Just imagine an 8-ton Volvo FH truck was driven side by side against one of the world’s fastest cars – a Koenigsegg One:1 on a race track in Volvo’s new YouTube film. The aim of the comparison is to promote Volvo’s new I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox, a technology previously used in sports cars but new to trucks.
The Koenigsegg One:1 has as much horsepower as weight kilos (1,360), making it the world’s first hypercar. In order to stand a fair chance, the Koenigsegg received a handicap which means that it drove two laps of the Knutstorp race track in southern Sweden, whereas the Volvo FH tractor unit only drove one lap. Despite this, the conclusion is still unpredictable.
“When Volvo Trucks challenged us to a race, it was impossible to turn down,” says Christian von Koenigsegg, CEO and founder of Koenigsegg “We are always open for the unexpected and what could be more unexpected than for a Megacar to go up against a heavy truck on a race circuit?”
“Our Koenigsegg One:1 is an extremely fast car and we felt pretty sure that we would win despite our handicap. But you can never be entirely sure, which made it all the more exciting. In the end, it was a fun collaboration, because both are Swedish vehicle brands and both are industry leaders in their own niche. It was of course exciting to compete against each other,” says Christian von Koenigsegg.
Behind the steering wheel of the Volvo FH was the experienced motor racing personality Tiff Needell. Without revealing the results, Tiff – who had never raced in a truck before – admits that he was impressed by the performance of the vehicle. Behind the wheel of the One:1 is Koenigsegg’s own test driver Robert Serwanski.
Volvo Trucks’ new dual-clutch gearbox was launched in Europe last June and is available on Volvo FH with Euro-6 D13 engines at 460hp, 500hp and 540hp ratings.
