Irv Gordon

Irvin "Irv" Gordon (1940 – November 15, 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.

Record-setting Volvo ownership

Irv Gordon's Volvo P1800

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.^[2] At the time, Gordon's daily commute was around 125 mi (201 km).^[1][2]

Gordon decided to maximize the car's mileage after hitting 250,000 mi (400,000 km), having never had to repair the car outside of its routine scheduled maintenance.^[1][2] The car's engine was rebuilt after 680,000 mi (1,090,000 km) – Gordon insisted on the service as a precautionary measure, despite the dealership advising it was unnecessary.^[1] It transpired there had been nothing wrong with the engine, and Gordon said he "learned his lesson" about unnecessary maintenance.^[2]

He set the record for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle in 1998, when he had driven 1,690,000 mi (2,720,000 km) in the car, claiming the Guinness World Record.^[1][2][3] He had driven 2,000,000 mi (3,200,000 km) by 2002, and 3,000,000 mi (4,800,000 km) by 2013.^[1] The car had a second engine rebuild in 2009, when wear on bearings and piston rings led to pressure loss.^[2] 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.^[2][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.^[2][3] Other mechanical work was generally carried out by mechanic Nino Gambino, who first worked on the car in 1979.^[5] He had driven 3,260,257 mi (5,246,875 km) 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.^[6]

Relationship with Volvo

Volvo initially took little interest in Gordon's high-mileage car. He had written to the company twice, once after 250,000 mi (400,000 km) and again after 500,000 mi (800,000 km), only receiving a cursory response;^[1] however, Volvo took greater interest in Gordon and his P1800S as the car approached 1,000,000 mi (1,600,000 km) on the road, gifting him a new Volvo 780. Gordon drove the 780 for around 450,000 mi (720,000 km) before selling it.^[1][2] He was later gifted another two cars: a Volvo C70 after passing 2,000,000 mi (3,200,000 km),^[4][7] and a Volvo XC60 after passing 3,000,000 mi (4,800,000 km).^[8]

After setting the record, Gordon regularly collaborated with Volvo and appeared at their events.^[6][7] He also promoted Castrol, his preferred brand of oil.^[6] The car was returned to Volvo after Gordon's death.^[9][5]

Personal life and career

Gordon worked as high school science teacher.^[1] His long daily commute was the result of moving from Manhattan to Long Island, in pursuit of a more peaceful lifestyle.^[2] He retired in the 1990s.^[7] He died on November 15, 2018, while he was traveling in China with his car. He was 78 years old, and was survived by two daughters and three grandchildren.^[6][7]