I found this while reading some VW news from the LiMBO news feeds.
"Volkswagen tows a Boeing"
"Yes, you read that right - a Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI has successfully towed a Boeing 747 along the runway at Dunsfold Aerodrome. Neither of the vehicles was exactly standard; the Boeing's engines had previously been replaced by dummy ones for the making of a movie, but its standard weight of 155 tonnes was restored through the use of water ballast
.
What do you have to do to a Touareg to make it pull that lot? Not all that much, as it turns out. The engine, suspension, wheels, tyres and basic body structure were all standard, though Volkswagen fitted the 4.56:1 final drive ratio from the V8 to replace the higher 3.27 gearing of the V10. Metal ballast brought the weight of the vehicle up to 7030kg, and Volkswagen also fitted new panels to make the car look like the facelifted Touareg which will go on sale next year.
Despite terrible weather conditions, test driver Uwe Krieghoff successfully towed the Boeing for around 150 metres at around 5mph before braking gently to a halt. He reported no problems, and in fact later admitted that "I was a bit disappointed we couldn't find something heavier to tow as it was a bit too easy! If anyone could lend us a heavier aircraft then please let us know."
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