Irvin "Irv" Gordon (d. 2018) was an American retired teacher known for setting the Guinness World Record for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle.
Gordon purchased his Volvo P1800S in June 1966 from Volvoville, a dealership in Huntersville, New York.[1] [2] He had owned two new Chevrolet Corvair models, but was dissatisfied with their reliability. At the time, Gordon's daily commute was around 125miles.
Gordon decided to maximise the car's mileage after hitting 250000miles, having never had to repair the car outside of its routine scheduled maintenance. The car's engine was rebuilt after 680000miles – Gordon insisted on the service as a precautionary measure, despite the dealership advising it was unnecessary. It transpired there had been nothing wrong with the engine, and Gordon said he "learned his lesson" about unnecessary maintenance.
He set the record for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle in 1998, when he had driven 1690000miles in the car, claiming the Guinness World Record.[3] He had driven 2000000miles by 2002, and 3000000miles by 2013. The car had a second engine rebuild in 2009, when wear on bearings and piston rings led to pressure loss. Its bodywork also had to be repaired after it was damaged by a freight company who were transporting it to the annual SEMA show to be displayed at the Volvo stand.[4]
Gordon performed much of the car's routine maintenance personally, such as the changing the engine oil and filter and servicing the car's brakes. Other mechanical work was generally carried out by mechanic Nino Gambino, who first worked on the car in 1979.[5] He had driven 3260257miles by October 2018, a month before his death.[6] [7] He had driven the car across all 49 of the continental United States, Canada, and much of Europe.
Volvo initially took little interest in Gordon's high-mileage car. He had written to the company twice, once after 250000miles and again after 500000miles, only receiving a cursory response. However, Volvo took greater interest in Gordon and his P1800S as the car approached 1000000miles on the road, gifting him a new Volvo 780. Gordon drove the 780 for around 450000miles before selling it. He was gifted a second car, a Volvo C70, after passing 2000000miles.
After setting the record, Gordon regularly collaborated with Volvo and appeared at their events. He also promoted Castrol, his preferred brand of oil.
The car was returned to Volvo after Gordon's death.[8]
Gordon worked as high school science teacher. His long daily commute was the result of moving from Manhattan to Long Island, in pursuit of a more peaceful lifestyle. He retired in the 1990s. He died on November 2018, while he was travelling in China with his car. He was survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren.