On 28th October, filming for the magazine Euromaxx of the Deutsche Welle channel was scheduled - in the leading roles: Hermann Layher and the experimental vehicle Brutus. Between interviews and still frames, the Brutus was to be moved. And anyone who has ever experienced this cigar-shaped vehicle live, knows what kind of forces lie dormant in it. Here a „cubic capacity“- monster was released that neither knows how to drive slowly nor comfortably. Always ready to hand: a fire extinguisher.
Slightly tense, he sat down into the driver's seat, of course with tape around his trouser legs, wearing cap and safety goggles. The safety goggles temporarily serve as a replacement for the fender to block off stones; the tape was used so that nothing got stuck. Then he ignited the engine. There was a soft whirr of the inertia starter followed by a ear-deafening howl until suddenly an enormous bang like thunder stroke the 50-liter capacity 12-cylinder engine. Fire from the two exhausts shot towards the film crew. By now the museum’s surrounding neighborhood knew that Brutus had left the hall. The editor also got to know him: He had the guts to get too close to the vehicle, which immediately burnt his jacket.
The longer the president chased across the grounds, the more he beamed with joy - his initial tension was gone. During the breaks, he indulged himself in the past. He searched for words to explain his joy of driving and made it clear how much concentration and control Brutus required. Hermann Layher summed up the whole day as a "journey into the past". After all, people had been working meticulously with this vehicle since the end of the 90s. He was then also the first to risk geting behind the wheel. But the "Brutus" project is far from being finished: "Now we definitely need a kill-switch button, like on the Blitzen-Benz," he decided without further ado. (This button is used to interrupt the ignition so that the engine brake works even more effectively. It also serves as an emergency stop switch).
The video can be seen here. Have fun while watching.
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