Duration: 13:52 minutes

Scenario:

After three weeks of vacation, which Carla had truly earned, the engine hadn’t been running for just as long. 

Before Carla has to be in the office in about two hours, she wants to try starting the old station wagon. It might be that she can’t get this car going this morning. Anyway, Carla always has trouble starting it in the mornings. And now, after three weeks of sitting...? If she doesn’t succeed, she could still arrange another way to get to the office on time, for example, calling a colleague who could give her a ride. Eagerly, 

Carla begins her attempts to start it. The starter sounds laborious. How unexpected! The engine starts! But after very gentle handling of the gas pedal, the engine stalls after only 9 seconds of running. And now? Carla presses the gas pedal 4 times before trying to start it again and starts it anew, continuing to pump the gas pedal gently. But there’s no sign that the engine will start again. But no sign that the engine wants to start again. Carla keeps trying again and again. Until minute 2:47, seen from the driver's side. Then comes the view through the windshield. 

Her facial expression looks visibly tense. Wonderful and authentic to watch. Meanwhile, you can repeatedly hear that nice sound of the starter. From time to time, you can also hear signs that the engine actually wants to start. But it doesn't manage. 

From minute 5:29, you can see the pedal view. It's clearly noticeable that the long gas pedal, rising from the floor, is perfect for high heel wearers. From minute 9:40, there's another driver view, showing that Carla is visibly getting nervous. 'Aren't you starting at all today?' she probably thinks. But with the start attempt at minute 11:18, you can see the relief on Carla's face. The engine starts. She’s happy. 

Gentle revving is shown from the driver's side perspective, alternating with a view of the pedals and a short rear view, where you can see the exhaust gases coming out of the muffler, which you can’t actually see because it’s so cleverly hidden. 

At 13:45, Carla turns off the engine, well aware that later, when she has to go to the office, she can drive off in the old station wagon. 

A great clip that really captures the authenticity here. This footage was shot about 20 years ago with a camera that can’t quite achieve the high image quality we expect today. The sound, however, is unaffected by that and is as clear as you would expect. You hold your breath along with Carla, watching patiently as she successfully starts the engine.