Granted, it has explosive, asphalt-shredding power and torque. Other than that, Krommenhoek’s 2022 Scania 770 ST tractor is quite harmless. The letter T in its model designation stands for Torpedo, but that’s just Dutch jargon for a conventional truck or tractor.
Scania stopped making factory conventionals in October 2005. Since then, the Vlastuin company has filled the utterly tiny niche in the Euro-trucking market by converting factory cabovers into conventionals. That applies to both the previous and the current generation of heavy V8 Scanias.
Oddly enough, the Swedes called their then new series the Next Generation, back in 2016. So what’s next? Probably the Succeeding Next Generation.
Sublime fit and finish, that’s another Vlastuin specialty. Noteworthy is that the 6×4 tractor has a disengageable and liftable rearmost drive axle. There’s your perfect combination of a 6×2 chassis with a liftable tag axle and a traditional 6×4 drivetrain.
A savage creature resides underneath the cab hood of the 770 ST. Some numbers of the beast: a 16.4 liter V8, 770 DIN-hp @ 1,800 rpm, 3,700 Nm~2,729 lb-ft @ 1,000-1,450 rpm. No need to look any further; currently, this is the end brute of all on-highway turbodiesels, worldwide.
For comparison purposes, here’s a Scania R540 8×2*6 cabover truck. Same owner, same livery. The starting point for the conversion is a LWB chassis-cab(over). The cab itself is moved backwards, whereas the entire factory cab understructure stays intact.
The other torpedo on display at the August 2022 show was this magnificent tanker semi, owned by the Wiersma Groep/Group. The draft horse is a 2022 Scania 660 ST with a 6×2*4 drivetrain (FYI: a 6×2/4 has a steering and liftable pusher axle, whereas a 6×2*4 is equipped with a steering and liftable tag axle).
The young Swede is coupled to a substantially older German, the 2008 tanker semi-trailer was built by Hendricks Fahrzeugwerke GmbH.
There are four separate tank compartments with a total capacity of 45,000 liters (11,888 US gallons). A full load of renewable diesel would weigh 34 to 36 metric tons (75,000 to 80,000 lbs), given its specific weight of 0.76 to 0.80 kg per liter, so I’ve learned.
Wiersma’s big rig at work. Rolling down the road, unloading, and some background info to boot (video by BIGtruck online magazine, English subtitles). A perfect civilian torpedo run.
Scania is Swedish, admittedly now part of the VW empire.
T, I was always led to believe stood for Traditional.
Why it should be “Torpedo” from the Dutch language, when their is no Dutch content in a Scania is bizarre ?
Because Vlastuin, the company that does the conversions, is Dutch. Furthermore, there’s a major Scania plant in Zwolle, also NL.
Wow, ugly and impractical, way to go.
Calm down Simon, they haven’t even build 50 of them, so far. And it’s not longer than a factory LWB tractor/truck chassis-cab.
https://www.vlastuin-truckopbouw.nl/scania-torpedo/scania-torpedo-next-gen/nggallery/page/1
LOL. In that video, what’s up with those 1980’s style shorts?
Sustainability!
Very cool! Thank you Johannes. The flat windscreens may not be the most elegant or aerodynamic. But replacement costs, are likely much lower.
What is the rationale for such an expensive conversion, when virtually everyone else is running cab-overs? Without lengthening the wheelbase, the ride quality improvement is probably not enough to justify the cost, etc. What factors am I overlooking?
Ride quality improvements you obviously havent driven a Scania truck, youd be hard pressed to find anything other than a Volvo cabover with a nicer ride and that includes crude devices like Lincolns and Cadillacs, Scanias on even our potholed goat tracks are smooth and silent to drive.
What I wrote, these are built to fill an utterly tiny niche in the market. Driving a flagship, something that really stands out. Or a 150th anniversary present, paid from your own pocket (the article’s tanker).
There’s no rationality involved. But that applies to so many things: like Rolls Royce, Ferrari, a huge mansion, stepping in a plane for holidaying. The list is sheer endless.
Agreed with Bryce, the ride quality (or a roomier cab) isn’t an issue in this specific case.
Great post…amazing job by Vlastuin…
These are by far the coolest Torquepedos I’ve ever seen. Precision fit and finish on steroids. The Krommenhoek’s dynamic rake in the first image is very pleasing to my eyes. Even more interesting are those partially enclosed exhaust stacks. One cold warm-up or even cook a meal in them. A unique design I’ve never seen before. Fuel tankers aside what does one haul requiring its gigantic 2+ liter per cylinder V8 with 2,729 ft lbs of torque? Uber for Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox?
Yes, Paul and Babe, for example. And other big and heavy things. Note that the gross weight limits in Sweden and Finland are (literally) north of 160,000 lbs. That’s more than twice the weight of a typical US semi (“18-wheeler”), to put things into perspective.
Then Australian roadtrains and heavy-/special haulage in general, that’s way over 200,000 lbs gross weight.
Or you just want plenty of power and torque on tap, regardless weight or the total absence of serious hills and mountains.
Really hope the Scania V-8 finds its way under the hood of the International HX in North America. Now that Navistar is part of the Traton Group, maybe it will happen.
Scania V8 = Scania only, what I’ve read.
Nice tanker unit, I cart edible oil 31 metric tonnes per load 10.5 on the truck currently a 8×4 Sterling 575jhp detroit 60 18 speed recently a Freightliner Century with 550 Cummins both conventionals towing an 8 wheel drawbar trailer with 20.5 tonnes aboard not sure of the litres and depending on whether its hot oil or cold dictates how much can go in I have to follow specific routes as the gross is more than 46.5 tonnes the normal maximum for 8 axles, We do have a few quad and tri axle semi trailers and 5 and 6 axle B trains but the company is running out of tractor units, parts are hard to get thanks to supply chain issues, one O/D has a new Scania tractor coming soon but he ordered it 18 months ago its currently on a ship heading this way, a cabover though these gumboot models are very rare here nobody wants them.
I wonder what kind of transmissions do these modern Scania trucks have? Sorry if I missed it.
Scania builds their own transmissions, both manuals and automated manuals (the latter known/marketed as Opticruise). The 770 hp engine only comes with a 12-speed Opticruise (Scania’s GRS0926R transmission)
Thanks Johannes for sharing the Godzilla of all 18 wheeler engines. I will also be sharing your post with my stepdad who is a retired hydraulic engineer from Eaton Hydraulics. As a former import buyer of a national grocery chain I can’t tell you how many times we weighted out before we cubed out containers. If the US had higher limits like Sweden and Finland life would have been so much easier. The job had its perks but I don’t miss it due to the high stress.
Thanks. Speaking of Eaton, Eaton-Fuller transmissions were once highly common in Europe too. The only truck makers that built -and still build- their own transmissions were and are Volvo, Scania and Mercedes-Benz. All other main manufacturers opted for Eaton-Fuller, certainly in the heavy-duty models. Dad drove a DAF with a 13-speed Fuller in the seventies, just an example.
Now it’s all ZF for the non-transmission-makers, currently especially the TraXon automated manuals.
It’s quite a leap from 80,000 to 160,000 lbs, but increasing the gross weight limit to 90,000 lbs (on 5 axles, just like now) would result in a bit less stress, I guess.