► Volvo ‘Iron Knight’ claims two records
► Top speed records for 500m and 1000m sprints
► 13-litre diesel puts out 2367bhp and 4425lb ft
Volvo has laid claim to two world speed records with its 2367bhp ‘Iron Knight’ truck. The custom-built racer has – pending final FIA verification – set new world truck speed records for the 0-500m and 0-1000m sprints.
It dispatched the 0-500m run in 13.71sec, achieving an average of 82mph in the process. The 1000m run took 21.29sec, during which the 4.5-tonne truck clocked an average of 105mph. Both recorded top speeds surpassed Volvo’s previous record-breaking ‘Mean Green’ by 10mph.
More remarkably, during the runs, the Volvo – the engine of which pounds out 4425lb ft – hit a top speed of 172mph. Not one to be confined to the inside lane, then.
Olof Johansson, a Volvo trucks technician, said: ‘Specialists from several different Volvo Trucks departments worked closely together to develop a truck with unsurpassed performance. Apart from Volvo Trucks’ powertrain, which is the heart and soul of The Iron Knight, we’ve hand-built the truck from the ground up.’
Volvos ‘Iron Knight’ specifications
Engine 13-litre quad-turbo straight-six diesel
Transmission 12-speed I-Shift dual-clutch gearbox, RWD
Output 2367bhp, 4425lb ft
Kerb weight 4500kg
Top speed (during run) 172mph
Read CAR magazine’s Volvo reviews