VIDEO: The Touareg pulling the 747
Last week, we brought you the photos and details of the VW Touareg V10 TDI that successfully towed a Boeing 747. Today, thanks to reader Alex, who sent us a link to video of the stunt as captured on Fifth Gear, you can watch the whole thing unfold. As interesting as it was to read the description and view the still photos, it's a lot more fun seeing it all really happen.
In other news, towing your boat with the Touareg V10 TDI won't present any problems...
Thanks again to Alex for the tip!
[Source: YouTube]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mike 8:21PM (12/04/2006)
As previously discussed, this really isn't that impressive.
After all, HUMANS in strong-man competitions have done this before. Doh. Sorry to burst your bubble, VW.
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Hamud 8:27PM (12/04/2006)
No big deal. The guy is funny though, heeheheheh.
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bert 8:29PM (12/04/2006)
Like kinda off topic, anyone have any info on the 'strange' dual engine pod setup on the 747?
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Mike 8:33PM (12/04/2006)
#3 bert -
my guess was that configuration was to hold external fuel pods, but, that's just a guess.
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Adam 9:56PM (12/04/2006)
#3 and #4, the plane was modified for Casino Royale. It was done up with a different cockpit bubble (longer and more forward leaning than the real 747, but apparently not for the Touareg pull) and had its two inner engines replaced with dual engine clusters while the outers were replaced with fuel tanks to be the "new Sky Fleet plane." Both the dual engine clusters and the fuel tanks are fake.
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bert 8:47PM (12/04/2006)
Maybe it's time I go see Casino Royale...
http://www1.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/3111837/
http://www1.airliners.net/open.file/1070481/M/
Viva la Google!
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Mike 10:52AM (12/05/2006)
Hey not a bad guess on my part then!
Although I had no idea the entire plane was a fake and the replacement engines were models of some from WWII.
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Jonathan 6:27PM (6/07/2008)
okay, thats cool and all but I just cant believe how good the Touareg looks in that blue, its freaking gorgeous!
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chewy 10:01PM (12/04/2006)
Awesome video.
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Car videos & Motorcycle videos 10:01PM (12/04/2006)
That is amazing, I am sure the transmission in the VW was screaming for help. :)
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J P 1:57PM (12/07/2006)
Wait a minute- how many horsepower do those little 747-pulling airport truck things have?
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epp_b 11:07PM (12/04/2006)
Agh! No one gives a crap about metric power units! Give it to me in horsepower and and lb-ft, dang it!
["After all, HUMANS in strong-man competitions have done this before. Doh. Sorry to burst your bubble, VW."]
Yeah, how many did it take? A hundred of them? This is *ONE* vehicle. One *production* vehicle. Quite a feat, by any means.
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yeahright 11:00PM (12/04/2006)
I don't get it. Why is autoblog gushing about this stunt, and why did Fifth Gear fall for it? We've already established that a (strong) human can pull a 747 - which presumably means virtually any reasonably powerful car on the road could do it. The real stars of the show are the bearings in the 747s wheels.
Go back and watch the video again and you'll be struck by the degree to which the TV presenter is conning his audience.
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bert 11:48PM (12/04/2006)
lb-ft??? Try a unit a little more common like the ft-lb, please.
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ruggels 11:28PM (12/04/2006)
conning? uh they were just out to break the current world record held by a production car, not people, not 20 midgets, a production car. are the 20 midgets that pulled the plane conning anyone? how about the strong man? No? just breaking records there too? oh yeah. that’s what people do with world records in their given catagory, they break them. man what will it take to please you people, “yeah sure the Bugatti broke the world record for the fastest production car, but an SR-71 can hit 250+ as well? err right.
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ruggels 11:50PM (12/04/2006)
And the even bigger question, since everyone loves flaming VW, is did VW even suggest this stunt, or did fifth gear, it seems to me fifth gear did it as one of their normally crazy show segments and vw just did a press release on it, the same as the self driving GTi, etc.
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beanspants1 12:03AM (12/05/2006)
one human epp_b; it's not a feat.
one strong guy can pull a train, or a tractor trailer, a plane, and pile kegs on top of 5' tall stumps.
there was also a guy who towed a hummer 100' with the cords connected to his wang.
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ruggels 11:50PM (12/04/2006)
Also, I can't wait until VW tries this with the Q7 V12 TDi on an even heavier plane. Can't wait to read the comments that is.
"1000 NM of torque? is that all? psch, my 5 year could pull that full C17 globemaster! She does it every year at thanksgiving... why does VW even try to break these world records' for 'production cars' no one cares. psch, fastest car this, heaviest load that."
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Adam 12:25AM (12/05/2006)
Wow.. You guys are amazing! Just what would impress you? I realize that this is a marketing scheme by VW, but does that make it any less impressive that a small great looking SUV has such amazing towing capacity? Most SUV's I know can barley tow a 4k pound boat. Why is this any different than an EXTREMELY heavy boat?
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epp_b 12:53AM (12/05/2006)
["lb-ft??? Try a unit a little more common like the ft-lb, please."]
pound-feet, pounds-feet, foot-pounds; whatever...they're all used interchangeably by different people.
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