The 3 MILLION-MILE VOLVO: Driving the worlds most driven car | The Next Big Thing | Ep. 208

Irv Gordon put 3 MILLION miles on his Volvo P1800, setting a Guinness World Record for the most driven non-commercial vehicle. In this exclusive first drive, Magnus Walker becomes the first person outside of Volvo to drive the car since Irv's passing and goes on a very special ride with Irv's friend and mechanic Nino Gambino.

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Episode chapters:
00:00 Cold Open
00:22 Introduction
01:03 The Saint
01:27 Meet Irv Gordon
02:24 Irv's mechanic
03:32 Why Irv loved to drive
04:12 The best thing about the car
05:00 How Nino came to Volvos
06:10 Irv's legacy
06:51 Conclusion

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[DavidKAnderson]

I absolutely LOVE that this glorious car is still regularly driven. "A ship is safe in the harbor...but that's not what ships are for."

[KEMO]

Rest in peace Irv Gordon, he always seemed like a genuinely down to earth and nice guy and I was fascinated by his story ever since I've known about him and his beautiful P1800 .. Nino Gambino with a name like that if he is not secretly a mafia boss I will be disappointed but god bless him he really cherish his friendship with Irv .. the fact that Volvo now owns the car and it's still being driven bring joy to my heart .. thank you Magnus and crew for such a well done video of such an iconic machine!

[CaptainHoratioPugwash]

Picture yourself buying a brand new Toyota GT86 in 2021 in red and then driving it 62, 500 miles a year, every year without fail, for 52 years. By 2073 you will have matched Irv's mileage. Mad. What a legend, RIP Irv.

5, 208 miles a month
171 miles a day

[yxqwxgu]

Still better than everything on Facebook marketplace

[jeffreylevin]

Irv was a really nice guy. I saw him often at car show’s. One interesting fact about him, and the car, that you omitted. Irv didn’t have a Garage. Aside from the amount of time the car spent on the road, it was always outside! Amazing.

[Damien.D]

It really touching to see Irv's car still running and continuing the legend.

[cgmoog]

I remember seeing a red P1800 heading up the NJTPK in the early 2000s. I thought it might be Irv's as I got closer I saw the plate which confirmed it was Irv returning from somewhere.

[WarriorsPhoto]

Cars are meant to be driven and not tucked away. That’s a wonderful statement and I agree. This is a beautiful story and the car looks great for its age.

[olewurtz]

Of all the cars I’ve owned, including my E-type and F-type, the P1800 is the one car I wish I could have kept.

[chrism]

I met him in the mid 90’s in Modesto, Ca. I worked at the Volvo dealership as a Volvo tech. He was passing through and they let him change his own oil, he wouldn’t let us help. He signed some pictures for us and talked about the car and it’s history. He was a really nice guy.

[volvogt]

I've had mine for 30 years. Definately not sporty bit quite powerful vs an MGB. R.I.P. Irv. Q legend to all of us P1800 devotees.

[whitevanman]

In 1968/69 my parents bough a Volvo 145S american spec with automatic. My mother took delivery of it in Paris at the height of the student rebellions and riots of the time, tear gas and burning cars as she drove out of Paris. They kept the car for forty years and finally gave it to the mechanic who had looked after it for most of its life, I can remember road trips all over Europe in it, I learnt to drive in it. One epic trip, just me and my mother in the early eighties, we drove from the north of Spain to Holland non stop in 22 hours. A few years earlier during severe snowstorms in the Massif Central it took us three days to do the same trip. It had the same wheels, engine, suspension and maybe gearbox as the 3.2 million mile Volvo. It was white with a red interior. If you were trying to get through heavy snow in the Pyrenees two people standing on the back bumper holding on to the roof rack improved the traction no end. Passing through Toulouse we saw one of the early flights of Concorde. Memories.

[ydnallah]

No matter vehicle, a high miler is a celebration, it means it’s had a life

[mikewaite]

Last year I sold my SLK 230 convertible and picked up from a neighbor two blocks away a 1970 1800e and I'm only the third owner. It only had 47, 000 original miles and now one year later I have 57, 500 original miles! I park it outside I drive it every other day to work and have driven it long distances to different cars and coffees! I do all the maintenance work and the model that I have has the fuel injection along with the m410 racing transmission. I vowed to myself never to have a classic car that just sits in a garage again. Great job on this video!

[mattwoods]

This is the best video of the series. I love how Magnus tells the story of this car. Also great to see them filming in the 'other' Orange County.

[Pirate]

That conclusion was beautiful, I haven't heard it said better. Thanks for the video! Really enjoyed it

[_retrophile_]

The old Volvos are extremely durable, even now. Wish i can find someday the Volvo 940 Polar in time capsule condition.

[marianolozano]

Great video! Thanks to Magnus and Nino to keep Irv’s spirit alive. He definitely took “cars are meant to be driven” to the Max!! I have a 1966 P1800S, love the lines, design and history. Has been one of the first cars (if not the first) with 3 points safety belt. Rally people love Volvos (like the Amazon) as they are truly very dependable!

[grzegorzmalikiewicz]

This is a true ecology. One car for a lifetime

[dynamite]

Volvos pre p1800 weren't square and boxy. That started with the 140 series