1966 Volvo poised to surpass 3 million miles

I get a fair amount of unsolicited mail everyday. Today as I was deleting I noticed a story that made me smile. Irv Gordon, one of Volvo’s most famous vehicle owners was driving up in Alaska and was preparing to make news.
Irv is not well known for any public service or athletic event, instead Irv is famous because he owns “highest-mileage, one-owner, non-commercial vehicle in the world”, at least according to the folks at Guinness Book of World Records. This is a record he extends everyday he gets behind the wheel.
I recall hearing about a Volvo P1800S that had very high mileage years ago. When it surpassed 1 million miles it became a source of marketing pride for Volvo. I do know that when other car makers get wind of one of their models turning a million miles they have presented the owner with a new model. Having received 2 new Volvo’s (a 780 and C70) at each previous milestone, a stable of three vehicles to choose from makes the triple million mile-stone even more remarkable.
Irv is a retired science teacher from Long Island who had a roughly 200 km return daily commute and simply loved to drive. He attributes the longevity of the Swedish coupe to diligent maintenance with original parts, frequent oil changes as well as thorough car washes. Lets not forget this vehicle has spent most of its life in the Long Island environment with ocean breezes and road salt to contend with. Although many typical parts have been swapped, Irv points out the original engine block has been rebuilt twice and still has the original transmission and rear axle.
Volvo has created a website dedicated to following the occasion of Irv’s Volvo turning 3 million miles. Follow along if you are a lover of cars as this likely to be a once in a lifetime event. Irv speculates that although the P1800S could probably continue up to 4 million miles, he doubts he could personally meet the challenge.