VOLVO IRON KNIGHT TRUCK

Usually when people think of Volvo, images of family-friendly station wagons are conjured in their minds. And those are exactly the kinds of values that Volvo has built their reputation upon: family, safety, and little else. So when we tell you that this colossus of theirs, The Iron Knight, has broken two world speed records – we hope that your jaws drop the way that ours did.

Outfitted with a beastly quad-turbocharged 13-liter diesel engine, the mid-mounted power plant pumps out 2,400 ponies along with a whopping 4,425 lb-ft of torque. This setup helps the 10,000 pound truck sprint to 62 mph from a complete standstill in just 4.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 171.5 mph. The truck set two new land speed records, including the 500 meter (reached in just 13.71 seconds with an average speed of 81.6 mph) and the 1,000 meter (reached in 21.29 seconds with an average speed of 109 mph) – both from a standing start. What’s even more impressive, however, is that this truck was custom made aside from two major features: the engine and the I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission, which are both built and tuned to factory standards. That means the engine and gear box under the hood of this monster are available to the general public. Sure, you’re not likely to get your hands on the Iron Knight itself, but the fact that Volvo built this vehicle to showcase some widely available tech makes it all the more impressive. See this thing in action in the video below.