Chevrolet decided to mark the introduction of a new engine in the Silverado range by setting a new world record. More exactly, the US manufacturer set the Guinness World Records title for the World’s Largest Flag Pulled by a Moving Vehicle, and did it with a 2017 Silverado HD powered by a new, more powerful version of the Duramax 6.6L V-8 turbo-diesel engine.
With an SAE-certified 445 horsepower and 910 lb.-ft. of torque (1,234 Nm), a 19% increase over the current Duramax 6.6L, the new engine produces the most torque ever in a Chevrolet vehicle. That includes flying nearly 3,200-square-foot flags.
The United States flag flown by the Silverado HD for the record-setting drive measured nearly 40 by 80 feet, with an area of 3,186 square feet. To set the record, the truck had to travel 100 meters without the flag touching the ground.
The Silverado more than exceeded that requirement, completing four laps around the Texas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile oval.
It might look easy and crazy but its not. Unique 40-foot riggings on the trucks were designed to fold rearward, enabling the Silverado HDs to quickly enter and exit the track. That design requirement made it impossible to enable a driving roll-out of the massive flags. Instead, a team of 20 people launched and retrieved the flags, ensuring they did not touch the ground.
The all-new Duramax 6.6L will arrive in the 2017 Silverado HD in early 2017.
