I suppose having the “fastest Volvo in Thailand” is an important feat but if you’re pulling mid-8 second quarter-mile runs I imagine it would place you as one of the fastest Volvos in the world.

Karnkluay is a highly modified 244 built with the Volvo Club of Thailand. The name “Karnkluay” seems to come from the animated baby elephant “Kharn Kluay”, who wanders away from his mother to become a war elephant for his king. Nice.

What amazes me about this video isn’t the eerie sound coming from the engine bay (is that a turbo spooling?) or the odd headlight covers. No, what’s most disturbing is the crowd of onlookers closely packed around this screaming ride that’s about to pull an 10 second quarter mile run. How old is that kid at :40? Two? Yikes.

Here’s a compilation of Karnkluay’s mid-8 second runs. Note the crew putting all their weight on the rear deck to help with the burnouts. Their clothes must have been coated with rubber after these 3 runs: