On this blog, we’ve been featuring all the wild and wonderful builds that result in vehicles that are a joy to own and drive. For this post, we feature a truck build that gives its owner as much satisfaction as any other owner of the cars we’ve featured here. This truck is not built in the mold of a Dakar truck which we’ve written about here, but imagine rolling up in this truck with any of the vehicles featured in this blog being towed behind it.
When you learn that this Volvo’s owner is a second-generation trucking magnate operating over 200 trucks in the European continent, you’ll understand why a Volvo FH16 truck was his natural choice for a project build. Calling the creation the Road Cruiser, the custom rig is an 8-axle truck and box trailer combination with custom paint and trim. Rolling along with a total length of 24 meters, this truck has won numerous awards at car shows.
But before you think that this truck has no place in a horsepower and forced induction blog, consider that a Volvo FH16 packs a 700 horsepower inline 6 displacing 16 liters. And a torque output of more than 2,300 pounds-foot. It also features Volvo’s TC (turbo compound) technology, which is not a twin turbo setup but rather uses the turbo’s exhaust to drive another turbine. Horsepower calculations estimate that this setup adds 10% to peak engine output. And despite being a diesel, this engine is fully compliant with Euro5 emissions standards. The engine also provides compression braking, has four valves per cylinder driven by a single overhead cam and 2-piece steel and aluminum pistons. Handling all that is a 12-speed semi-automatic transmission which operates like BMW’s SMG or Porsche’s PDK transmissions.
Inside the cab, the driver is in command of the latest safety features from Volvo, including rain-sensing wipers, cornering lights, radar controlled cruise control and a Driver Alert System (DAS), which monitors the driver’s responses and monitors the time spent behind the wheel. But to keep the driver awake, this custom rig has also been outfitted with an audio system that has USB auxiliary and MP3 inputs, as well as a swiveling passenger seat to better keep a driver company. So who says big rigs are boring things?
Source article is here.
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