Knutstorp, Sweden - Volvo says its new I-Shift dual-clutch truck transmission is just like those used in high-performance sports cars.
So when challenged to put that statement to the test, Volvo media test director Jeff Bird agreed to stage a race between an eight-ton FH (and that's just the 'horse') against one of the world's fastest supercars - a Koenigsegg One:1, which gets its name from the fact that its power output in horsepower is the same as it weight in kilograms: 1360.
And he put TV presenter and former racing driver Tiff Needell - who had never driven a truck before - in the 398kW FH, on the Knutstorp circuit in southern Sweden, famous for its hilly terrain and demanding corners, which Needell had never seen before.
OK, it wasn't a straight race; Koenigsegg chief test driver Robert Serwanski, who has arguably the best job in the world at just 25 years of age, was told he would have to do two laps of the 2.079km circuit to Needell's one - and the 90km/h EU speed limiter on the Volvo was removed, allowing it to reach speeds of as much as 130km/h on the circuit's short start/finish straight.
PRACTICE LAPS
Bird even accompanied Needell on a few practice laps so the Fifth Gear presenter could get the feel of driving flat out while sitting more than three metres off the road.
"A tight, twisty circuit with lots of elevation changes may sound like a difficult environment for a heavy truck," Bird said, "but the I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission's seamless shifting is at its best in conditions that demand frequent gear-changes, such as heavy traffic - or a racetrack."
Needell was more impressed than he expected to be.
"The FH has the heart of a sports car," he said. "The dual-clutch transmission is particularly noticeable going uphill - the truck doesn't lose momentum, the power just flows smoothly without the gear-changes being felt.
"And when you brake, it shifts down very softly an comfortably."
We're not going to spoil the video for you by telling you who won the race, although we will say it was very close; see for yourself.