Toyota, in a publicity-stunt coup, has arranged to have one of its
pickup trucks tow the space shuttle Endeavour through the streets of Los
Angeles on the last leg of its journey to a museum.
Toyota says
its full-size Tundra pickup truck will tow the retiring Endeavour on the
final quarter-mile stretch on its way to permanent display at the
California Science Center in Exposition Park, just south of downtown Los
Angeles. The pickup will pull it down Bill Robertson Lane inside the
park perimeter on Oct. 13 to a "finish line," followed by a big party.
But
that job will only come after Endeavour had already been towed about 12
miles from Los Angeles International Airport to the area near the
museum site. Preparations are already underway for the spectacle,
including the cutting of 400 trees along the way.
Endeavour weighs
300,000 pounds, Toyota says. The automaker plans to use a Tundra
CrewMax half-ton pickup with a hulking 5.7-liter V-8 engine. Normally,
its maximum towing capacity is limited to 10,000 pounds.
Toyota
says it has done extensive testing and worked with The Sarens Group, a
heavy lifting and engineered transport company, to develop a dolly
specifically for hauling the Endeavour.
USA Today