We aren't sure how many of you remember the PR stunt that Volkswagen had pulled with the Touareg V10 TDI, the one where it towed a Boeing 747-400, but if you do, you'll recall that it was a gobsmacking feat for a (nearly) stock car. Toyota plans to go one step ahead - it's going to tow the Space Shuttle Endeavour to its final resting place.
Toyota will supply a Tundra V8 to tow the 136-ton Space Shuttle, and it will be towed from Los Angeles International Airport where it now sits to the California Science Center, a museum; a distance of 19.3 kilometres. However, the fine print states that the truck will tow it only the last 400 metres. Toyota also says that no modifications will be made to the Tundra - the Touareg we mentioned earlier was also stock, apart from the 7 tons of ballast added to the car to prevent wheelspin, and the rear axle from the V8 - an unnecessary addition, as it turned out.
Of course, the Boeing that the VW towed weighed 155 tons, which is slightly more than the Endeavour, but we're sure that the Tundra will get far more exposure, especially considering it will go on display at the museum as well. If nothing else, it will be the first modern pickup truck to make it into an aerospace museum...
