Trucks might have big engines, but they also have a lot of weight to haul. Add to that gearing that’s designed for economy, and what you have is a recipe for slowness. There are some trucks that duck that trend though, and there’s one from Volvo that’s seriously impressive – how does a truck that’s as fast as a Porsche 911 sound?
The Volvo Iron Knight
The Volvo Iron Knight is a seriously impressive bit of kit. It has a mid-mounted, modified Volvo D13 engine that produces a mind-bending 2,400 horsepower and 4,425 lb-ft of torque. To put that into perspective, the brand-new Bugatti Chiron has 1,180 lb-ft of torque, so the Iron Knight has 885 lb-ft more torque than three Chiron’s combined.
To make the 13.0-litre D13 engine run so much power, it has four turbochargers, an enormous cold air intake system and a water-cooled intercooler.
To manage that colossal power and torque, the Iron Knight has an uprated Volvo I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission and an advanced traction control system. The dual-clutch transmission drives power to the rear wheels, and the cab is made from reinforced fibreglass to keep weight down. It’s aerodynamically efficient with ducts that allow air to pass by without any hindrance, and there’s strut braces from the cab to the rear shell for stability.
So, how fast is the Volvo Iron Knight?
The Volvo Iron Knight is ridiculously fast. In FIA tests, it accelerated from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, and it cleared 1000 metres (1 kilometre) in 21.29 seconds. Impressively, it cleared the 500-metre mark in 13.71 seconds with a gate speed of 105mph. Those acceleration runs set a new FIA record, with truck racing champion Boije Ovebrink at the wheel.
Speaking about the Volvo Iron Knight after his successful test runs, driver Boije Ovebrink declared: “The Iron Knight can be summarized in one single word: perfection. It’s beautiful to look at and is an unparalleled powerhouse when you floor the accelerator.”
To put the Iron Knight’s acceleration statistics into perspective, a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds is faster than a Volkswagen Golf R DSG (4.9 seconds) which has the advantage of a Haldex 4WD system, and it is the same as a manual Porsche 911 Carrera S. With 4,425 lb-ft of torque, the driving experience is unique too, with a true sensation of being pushed into your seat by an invisible, magical force. Not bad for a truck, huh?
You won’t be getting embarrassed by one of these at the lights, though. The Volvo Iron Knight was produced to showcase Volvo’s latest technologies. It’s a one-off, but what a one-off it is. To see it in action against a Volvo S60 Polestar on the track, click here.
