The Highest-Mileage Sports Car In The World In 2024

Summary

• The 1964 Porsche 356C has reached over a million miles, a true testament to its longevity and the dedication of its owner.
• Regular maintenance is key to keeping high-mileage vehicles on the road for decades, as seen with the Porsche 356C example.
• While sports cars may not be the most common million-mile vehicles, proper care and attention could lead to surprising long-term success.

To upkeep a car for a million-plus miles is no easy task, it takes time, dedication, a love for the car, and persistence. Even harder so for sports cars, which are renowned for their fickleness compared to cars from other segments. But, there have been a number of extreme examples that have outlived expectations and racked up some serious mileage. You would rightly expect pickups and SUVs to be more hardy and there have even been examples of legendary trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado surpassing a whopping, verified one-million miles!

You may be surprised to hear though that the highest verified mileage sports car that exists today is a 1964 Porsche 356C, which has had a total of three owners, but one owner for over 50 years, that is used as a daily-drive. We have brought you the following information about this legendary Porsche sports car and its only owner that we think you will find, if not interesting, inspiring. We have also found information on other high-mileage vehicles that have defied all odds and survived for a huge amount of time, how to upkeep vehicles for a long time, and discuss if there are any potential contenders for future million-mile vehicles.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Classic.com, Consumer Reports.org, Hagerty, Car Survey.org, and NHTSA.

A Million-Mile 1964 Porsche 356C

The story of this legendary million-mile 1964 Porsche 356C starts in Stuttgart, Germany, where this particular Porsche 356 was originally purchased and then brought to the U.S.A. after a couple of months. It was then gifted to Guy Newmark in 1968 as a college graduation present from his father, to which he said in a video posted by Porsche on their YouTube channel when the odometer reached a staggering million miles seven years ago; what a graduation present to get!

Purchased for less than $5,000 with less than 1,000 miles on the clock from the original owner, the Porsche 356, named Blu, has now been in Guy’s family for over 50 years and stands as a testament to his careful maintenance and Porsche’s incredible reliability, appeal, and longevity record. This is further backed up by the fact that 70 percent of Porsches ever built are still on the road!

1964 Porsche 356C Specifications

(Data gathered from Porsche, Classic.com)

Common Problems For The 1964 Porsche 356C

Though Porsche has a fantastic record, there are undoubtedly some things that go wrong with some of their models, especially older ones. According to Car Survey.org, previous owners of the 356 found that rust in the fuel tank, carburetors sticking, and undercarriage rust were the real problems that they faced when owning them. Some owners gave the 356 a reliability rating of zero out of ten and, some gave it ten out of ten, so it really does depend on the example you own!

It is a classic sports car after all, so you wouldn’t expect the reliability rating compared to some of the most reliable modern cars, but with a lot of dedication, these old sportsters can outlast some of the most reliable cars ever made. With a classic sports car, if you can keep it on the road long enough, you do get a lifetime of unique driving experience that is hard to match with modern cars, and, as this legendary Porsche’s owner put it; it is a gas to drive!

Long Life Secrets From The Owner

It isn’t just luck that the legendary million-plus mile 1964 Porsche 356C has stayed on the roads for the last 61 years, and it hasn’t stayed tucked away in a garage either. According to its loving owner, Guy Newmark, it is the fact that he has been using the 356 as a daily driver for so long, that he treats it like a daily driver and makes sure that maintenance is up-kept.

Regular Maintenance Is Key

A reported every 3,000 miles, Guy Newmark had the iconic Porsche in the shop to ensure that regular maintenance was done on it to ensure that it was still fit for the roads. According to Bridgestone Tires, oil changes and regular maintenance should be carried out every three months or every 3,000 miles, but most modern cars will recommend longer intervals from 5,000 miles upwards. It is always best to check your owner’s manual.

Everyday Fun In A Daily Driver

Guy Newmark has nothing but praise for the manufacturer Porsche and claims that he also owns another one of their classic models, a Porsche 1962 356B, but Blu will remain a firm favorite as a daily driver for him, saying, ‘when I think about the future with Blu, I can only recall the past, mainly because everything is going to remain the same’.

Guy has nothing but praise for how the legendary Porsche still handles and pulls, noting that it drives as well as it did the day it came out of the factory and when driving through a corner, it feels as if you are on a rail. It is quite clear that Blu, really is more than a daily driver, but a part of Guy and his everyday enjoyment.

Other Million-Mile Vehicles

Alongside Guy’s 1964 Porsche 356, there have been a notable few cars and trucks that have ticked the odometer over a million miles. But, there have still been no sports cars that have achieved the incredible feat in the same way as Guy’s beloved Blu.

Million-Mile Cars

There is a relatively short list of cars that have achieved over a million miles on the road. The highest verified mileage of any non-commercial car ever recorded is that of a 1966 Volvo P1800S which has an absolutely staggering 3,250,257 miles on the clock, all with original parts. The owner, Irv Gordon, drove the beautiful little tourer between 1966 and 2018, entering the Guinness World Record book back in 1998 with 1.7 million miles on the clock. Still, his P1800S and Irv hold the esteemed longevity record.

The secret to its success; following the maintenance schedule, changing the oil every 3,500 miles and the transmission fluid every 25,000 miles.

Million-Mile Trucks

Pickup trucks and SUVs are mostly renowned for their hardiness, especially when compared with sports cars, but that still doesn’t take away the immense feat it takes to get one to the million-mile mark. A 2008 Toyota Tacoma has one of the highest mileages reported for a pick-up with over 1.5 million miles on the clock.

There is a slight catch with this one though. It is not all original, like Guy Newmark’s Porsche 356C or Irv Gordon’s Volvo P1800S. It has had quite a series of repairs and replacements, such as a new engine at 880,000 miles and a new torque converter and transmission at 1.3 million miles. The cab and undercarriage are still reported to be in good condition though, and it still does stand as a testament to the hardiness of the Tacoma. Toyota suggests a modern Tacoma will last for 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year for 20 to 25 years, so an older model is extremely good.

Other Potential High-Mileage Champions

Million-mile vehicles are relatively hard to come by but, as mentioned, proper maintenance and care could result in a car or truck which defies the odds and just keeps going and going. There are examples of cars with proven reliability records, like a Toyota Prius with 500,000 miles on the clock and a Tesla S which has been driven over 1.1 million miles, but are we likely to see another sports car see such high mileage readings?

Will Modern Sports Cars Make It That Long?

According to Porsche, a 911’s engine will last for approximately 100,000 miles or for ten years, longer with regular maintenance. According to BMW, their models will likely last up to 250,000 miles with regular maintenance and care, but with figures like these, they are unlikely to ever become the record holder for the highest mileage car ever! But, people probably told Irv Gordon and Guy Newmark that their cars wouldn’t last that long as well, so we won’t know until the time comes.

Top Contenders For A Long Life

With brands like Lexus, Mini, and Toyota holding the top three spots of the most reliable car manufacturers, there is hope for some sports car manufacturers. With Lexus producing the incredible 2024 Lexus LC, we could potentially see a long life ahead for them thanks to its sporty appeal and reliability credentials. Again, it is all going to be down to how they will be driven, maintained, and cared for.

Sense would suggest that the longest-living vehicles in the modern world will now be trucks or SUVs due to their ruggedness and hardy design. Though they may not be viewed as hardy as some of their predecessors, there are still some examples of million-mile SUVs that are continuing to contend. News came ten years ago that Tesla would like their powertrain to be able to last a million miles. Though we have only seen one verified example of this, we may even get to see some more examples of high-mileage electric cars in the future as well.