Irvin Gordon laughs while being interviewed July 2 in his 1966 Volvo P1800S in Babylon, N.Y. Gordon's car already holds the world record for the highest recorded milage on a car and he is less than 40,000 miles away from passing three million miles on the Volvo.

BAY SHORE, NY — It just keeps going, and going, and going. No, it's not a battery. It's Irvin Gordon's 1966 Volvo P1800S.

Gordon's small, red two-door has well more than 2 million miles on the odometer, the equivalent of nearly 1,176 times across the globe.

The retired schoolteacher from Long Island hopes to reach the 3 million mile mark by next year. He only has 34,000 miles to go.

The 72-year-old Gordon drives his Volvo everywhere. He has held the Guinness World Records mark for High Mileage Vehicle since 2002 and was the first person to hold that record.

“It's just a car I enjoy driving,” he said.

He bought his beloved car on June 30, 1966, for $4,150 at the age of 25. “It was a whole year's salary,” he said.

Gordon originally wanted the convertible Volvo with air conditioning, but it was too expensive. He paid extra to have an AM/FM radio, though.

“It was $10 extra, and at that time, $10 was a lot. But an AM/FM radio was a big deal,” he said.

Gordon's car has just enough room for him and his essentials. His front bumper is filled with pins of his mileage achievements. Even his license plate says “MILNMILER.” And his trunk overflows with the many car parts he thinks he might need when on the road.

“I have a set of everything,” he said. “If I have it, then I am not going to need it.”

Gordon has been taking road trips since he was a child and continued through his adult years. He says he would just tell his family to pack their things and hit the road. Gordon's two daughters went on his road trips until they outgrew the tiny red car.

“They just couldn't fit in the back anymore. That is when I bought the station wagon,” he explained. “Volvo, of course.”