|
By accessing/using The Crittenden Automotive Library/CarsAndRacingStuff.com, you signify your agreement with the Terms of Use on our Legal Information page. Our Privacy Policy is also available there. |
Volvo Breaks Its Record for Fastest Truck on Earth
|
|---|
|
|
Volvo Breaks Its Record for Fastest Truck on Earth
George Putic, VOA News
25 August 2016 (7:15PM)
Volvo's Iron Knight set the new unofficial world record for trucks, covering the distance of 1 kilometer (or 0.621 mile) in 21.290 seconds and reaching a top speed of 276 kph, or 171 mph.
The international motor sport association FIA is expected to make it official.
The previous record of 21.596 seconds was set in 2012 by Volvo's Mean Green truck.
Similar to production-based automobiles used in stock car races, the super-truck's powertrain and transmission are based on the standard engine, gearbox and clutch used in Volvo's FH line of long-haul trailer trucks.
They just had to be modified to handle the enormous forces.
Iron Knight's chassis is handmade, but its 13-liter 2400-horsepower diesel engine and the I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission develop 6,000 Newton-meters of torque, about 17 times more than the 350-horsepower Ford Focus engine. The clutch plates had to be made of special material.
"The Iron Knight is basically a truck where we said to our designers, ‘Think out of the box.' And that's exactly what they did," said Nigel Atterbury, senior designer for Volvo Trucks.
Topics: Volvo Iron Knight