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<MISC> Volvo million miles behind the wheel

Yes, this is not BMW subject, but still.........

FWD:

UPI Business World  


	NEW YORK (UPI) -- Over the past 30 years Irv Gordon could have  

traveled to the moon three times, driven around the world 189 times, 

raced in 3,000 Indianapolis-500 races or driven rountrip from New York 

to San Francisco 250 times. 

	That's because the Long Island school teacher has now racked up 1.5  

million miles behind the wheel of his cherry red 1966 Volvo P1800. 

	After topping the 1-million mark back in October 1987 Volvo named  

Gordon an Ambassador-at-large. 

	His friends called him a perfectionist because he purchased his new  

car on a Friday and returned the vehicle to his local dealer the 

following Monday -- for its first 1,300 mile checkup. 

	Today, the mint conditioned P1800, purchased for $4,150, is still on  

the road, and Gordon jokes it is for sale for only $1-a-mile. 

	The car has had 500 oil changes, used 2,500 quarts of oil, run on 75,  

000 gallons of gasoline and has had all its tires changed only 15 times. 

	Gordon says it is care, good service, understanding and love all  

working together that has kept his P1800 on the road for the past 30 

years. 

	``Thirty years ago, the Long Island school science teacher wandered  

into a Massapequa Volvo dealership, still reeling from the on-going 

problems he was having with his brand new Chevrolet Impala convertible,'' 

said Heldge Alten, president, and chief executive officer of Volvo Cars 

North America. 

	``He fell in love with a little cherry red P1800 that was on the  

showroom floor.'' 

	Gordon said he asked the Volvo salesman if he could test drive the  

car -- the salesman tossed him the keys and said ``try it.'' He came back 

four hours later, after driving into Manhattan from Long Island. 

	``I wanted to see how the car would handle in traffic,'' Gordon said.  

	Since then Gordon and his P1800 have traveled through 48 states,  

except Alaska and Hawaii, into Canada and five European countries -- the 

United Kingdom, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Germany. 

	``Volvo over the years has built a bulletproof reputation for making  

solid and safe automobles and this car has never failed me. It starts in 

the heat, cold and rain, from 20 degrees below to 120 degrees above in 

shade,'' Gordon said, adding ``I drove it this past winter when it 

snowed almost every day.'' 

	In fact Gordon drives about 1,000 miles a week and has spent almost  

six of the past 30 years just behind the wheel of the P1800, wearing the 

original seat belts. 

	Gordon changes the his oil religiously every 3,000 miles.  

	The recently retired junior high school teacher used the Volvo to  

commute daily to the community of Roslyn L.I., a 90-mile round trip. 

	``We are talking almost one-half a million miles on the Long Island  

Expressway -- the world largest parking lot,'' Gordon said. 

	``And, you know that kind of driving can kill your nerves as well as  

your engine,'' he joked. 

	However, since 1984 he has not driven much on the Long Island's  

famous expressway in order to keep the Volvo paint from being chipped by 

gravel and stones tossed around by the truckers jamming the route. 

	Instead, when heading west from his home, Gordon uses the Southern  

State Parkway, where no trucks are permitted. 

	Gordon rebuilt the 1.8-liter, dual-carburetor engine once at 675,000  

miles and the car still has the original brake rotors and rear drums. 

	Some work has also been done to the car's body, which was repainted  

back in 1980. Most of the chrome has been replated. 

	``The body is original except for a grille frame, left front chrome  

spear and left rear quarter panel,'' Gordon said. 

	Gordon said his front seats were recovered in 1984 with original  

leather from the Volvo factory in Sweden. 

	``All the replacement parts are genuine Volvo parts from the dealer I  

purchased the car,'' Gordon said. 

	``The P1800 was a special car for Volvo when it was introduced back  

in the early 60s. It was our first sports coupe,'' Alten said. ``It went 

into production in May 1961 and it was an instant hit. The car was 

designed for comfort, Grand Touring-style driving.'' 

	At the car's debut at the Brussels Auto Salon in 1961, the company's  

chief engineer predicted the car would be know as the one in which ``the 

driver will tire long before the engine does.'' 

	But, perhaps it's most famous for its role in the popular TV series  

``The Saint,'' starring Roger Moore as Simon Templar. 

	However, to those who know Gordon, have described him as no ``Saint.''  

	The day he purchased his car, Gordon asked his girl friend if she  

would like to have a cup of French coffee. 

	Gordon got in the P1800 and drove from Patchogue, Long Island to  

Canada, just for coffee. 

	Gordon also owns a 1923 Model T Ford, a 1929 Packard Touring Car,  

1949 Crosley Hot Shot and a 1966 Lincoln convertible with those famous 

``suicide'' rear doors. 

	``The Crosley, with its 85-inch wheelbase, was America's first  

attempt at a sport car, and was sold in the 1950s by R.H. Macy & Co. and 

other leading department stores for about $1 a pound,'' Gordon said. 

	The average Crosley consisted of a 151-pound engine combining with  

its body weight for an overall weight price of $1,000. 

	Gordon paid $10 for his at a Macy's sale in 1973. Today, his British  

racing green 1949 Crosley, with about 13,000 miles, is valued at over 

$10,000 and has been completely restored. 

	Additionally, Gordon owns a 1987 Volvo 780 with only 175,000 miles, a  

1967 Volvo 122s and a 1982 Volvo 240 GLT. 

	And a drive through his neighborhood shows about 25 of Gordon's  

neighbors drive Volvos in the small community of around 100 families. 

	So what is next for the man named Ambassador-at-large to Volvo Cars  

of North America? 

	``In about nine years, I hope to turn the 2-million milestone, but in  

the more immediate future, I'm just going to cruise around the world's 

highways,'' he said.