VW launch brings the house down.


VW set an unusual challenge to launch its new Amarok pick-up truck: demolishing a tower.

VW Amaroks demolish chimney

Tiiiiimmmbberrr! Image: VW

After several months of tests and working with an expert demolition company, four of the 2.0 litre, diesel-engined vehicles were attached to steel lines in an effort to pull down a 67m tall steel chimney.

In an impressive display of pulling power, the vehicles hauled down the 140 tonne tower - which had been pre-cut with a "shark's mouth" at its base, the standard procedure in any demolition of this kind - a task that would normally require a 40 tonne excavation vehicle to complete

The result was victory for the Amaroks and a dusty end for the chimney which was the same height as Westminster Abbey - scene of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at the end of April which attracted more than a billion viewers around the world, including an estimated 400 million online.