Porsche Cayenne Specs, News: Luxury Crossover Pulls Airbus A380, Earns Guinness World Record
The Porsche Cayenne has made headlines after it showed its towing prowess by pulling one of the heaviest aircraft in the world, and, in doing so, it became a world-record holder.
During a recent promotional event at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, the German automaker's midsize luxury crossover was put to the test when it attempted to tow a 285- ton or 628,000-pound Air France Airbus A380 over a distance of 42 meters.
Upon accomplishing the feat, the Porsche Cayenne earned the Guinness World Record title for "heaviest aircraft pulled by a production car." The previous title holder was the Nissan Patrol, which pulled a 170-ton cargo airplane in 2013. The Porsche Cayenne not only broke the record but it did so by a wide margin of 115 tons.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The stunt first utilized the standard Porsche Cayenne S Diesel, which is powered by a 4.1-liter twin turbocharged V8 engine that delivers 375 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. The vehicle was not modified in any way, and it used a standard tow bar to pull the 73-meter long aircraft. To prove that the accomplishment was not a one-off event, the feat was then repeated using the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
The luxury crossover was driven by Porsche GB technician Richard Payne, who spoke a bit about his record-breaking experience. He said he felt that the Cayenne was working hard, pushing itself to its limit, but in the end, the vehicle "didn't complain and just got on with it."
"Our cars can go a bit beyond what our consumers might expect — they're designed to be tough. But even so, what the Cayenne did today was remarkable — we drove the car here from London — and I plan to drive it home again, having towed an A380 in between," Payne added.
Though consumers won't be able to repeat this stunt for themselves, they can experience everything else the luxury crossover has to offer. The 2017 Porsche Cayenne is currently available to purchase with a starting price of $60,600.
