Volvo P1800S from 1966: world record for kilometres in a car

The Volvo P1800S from 1966 holds the world record for kilometres in a car. Its proud owner is Irv Gordon, who acquired the vehicle when he was 26 years old. Now, the owner is about to turn 71, while his coupé has just turned 45 years old with a very well-worn heart.

The Swedish brand is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Volvo P1800, and what better gift than for one of its models to have achieved a world record for kilometres. This model, the Volvo P1800, was produced over 12 years, reaching 50,000 units. It was the top of the range in its time and fitted a 100 CV engine and two carburettors.

The kilometre record in this Volvo P1800S is more than deserved, because on the first day Irv Gordon drove the vehicle more than 2,400 kilometres in 48 hours. Moreover, Gordon had to cover around 200 kilometres a day. In just ten years, the Volvo P1800S from 1966 had already reached half a million miles. Specifically, it entered the Guinness World Records in 1998 with 2,719,791 kilometres.

Four years later, Irv Gordon’s Volvo P1800S became the star of Times Square, New York, and even featured on the Jay Leno show. Today, the Swedish model has 2.9 million miles, but its owner intends to reach 3 million, or in other words 4,828,032 kilometres.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk3m4O1AV8c

Volvo P1800S from 1966, a Swede with many kilometres

The number and type of breakdowns it may have suffered over so many kilometres is unknown, nor are any possible tricks, but what we do know is that the vehicle with the kilometre record is in like-new condition. It is worth noting that the Volvo has been driven through the northern United States and even Europe.

One of its journeys took it to Gothenburg, Sweden, where the model was conceived. This coupé with muscular lines was developed in Sweden, designed in Italy, manufactured in the United Kingdom and immortalised in the United States. The proud owner has stated that “it was all quite exciting; while driving I kept my eyes on the odometer so as not to miss this magnificent moment”.

On 18 September, at 16:00 precisely, the odometer had reached the dreamed-of figure. “But it was not so much reaching nearly five million kilometres, but the experience we have lived through. I never had the goal of reaching this mileage; I wanted to drive and experience life in my Volvo”.

To register the kilometres, the vehicle was transported in a covered lorry to Alaska, with Irv following by plane. The record was achieved on the road leading to Seward. The Volvo P1800S of Irv Gordon has far surpassed what until now was the vehicle with the most kilometres on the planet: a Mercedes-Benz W123 200D that operated as a taxi in Greece.

It is important to note that the record-holding Volvo retains its coriginal bodywork as well as its standard clutch and gearbox. Some sources claim the engine has been repaired only three times. For Volvo, the owner of this vehicle has become one of its great ambassadors around the world.