April 24, 2009 Update: We have been notified that the first and second series of badges (as labeled in this article) are in reversed order (thanks goes to the 1800List!). We will correct this shortly. We have also received new updated information about the beginnings of the Volvo High Mileage Club (from Irv Gordon!) and will also be adding this to the article, so stay tuned! And, if you have any information or images to add, please also let us know. --------------
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But was the automobile up to the challenge of long mileage, particularly those cars from before World War II that were still on the road? Driving a car to high mileage over 100,000 miles was very unusual. Odometers generally turned back to zero after 99,999.9 miles – further testimony to automobile designers’ belief that a car reaching the 100,000 mile level would be a rarity. The 1950s saw an unprecedented economic boom in the United States, accompanied by a correspondingly large, unprecedented upsurge in leisure time, a huge increase in the number of vehicles on the road, and the replacement of many pre-World War II cars with ones that were newer and, potentially, more reliable. According to the US Department of Energy, the average annual vehicle-miles driven per capita in the US just about doubled in the two decades of the 1950s and 1960s, from about 3,000 to over 6,000 by 1972.
In this manner, both driver and vehicle could be rewarded for excellence in automotive maintenance and longevity – and the car maker, of course, would receive the free advertising that such awards would provide. The two manufacturers were Daimler-Benz and Volvo. First Series of Volvo High Mileage BadgesIt seems that Volvo’s earliest attempts at a high mileage award revolved strictly around the achievement of 100,000 miles – no small feat in the 1960s or early 1970s, given that the car would have been from decades earlier. Here is a picture of the emblem that one would have received at that time. Note the similarity of the letter V to the “V” of 120 and 140 series hubcaps.  Photo by Ben Buja
Although there seems to be little documentation about this series of badges, it also seems apparent that, were one to achieve any higher multiple of 100,000 miles, one would merely have received another, identical badge. Second Series of Volvo High Mileage BadgesSometime, perhaps in the early 1980s, Volvo changed their badge series to more colorful emblems. More Volvos were reaching the 100,000 mile level and, perhaps, Volvo sensed the marketing opportunity this gave, provided that their badges were noticed. This group is often thought of as the first true “high mileage badge series,” although it seems, again, that multiple 100,000 mile badges were awarded for higher mileage multiples when the series was first introduced.  Photo by Jon Manji
Later, perhaps to match Mercedes-Benz in having distinctively colored awards for different mileage levels, Volvo added other badges to this series, so that, by the late 1980s, there were awards for 100,000, 250,000, 500,000, 750,000 and 1,000,000 miles. They also introduced a “50,000 mile Service Bar” to denote mileage between those for which badges were awarded. This service bar is very likely the smallest mileage increment of any car manufacturer’s awards – 50,000 miles is well short of 100,000 kilometers, which is the smallest award for any other current high mileage car award.  Photo by Jon Manji As an example of how this service bar was displayed, a car with 200,000 miles would display a 100,000 mile badge, plus two 50,000 mile service bars. Then, upon reaching, 250,000 miles, the badges and bars would be removed, and replaced by one 250,000 award – and the 50,000 mile service bars could be reused as the car accumulated additional mileage.  Graphic created using mileage badge photos by Ben Buja and mileage service bar photo by Jon Manji
It is interesting to note that, according to late series’ brochures from around 1990, even Volvo apparently never expected someone to actually achieve the million mile level, until Irv Gordon accomplished this in 1987.
It seems that badges were awarded to owners by Volvo dealers, upon showing proof of mileage. Third Series of Volvo High Mileage BadgesAs a greater number of vehicles reached 100,000 miles and well beyond, Volvo changed their high mileage badge program in the mid-1990s, abolishing the 50,000 mile service bar, and, instead, issuing a colored badge for each 100,000 mile increment to a million miles, plus a special 2,000,000 mile badge that was awarded to Irv Gordon when he achieved that lofty level in 2002.
Color variation in the 100,000 mile badges
 Badge montage by Jan Nystrom, Irv Gordon photo by unknown, Two million mile badge photo by Corvair Owner (flickr username). To see the original High Mileage Club article: Irv Gordon Hits Four Million Kilometers, see the March/April 2007 Issue of Rolling Magazine, Vol. 25, No. 2, pages 10-11. To watch a video of Irv Gordon's One Million and Two Million Mile Milestones, click here: Direct video link (72MB, 4 minutes, .mpg format): http://volvo1800pictures.com/video/3_videos/Irv_Gordon.mpg If that link doesn't work, here is a link to the original on the Swedish P1800 web site: http://www.volvop1800club.se/video/video_arkiv.htm
To read more about Vic Dres and his Volvo, see the November/December 2005 Issue of Rolling Magazine, Vol.23, No. 6, pages 26-27. This series of badges was awarded through Volvo’s Customer Care telephone hotline, though some dealers took owners’ information.   Third Series High Mileage Club Application Form Front (Top) and Back (Bottom). Photos by George Levy.
Click images to see a larger image in a new tab or window. The badge came in a folding envelope that extolled the virtues of your achievement.   Badges for 600,000 miles and above required the car owner to provide proof of mileage, but awards through 500,000 miles were available for the asking. This has created a large supply of badges in a secondary market, and, despite being discontinued since the end of 2006, they are still readily available for a price. Fourth Series of Volvo High Mileage BadgesThe third series was discontinued in December 2006, most likely due to their cost to Volvo, and replaced by a window decal and a certificate, both denoting the mileage level of the award.  Current High Mileage Club 100,000 mile Decal
High Mileage Club Award Folder: Front (Left), Inside Letter and Decal (Right top), Inside Personalized Certificate (Right bottom).
Click images to see a larger image in a new tab or window. For the first time in decades, Volvo no longer issued high mileage badges, the display of which had become part of acknowledging the pleasure of driving so many miles. However, as Volvo was discontinuing their badge program, other luxury carmakers besides Daimler-Benz had now instituted them. And Daimler's program now included a certificate of manufacture, complete with a wooden presentation case, for their high mileage club members. Perhaps not wanting to be left out of the high mileage club arena, Volvo unveiled a new series of high mileage badges in the summer of 2008. Unlike the previous series of badges, all badges in this group are identical, but for the mileage.  Current Collectible High Mileage Metal Badge.
Similarity of badge appearance, however, was not the only characteristic distinguishing this series of badges from all the previous ones. For the first time, badges now have to be purchased, and are currently available only on Volvo’s website, where they are offered as a “collector’s item.” And, whereas previous series required submission of a Volvo VIN (often, though not always, by a dealer), these badges are offered to the general public, without proof of Volvo ownership or car mileage. Decals and certificates are still available, either through Volvo’s website or the Customer Care hotline, for free. And, as with the former badge series, proof of mileage is required for any certificate award above 500,000 miles.
Fourth Series High Mileage Club Decal Brochure: Front (Left), Back (Right). Photos by George Levy.
Click images to see a larger image in a new tab or window. Other Volvo High Mileage Awards
No section about Volvo high mileage awards would be complete without mention of badges awarded by the Volvo Owners Club of the United Kingdom. The VOC, in conjunction with Volvo U.K., maintains two high mileage Volvo rosters. Entry to each is available to anyone throughout the world.
One list is “unofficial” and anyone can enter a Volvo on that list, without proof of mileage. The second list is their “official” roster, and all entrants must provide proof of car mileage – for example, an odometer photograph, or a scan of a recent maintenance or annual inspection invoice. Upon acceptance onto this “official” list, one can then purchase a high mileage badge directly from the Volvo Owners Club. One does not have to be a member of the VOC, nor be in the United Kingdom, to purchase a badge. Unlike awards from Volvo, these are currently available at only three mileage levels – 150,000 (bronze), 300,000 (silver) and 500,000 (gold). The Olympic color theme was most likely the result of these badges being introduced in January 2006, just before that year’s Winter Games. 
  Current Badge Levels from the Volvo Owner's Club UK.
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Volvo High Mileage Club & Badge History |
