The world’s highest-mileage car has travelled | Tech News

When buying a used car, many Brits prefer to choose the model with the lowest possible mileage in their budget, with high-mileage cars perceived as being less reliable and enjoyable to drive.

However, whilst 100,000 miles is typically considered to be a particularly high amount, some motorists have managed to cover over 10 times more in the same vehicle.

Currently, the highest-mileage car in the world is a 1966 Volvo P1800S, which has covered more than 3,250,000 miles – the equivalent of driving around the world 12 times.

The classic coupe was bought new by Irv Gordon at the cost of $4,150 (the equivalent of £23,550 in today’s money) – the 25-year-old’s annual wage at the time.

However, it was money well spent, as Irv continued to use the car for more than 52 years until his passing in 2018, using it to commute to work and road trips across America and Canada.

Speaking to the YouTube channel Ignition in 2018, Irv noted that he had already racked up more than a thousand miles on the first weekend he owned the car.

He explained: “I bought the car on the Friday night and was back on Monday morning with the car, which had 1,500 miles on the odometer, and that was for my first checkup. That’s sort of my relationship with the Volvo.

“I’ve been driving the car like that ever since. I drove the car 125 miles a day to and from work for 35 years; on the weekends, I used to ski – I always have somewhere to go and something to do. Everyone needs a hobby, and I like to drive!”

Whilst most models would shudder at the prospect of travelling anywhere near three million miles, Irv’s Volvo has been able to cover such a long distance due to constant maintenance.

Over the years, the classic Volvo has gone through more than 3,100 litres of oil, 464 spark plugs, 156 tyres, and 29 fan belts. However, whilst it was regularly rebuilt, the car’s engine never had to be completely replaced.

Moreover, despite the many hours spent behind the wheel, Irv was never at fault in an accident – albeit experienced his fair share of close calls.

Whilst Irv Gordon’s 1966 Volvo P1800S is the world’s highest-mileage car by a considerable margin, it is far from being the only to have covered an incredible distance in its lifetime.

A 1975 Mercedes-Benz 240D is the second most travelled car in the world, with Greek taxi driver Gregorios Sachinidis using it to travel more than 2,850,000 miles in 28 years.

In recognition of the car, Gregorios donated the model to the Daimler-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, with the company gifting him a brand-new C-Class in return.