Paris, France – Big diesel SUVs are renowned as the world’s best tow vehicles, but this video takes the concept to a whole new level, as a Porsche Cayenne S Diesel pulls the world’s largest passenger aircraft.
The completely standard Cayenne (twin-turbo 4.1-litre V8, 283kW, 850Nm, to save you looking it up) pulled the 73 metre long, 285 ton Airbus A380 over a distance of 42 metres at Charles de Gaulle airport to set a new Guinness world record for 'Heaviest aircraft pull by a production car'.
That beats the previous mark of 170 tons, set by a Nissan Patrol pulling a cargo plane in 2013, by a massive 115 tons – and the only special part they used was a modified Air France tractor bar that fitted onto the Cayenne’s standard-issue towbar.
“I could tell that it was working hard but the Cayenne didn’t complain and just got on with it,” said a relieved Payne. “My mirrors were quite full of Airbus, which was interesting.
“We drove the car here from London – and now I plan to drive it home again.”
But before they left, Payne repeated the tow, unofficially, using a petrol-powered 4.8-litre biturbo V8 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, rated at 419 kW and 800Nm.