A Porsche Cayenne S Diesel, piloted by Porsche technician Richard Payne, towed an Air France Airbus A380 weighing 285-tonnes over a distance of 42-metres at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, setting a new Guinness World Record title for Heaviest aircraft pull by a production car – beating the previous mark by 115-tonnes, set by a Nissan Patrol when it towed a 170-ton cargo plane.
The Porsche Cayenne, measuring 4.855 metre in length, was latched to the most sophisticated and largest passenger aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380, 73-metres long, via a special towing equipment that sat on the Cayenne’s standard tow bar. The Guinness World Records title was set by a Cayenne S Diesel, producing 385 hp and 850 Nm of torque (Fuel consumption combined 8.2 – 8.0 l/100 km; CO2-emissions 215 – 209 g/km). The exercise was then repeated using a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S which uses a 800 Nm petrol engine.
Richard Payne, a technician at Porsche: “It did it – I’m so relieved! We don’t usually go this far to test the limits of our cars but I think today we got pretty close. I could tell that it was working hard but the Cayenne didn’t complain and just got on with it. My mirrors were quite full of Airbus, which was interesting. Our cars can go a bit beyond what our customers 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. Credit should go to the team in Stuttgart who developed the car – they did a thorough job. I’m also very grateful to Air France and its engineers for their generosity in allowing me to tow their beautiful aircraft.” Sadly, it seems, they were not given free flights to and fro by Air France.
Pravin Patel, Adjudicator, Guinness World Records: “I’ve verified some amazing record attempts during my time as a Guinness World Records adjudicator – watching a Porsche Cayenne tow one of the largest aircraft in the world definitely ranks as among the most spectacular. My congratulations go out to all those involved in achieving this remarkable feat.” And is something he probably would say about just about every record in their books.
Now I have a few questions for Porsche and I am hoping they will give me an answer.
1. Who provided the fuel for the Porsche Cayennes S for this record-breaking stunt?
2. Did the Porsche Cayenne S Diesel or Porsche Cayenne Turbo S use aircraft grade fuel for the run?
3. Were the SUVs or A380 modified in any way?
4. Will these record-breaking SUVs be sold to the public at a premium or as totalled vehicles for going above and beyond the call of duty or will they be showcased in the Porsche Museum?
