Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website The World's Fastest Truck – Volvo Trucks – The Iron Knight
agosto 24, 2016 - Volvo Trucks

The World's Fastest Truck – Volvo Trucks – The Iron Knight

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Volvo Trucks’ The #ironknight is the world’s fastest #truck – twice over. It has beaten the speed record in the standing-start 500- and 1000-metre categories. The record-breaker is custom-built in every respect apart from the engine and the series-manufactured I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission. See the world record runs here (link)

Volvo Trucks' The #ironknight, driven by Boije Ovebrink, now holds the official speed records for the 500- and-1000 metre distances. During their work on the #truck, an expert team from #volvotrucks found innovative ways of uniting technology with design. 
"This shows that our I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission has enormous potential and that it does not let you down under extreme conditions. The fact that the world record-breaker uses the very same gearbox that is found in our series-built FH trucks is something that we're really proud of," says Claes Nilsson, President and CEO of #volvotrucks.

With an average speed of 169 km/h and a time of 21.29 seconds, The #ironknight beat the international speed record for 1000 metres from a standing start. It also beat the corresponding record for the 500-metre distance, at 131.29 km/h and 13.71 seconds. The record run was carried out at a closed-off test track in northern Sweden. At the time of publication, the records are being reviewed by the FIA, the international motor sport association.

"Specialists from several different #volvotrucks departments worked closely together to develop a #truck with unsurpassed performance. Apart from Volvo Trucks' powertrain, which is the heart and soul of The #ironknight, we've hand-built the #truck from the ground up. The fact that we succeeded in securing not just one record but two is absolutely amazing," says Olof Johansson, a technician at #volvotrucks.

Behind the wheel of The #ironknight was Boije Ovebrink, who has more than 30 years' experience of both car and #truck racing. He has previously beaten five speed records and in 1994 was European #truck Racing Champion. 
"Volvo Trucks' The #ironknight 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.

August 24, 2016

Link to high-resolution images (link)

See The #ironknight beat two world records (link) 

Behind the scenes of The Iron Knight's world record attempt (link) 

Learn more about I-Shift Dual Clutch (link)

Here's how the record runs were carried out
The runs were carried out at "Skellefteå Drive Center" a former airfield outside Skellefteå in northern Sweden. The speed record was monitored and approved by the international motor sport association, the FIA. The #truck covered the distance in both directions. Based on these two runs, the average time and speed were calculated. The record result that the FIA presents is the average speed of the two runs.

Volvo Trucks' previous record-breaking trucks 
- 2007: ‘The Wild Viking' (1600 hp) beat the world record for the standing-start 0-1000 m distance, with an average speed of 158.8 km/h.
- 2010: The record for the same distance was beaten by ‘NH D16' (1800 hp) which reached an average speed of 166.7 km/h.
- 2011: The hybrid #truck ‘Mean Green' (1800 hp diesel engine plus a 300 hp electric motor), set new records for 0-500 and 0-1000 metres from a standing start, at an average speed of 115.3 km/h and 152.2 km/h respectively.
- 2012: ‘Mean Green' took on the 1000 metre flying-start category and set a new record with an average speed of 236.6 km/h.

The #ironknight - a record-breaking truck 
- With 2400 hp, 6000 Nm of torque and weighing 4.5 tonnes, The #ironknight has a power-to-weight ratio above 0.5 hp/kg.
- The mid-mounted engine is a significantly modified D13 unit with water-cooled intercooler and four turbochargers.
- The I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission maintains torque delivery during gear changes. Apart from a reinforced clutch (the discs and pressure plates are made of a sintered material), The #ironknight uses the same gearbox that is fitted to series-manufactured Volvo FH trucks.
- Electronics kept to a minimum to lower the vehicle's weight.
- The software has been re-programmed to permit the high performance.
- The cab is aerodynamically optimised, made of fibreglass. The side-skirts have large air intakes to supply the engine with cooling air.
- During the record runs The #ironknight reached a top speed of 276 km/h.

News correlate

agosto 24, 2016

‘The Iron Knight’ di #volvotrucks che ha battuto due #record mondiali di velocità è equipaggiato con speciali #pneumatici Goodyea...