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American Sets New Record by Reaching 3 Million Miles in Volvo 1800S

Irv Gordon has driven his 1966 Volvo P1800S three million miles since new

American Irv Gordon has completed the planned drive that had his 1966 Volvo P1800SVolvo 1800 SSweden, 1961 > present cross three million miles on the odometer. Guinness World Records certifies that it is the longest distance driven one person has driven in the same car

On September 18, the Volvo reached three million miles near Hope, Alaska. It was the first time that Gordon had taken the car to Alaska.

”It was all rather undramatic. We just cruised along and I kept an eye on the odometer in order not to miss the great moment. But it has really not been about just getting to the three million miles; it’s more about the trips that got me to the three million miles and what I have experienced getting there” said Gordon.

Gordon bought the car brand new in 1966 and drove it 1,500 miles in the first week simply because he liked it so much. Although, it does not hurt that he had a 125-mile round trip daily commute. Within the first 10 years of ownership, the P1800 had 500,000 miles on it. It hit one million miles in 1987 and two million miles in 2002.

For the trip to reach three million miles, the car was shipped to southern Alaska, and Gordon drove along the Seward Peninsula.

It is especially impressive when you consider that it took Gordon 19 years to hit the first million, 15 years for the second million and 11 years for the third million.

“I never had a goal to get to one million, to two million. I just enjoyed driving and experiencing life through my Volvo,” he said.

Gordon is not the first man to reach a million or even two million miles in his car. A few more are below.

1966 Volvo P1800S

Irv Gordon is the current record-holder for the world's longest driving car at three million miles and counting. Gordon bought the car new and loved it. For its first 20 years, it was his commuter to work and back. Since then, he has been adding more and more miles.

1976 Mercedes-Benz 240 D

Greek taxi driver Gregorius Sachinidis held the highest driving record prior to Gordon. He drove his 1976 Mercedes-Benz 240D as a taxi for 4.6 million kilometers (2.858 million miles), but he donated the car to the Mercedes museum in 2004, which means that Gordon now has the longest-driving car on the road in the world.

1963 Volkswagen Beetle

As the earliest million-mile car on this list, Albert Klein's 1963 Volkswagen Beetle deserves some credit for crossing the million-mile mark in 1987. Klein owned the car from brand new and drove it around Southern California. Klein was a German immigrant and architect in Los Angeles. He also drove it South America and back.

2006 Chevrolet Silverado

Hugh and Tammy Pennington have the newest car on this list. When Hugh retired from working for GM, he took a job delivering trailers around the United States. He bought the Silverado, and by 2012, it had already crossed one million miles. They are still driving it and may challenge Gordon soon at this rate.

1990 Honda Accord

Joe LoCicero of Saco, Maine, drove his 1990 Honda Accord just over a million miles through 2011. In thanks for his commitment to the company, Honda gave him a 2012 Honda Accord.

1989 Saab 900 SPG

Peter Gilbert bought his 1989 Saab 900 SPG new and by 2006 had covered one million miles in it. Saab was so impressed that it instituted a new rule that it would give a brand new car to any owner who could prove that he/she covered a million miles from new in their Saab. It seems Gilbert was the only person to do so before Saab went out of business.

1983 Lincoln Towncar

Chet Belisle bought his 1983 Lincoln Towncar and drove it around America for 25 years. As of 2008, Belisle still drove the car and had covered 1.3 million miles. He said that he tried to sell it several times, but no one would buy it because it had too many miles. Belisle just kept driving the Lincoln.