It is with a heavy heart and deep regret that I must announce the passing of Irv Gordon, Volvo's "Three Million Mile Man". He was a well-known and respected ambassador of the Volvo community at the corporate, personal, and club levels. I'm certain that many of you have fond memories of Irv's warm personality, his sense of humor, and the way he opened up to any and all who wanted to interact with him. I offer the entire Volvo Sports America community's condolences to Irv's family and friends. May you rest in peace, Irv.

  When Irv Gordon bought his Volvo P1800 back in 1966, he couldn’t have known how far he would travel, but he did get right to work, putting 1,500 miles on it in the first weekend. Now, 47 years later, Irv and his P1800 have accomplished something no other person and no other vehicle have ever done: on September 17, on Alaska's Seward Highway, Irv and his P1800 passed the three million mile mark.

"I bought my Volvo P1800 on a Friday [in 1966] and immediately fell in love," Gordon recalled. "I couldn’t stop driving the car. It was a holiday weekend, and I brought the car back to the dealership the following Monday for its 1,500-mile service."

According to Gordon, reaching three million miles is an achievement he’s proud of, but his travels have always been about the journey as opposed to the destination.

"It's not about getting to the three million miles; it's about the trips that got me to the three million miles," Gordon said. "I never had a goal to get to one million, to two million. I just enjoyed driving and experiencing life through my Volvo."

In addition to his travels throughout America over the years, Gordon had a 125-mile round-trip daily commute to his job as a science teacher. In 1987 he celebrated his one-millionth mile by driving a loop around the Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Then, in 1998, he set the Guinness Book of World Records mark for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle with 1.69 million miles.

As the proud owner of a Volvo, Gordon made his already safe and reliable vehicle even more reliable with a fanatical dedication to maintenance.

"We at Volvo applaud Irv and his Volvo. The spirited red P1800 represents an extraordinary demonstration of reliability, durability, safety and intelligent design that honors all Volvos past and present," said John Maloney, president and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America. "His P1800 is the living embodiment that Volvos are designed around you."

To mark Gordon's achievement, Volvo launched the “3 Million Reasons to Believe” campaign and the website 3MillionReasons.com, where people from around the world have viewed his journey and contributed their own "reasons to believe" in a Volvo.

Reason number 693,687, for example, was submitted by Mario M. of San Francisco, CA, who wrote, "There are few cars I would trust to bring me places. All [are made by] Volvo. I always said… Love, Evolve, Volvo." Lori O. of Scarborough, ME submitted reason 1,290,325: "My 2004 Volvo XC90 saved my life in a 45 mph head on collision. Now I’m driving a 2011 XC60."

Gordon, meanwhile, has no plans to stop enjoying his 1966 P1800.

"Everyone asks, what's next? Well, I’ll keep driving my Volvo P1800 to auto shows and taking trips across the country," he said. "Not much will change. But whether I drive four million miles is more up to me than it is the car. The car may be able to take it, but I’m not so sure about me."

This article is presented by Bob Byers Volvo in Seattle, Washington.