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IRVIN Gordon, already the long-time holder of the Guinness World Record for 'Highest
Mileage Vehicle', has sailed through the five million kilometre mark, crediting the use of
genuine parts and regular authorised servicing as key to his 50-year old Volvo's outstanding
reliability and durability.
Mr Gordon, a retired science teacher from Long Island, New York, bought his shiny red
P1800S brand new in June 1966 from his local dealer Volvoville, where the car still heads for
major servicing. Mr Gordon's pride and joy retains its original four-cylinder petrol engine
and four-speed manual gearbox, although he says more than 20 sets of tyres have rolled
under the now famous coupe over five decades.
The high-mileage die was cast early with Mr Gordon covering 2400km in his first 48-hours
of ownership, and for many years a 200km daily (round trip) commute to work helped keep
the odometer spinning. A fanatical dedication to maintenance and a passion for travel saw
him log 800,000km in his first 10 years of ownership.
In 1998 with 2.7 million km on board, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for
'The longest distance driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle'. In 2002 he
drove the car's two-millionth mile (3,218,680km) down Times Square in Manhattan, and in
2013 hit three million miles (4,828,020km) on a first-time trip to the wilds of Alaska.
The sleek P1800 was produced from 1961 to 1973, and Mr Gordon visited Australia in 2011
to help celebrate the model's golden anniversary. He changes the P1800's engine oil every
5000km and the spark plugs every 30,000km himself, but credits authorised dealer servicing
as a key factor in achieving such remarkable trouble-free mileage. For the last 15 years the
same certified Volvo technician, Nino Gambino, has attended to Mr Gordon's car.
"Irv follows the owner's manual and truly cares for and loves his car. In fact, Irv always says
he takes better care of the car than himself," Mr Gambino said.
Every time the wheels on Irvin Gordon's Volvo turn he is extending this amazing record,
and at 75 is not ruling out another mileage milestone.
"The car's better than new. Everything is 100 per cent. It has never broken down and it
always starts right up no matter how hot or cold it is outside," Mr Gordon said.
"Everyone asks, what's next? Well, I'll keep driving to auto shows and taking trips across the
country. Not much will change. But whether I drive six million kilometres is more up to me
than it is the car. The car may be able to take it, but I'm not so sure about me."
Bill Buys
5,000,000 Km
and Counting