Bürstner Lyseo Gallery
Lyseo Gallery is the name of a prototype that Bürstner has now unveiled. Due to its design, the semi-integrated motorhome does not have an alcove, as the sleeping area above the driver's cab is called, but instead a kind of lifting roof. The plastic cover is unlocked and a compressor is set in motion, which inflates the air cells between the roof and the body. Then the construction lifts up within 90 seconds and makes a double bed accessible, which offers 1.10 meters of headroom.
The brand, which belongs to the Hymer Group, wants to incorporate the new concept into series production with several floor plan variants, but it will not be premiered in front of a large audience this year. Like the other motorhome manufacturers belonging to the group, Bürstner is again staying away from the caravan salon in Düsseldorf at the end of August due to the pandemic.
The pneumatic roof is based on a construction that the parent company Hymer showed two years ago with the Vision Van at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf. Now the idea is to be realized in large-scale production. The concept has already been patented, they say. Air chambers form the side walls under the plastic roof, which are folded up inside. If the compressor presses the air in, the individual cells unfold and form relatively stable walls that not only insulate well against the cold but are also opaque and UV-resistant. However, the air cushion is not able to dampen noise.
The castle in the air offers not only a bed for two but also a small table. You can get up there via a real staircase, which is installed behind the passenger seat and whose steps are each designed as storage compartments. The almost seven-metre-long semi-integrated vehicle thus has two living levels and has the great advantage that all furniture and functions on the ground floor can be used without restriction both when the roof compartment is closed and when it is open. The Lyseo is about 2.8 metres high when ready to drive, and rises about 3.7 metres into the sky when the roof is open.
However, the Lyseo Gallery only has these two beds in the prototype floor plan. Downstairs there is the toilet room in the rear, a kitchen with a gas and induction hob and an L-shaped seating area. At least the study shows an exquisite interior design. The cushions are covered with cognac-colored buffalo leather, high-floor carpets and backlit motif mirrors are intended to create comfort. In the kitchen, the coffee machine and extractor hood can be stowed in the roof boxes, and a mineral plate on the sink houses a flexible flush fitting. All kitchen unit flaps can be locked with a chip and thus secured before departure. There are inductive charging stations for smartphones next to the entrance and next to the bed on the first floor.
So many beautiful ideas that Bürstner implemented at the Lyseo Gallery. The surcharge for the high roof is cautiously estimated at 10,000 euros, which is to be added to the basic price of the semi-integrated TD model of just over 60,000 euros. But there won't be buffalo leather for it yet. It is also important to test the durability of the new technology for a longer period of time. In the past, Bürstner had already attracted attention with the Brevio, a semi-integrated model that featured a huge tailgate. However, it was precisely this flap that caused trouble with twisting noises while driving and leaks in the rain. (ampnet / mk)
