The Cayenne is a capable platform for many different pursuits. Depending on the model in question, and your appetite for adventure, the Cayenne performs well off-road and on the track. What’s even more surprising to some is the Cayenne’s ability to haul or tow. Even the “lowly” V-6 model has a tow rating of 7700 lbs. That’s more than sufficient for most small boats, race trailer and most small to medium size RVs. In fact, we routinely use our Cayenne to tow everything from Jet-Ski’s to our 26′ bow-rider. We have, however, always stayed within Porsche’s recommended tow limit ratings. Not so for the Cayenne in this story.
What you’re looking at is a 2017 Cayenne S Diesel. This completely standard production model produces 385bhp and 627lb ft lbs of torque. Like other Cayennes, Porsche has set its maximum tow capacity at 7700 lbs.
Unlike other Cayennes, and with the help of a special towing attachment that sat on the Cayenne’s standard tow bar, this Porsche SUV set a Guinness World Record* by towing a 285 ton Airbus A380 42-meters at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. This broke the previous record by a margin of 115 tons.
The contrast between the two machines is striking. The Porsche Cayenne measures just under 16′ in length while the Airbus extends nearly 240 feet.
Porsche GB technician Richard Payne, the driver of the Cayenne during the world record attempt, had this to say about Porsche’s accomplishment,
“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.”
Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, the exercise was successfully repeated, immediately after, using a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
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.”
*Note: In accordance with the rules applied by Guinness World Records, the test was overseen by independent engineers from UTAC CERAM. After the record was set, performance testing and scrutiny of every major component and electronic system on the vehicle was carried out in order to provide certification that the car was to production standard.