car mileages - whats average engine lifespan capability

TV commentators for car races in the USA describe a tight string of race cars as being "nose to tail". I would assume that in the UK they should say the sting is "boot to bonnet".

Regarding the thread, I never saw a Volvo that had engine failure. I had a timing belt fail on a 240 and replaced a couple fuel pumps over the years, but after putting 1,260,000 miles on 10 Volvos in 38 years I have never had an engine fail.

I've seen a few redblock Volvo motors with holes knocked in the block due to a broken con rod, to their credit though one had probably been run out of oil, the other two were turbo motors where the wastegate hose had rotted out. These are easily the most robust engines I've ever dealt with.