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Volvo's Iron Knight is a 2,400-hp truck built for shattering speed records

It's broken multiple world records, yet its transmission is the same one used in Volvo's regular truck lineup. Not too shabby!

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
2 min read
Volvo
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Volvo Iron Knight
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Volvo Iron Knight

Before you ask, no, you can't swap this engine into your mom's old XC90.

Volvo

Trucks aren't often built for outright speed. But the Iron Knight is not your typical truck. It was built for just one purpose -- breaking speed records. And, what do you know, Volvo's got some new world records to its name. Then again, what do you expect when you shove 2,400 horsepower under the hood?

Nearly every piece on the Iron Knight is a one-off affair, built just for this application. The only parts that aren't entirely bespoke are the engine and the dual-clutch transmission, the latter of which is the same unit used in Volvo's normal truck lineup. The engine, mounted midship, packs four turbochargers and puts out 2,400 hp and an unbelievable 4,425 pound-feet of torque.

As you might expect, the Iron Knight can hustle. Volvo today reveals it broke two world records in June at an airfield in Sweden -- it claimed top honors in a standing-start, 500-meter (0.31-mile) run with a time of 13.71 seconds, and it broke the 1,000-meter (0.62-mile) record with a time of 21.29 seconds. During these runs, a top speed of 171.5 mph was recorded, which must feel absolutely insane, sitting several feet off the ground in a 4.5-metric-tonne truck.

Volvo's got a history of breaking these records, so it knows what to do and who to employ. The driver for these record-breaking runs was Boije Ovebrink, who's raced cars and trucks for three decades. Volvo's built two other record-breakers, as well -- the 1,600-hp Wild Viking and the 2,100-hp Mean Green hybrid. What I would give to get behind the wheel of one of these...

The Iron Knight is the coolest Volvo you'll never be able to buy

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