Volvo P1800 Clocks 2.6 Million Miles!

Irv Gordon, a retired Long Island Science teacher has managed to clock an amazing 2.6 million miles or about 4.2 million km on his red 1966 Volvo P1800, a model which become famous from the 60's TV series "The Saint". The 67-year-old purchased the classic Volvo coupe in June 1966 driving 1,500 miles in the first 48 hours.

From there on Forest, err, sorry I mean Gordon, just drove and drove logging 500,000 miles / 800,000 km in 10 years while in 1998 with 1.69 million miles, or 2.57 million km, he made the Guinness Book of World Records for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle. Now Gorden has set his eyes on hitting the 3 million mark in the next five years. -Continued after the jump

"My goal is to reach three million miles in the next five years," Gordon said. "But, whether I reach that mark is more up to me than it is the car. The car's parts may be able to take it, but I'm not so sure about my own.

"I turn 72 on July 15, 2012," he added. "That seems like a nice day to clock three million and park the car once and for all. It will be a fantastic testament to the engineering genius of Volvo as well as to the resiliency of folks my age.

"I'll also feel comfortable that three million miles is a record that no one will ever be able to reach in the same car," Gordon continued. "That is, unless Barry Bonds decides to start driving his car more after he retires from baseball."

Notably Gordon is unsure what to do with his P1800 Coupe if he actually manages to hit three million miles -though he has considered selling it for... a dollar per each mile he's driven.

"I also think it should go in a nice, cozy museum where people will get to enjoy seeing the car that beat the odds - all with the same engine, same radio, same axles, same transmission and of course the same driver," Gordon said.

"So, maybe I'll sell it. Maybe I'll donate it to a museum," he concluded. "Who knows? Maybe I'll keep driving it."

Source: Volvo