if you ask Gordon, the best way to experience America is by car. That way, one can go out and see as much as possible.

Immediately Gordon hit the 2.99 million miles, he was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the record for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle. That’s one record we don’t think will be broken anytime soon.

Do you know how excited one gets whenever one buys something new? That’s precisely the sentiment Gordon had when he purchased the Volvo P1800. The former teacher bought the car on a Friday, and he immediately fell in love.

Gordon would not have clocked his first 1,500 miles in one long holiday weekend if he didn’t love his car and didn’t enjoy driving. While he had a successful career as a teacher, he also had a passion for vehicle maintenance and was a massive fan of driving.

One of the reasons why the Volvo lasted that long apart from, well, being a Volvo, is because Irv was loyal to his mechanic. Gordon always brought his P1800 to the same certified Volvo technician for more than 15 years, the same place where he bought the car.

Gordon has broken records not once but twice with his great mileage. In 1998 with 1.69 million miles in the Volvo’s belt, he got into the record books, getting the Guinness Book of World Records for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle.

As Gordon edges closer to hitting the 3 million miles mark, it’s slowly sinking in that he has achieved a feat no one else might achieve. As such, every trip is more sentimental than the last.

Having visited most of the United States in his shiny Volvo, Gordon plans to hit the 3 million miles in an unforgettable way. Next, the teacher intends to finish his countrywide tour by driving to Alaska, one of the remaining states that the P1800 hasn’t set its wheels in.

To hit such impressive mileage, there has been a combination of several factors that have made the feat possible. 

Maloney added, “A distant predecessor to today’s models, the Volvo P1800 and Irv are the living embodiment that Volvos are enduring and designed around you. We look forward to following him on this journey and finding ways to bring our customers and car enthusiasts everywhere along for the ride.”

Sadly, Gordon passed on in November 2018 after he suffered a heart attack while traveling for promotional work in a remote mountainous area in China. Yet, by the time of his demise, the 77-year-old had logged in 3.6 million miles in his Volvo.

When Irv bought the Volvo P1800, he wasn’t looking to break the World Record; he just wanted to have a reliable car. The lad had had two bad experiences with new vehicles, and he wanted something dependable, and the Volvo caught his eye.

Not many of us talk to the manufacturers of the products we use, especially when the products in question work perfectly. Yet, Gordon was different; he would lose himself in the thrill of the Volvo whenever he had a chance.

Gordon’s passion for driving has seen him rake in astonishing mileage numbers worldwide. His stunning feat has put him on the map among notable car enthusiasts. Soon, he was appointed the Volvo cars ambassador, a position he fully deserved considering his achievements while driving the P1800.

Having attained a record that will stand for a long time, it wasn’t surprising that other car-related companies would look to have Gordon talk about their products apart from Volvo. One of the companies was Castrol Motor Oil which flew him to South Africa on an assignment.

To keep a car running for over five decades requires utmost care, both while driving and the vehicle itself. According to Irv, it’s pretty simple to keep your favorite ride running forever, and this is what he suggests you do.

Since taking the wheel of his shiny red Volvo in 1966, Gordon has only replaced the parts that would routinely wear out, and that is expected. The engine has also been rebuilt over the years, but the transmission and the engine block are all original.

With over 3 million miles on the road, it’s not surprising that Gordon has encountered thousands of drivers on his countless trips. Some were great drivers, others not so good, and he couldn’t help but notice them all.

When it was revealed that Gordon had passed on, Volvo released a glowing tribute praising the man who set a seemingly unbreakable record. The statement read in part, “We’ve been lucky to be along for Irv’s countless adventures, perhaps none more monumental than when he passed three million miles in his red 1966 P1800 in 2013 in Alaska, a record that no other individual has accomplished in more than 100 years of automobile manufacturing.

Even though Irv wasn’t looking to set any mileage record when he first drove the Volvo, when he finally got the record, he was optimistic that there would be someone who would break the 3 million miles mark. Before he passed on, he commented, “All records are made to be broken! I’m sure somebody will eventually break it. So I’m just doing the best I can to make it as hard as possible.”

If you are wondering how far the three million miles distance looks, we have some figures that make it easier to understand the staggering number of miles that Gordon covered in his P1800. The distance he covered driving is equivalent to 120 trips around the earth, or 3 billion IKEA desks placed side by side.

For the entire half a century, the Volvo was on the road; it consumed quite an insane amount of gas, oil, and other car parts. Overall, the car consumed 107,400 gallons of gasoline (406553 liters), 3,316 quarts of motor oil, 829 oil filters, and 464 spark plugs.