Volvo Trucks's Iron Knight Is Made for Breaking Records

Semi trucks aren't usually built for speed. They are built with the task of hauling heavy items over long distances. But someone at Volvo Trucks didn't get this memo.

What you see before you is the Iron Knight whose main purpose is break speed records.

This truck may look like a Volvo model you might see on European roads, but there are a lot of one-off parts to accomplish speed records. The body is made out of fiberglass and has been designed in such a way cut a lot of air resistance. Power comes from a midship-mounted diesel engine with four turbochargers and intercooler. Power figures stand at a mindboggling 2,400 horsepower and 4,425 pound-feet of torque. There is one part that the Iron Knight and production Volvo trucks share, a dual-clutch transmission.

Volvo Trucks has a history of building trucks that can break records. They include the 1,600 horsepower Wild Viking and 2,100 horsepower Mean Green hybrid.

The Iron Knight has already broken two records. Back in June, Volvo Trucks brought Iron Knight to an airfield in Sweden where it broke the standing-start, 500-meter (0.31-mile) run with a time of 13.71 seconds, and the 1,000-meter (0.62-mile) record with a time of 21.29 seconds.

"Volvo Trucks' The Iron Knight can be summarised in one single word: perfection. It's beautiful to look at and is an unparalleled powerhouse when you floor the accelerator. This is the third record-breaking truck I've driven, and I can't think of a better follow-up to Wild Viking and Mean Green," says Boije Ovebrink, the man who drove Iron Knight.

Pic Credit: Volvo Trucks