VIDEO: Volvo’s The Iron Knight is a 2,400 hp truck

Meet The Iron Knight, Volvo Truck’s main protagonist in its attempt to break several world FIA truck speed records – the standing-start 500-metre and 1000-metre sprint. To accomplish this, the truck is powered by a 12.8 litre six-cylinder D13 engine, which develops 2,400 hp and 6,000 Nm of torque.

The mill, which is usually found on Volvo FH series trucks, produces a maximum of 540 hp, but for The Iron Knight, has been heavily modified with a water-cooled intercooler and four turbochargers to churn out the mind-boggling power figures.

According to Volvo, the truck’s electric and electronic systems have been scaled down to save weight, and the software has been re-programmed so that the engine can transmit all that power to the rear wheels via the reinforced dual-clutch i-Shift gearbox.

The modified engine is paired with a race-spec chassis, and the cab body is made entirely of fiberglass to look as close as possible to the FH, with aerodynamic optimisation and larger air intakes to feed the heavily-tuned engine.

Volvo’s previous efforts at setting records include the The Wild Viking, a 1,600 hp truck that broke the official FIA record for the 1,000 metre distance from standstill with an average speed of 158.8 km/h in 2007. The next record-breaker was the hybrid Mean Green (1,800 hp diesel engine plus 300 hp electric motor), which in 2011, set two new world records in the hybrid category – 1,000 metres at an average speed of 152.2 km/h and 500 metres at an average of 115.4 km/h.

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

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