Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/403645
L39 Titan – The Turbo Pioneer TR U C K T E C H N O LO GY 1954 – this year's main Volvo news was discreet, initially presented with just a small sign on the grill of the Volvo L39 Titan. However, this new feature eventually left a ground-breaking impression on automotive history – the turbocharger. Production of the Volvo L395 Titan began in 1951. It was actually an updated Volvo L29C, with an improved driver's area and a more effective engine. In 1954, however, a team working on a pioneering project at Volvo succeeded in installing a fairly small turbocharged engine under the hood of the truck, making the Volvo L395 Titan the world's first series-manufactured truck with a turbocharged engine. The result was astounding. The new turbocharging system produced an increase in engine output of no less than 35 hp (from 150 hp to 185). The turbo concept was nothing new, however. It had already been used in ships, locomotives, and aircraft engines. However, until the 1950s, no compact units were available that could fit under the truck's hood. Production of the Volvo Titan continued until 1973 (for the last few years under the name Volvo N88), and it was equipped with a number of new features which are still being used in modern trucks: compressed-air-powered braking systems, power-assisted steering and the Volvo safety cab. Since the 1980s, every truck has had turbocharging, and today's truck industry owes a great deal to the pioneering Volvo L395 Titan. D R I V E R ' S D I G ES T #2 /2014 39 D R I V E R ' S D I G ES T #3/2014 3 5