"If a Pookie detonated a landmine, and it never did, the use of shear bolts meant that wheels would be blown harmlessly away, as would the battery, the 40-litre fuel tank and the rear mounted 1600 cc air-cooled Volkswagen engine. The driver would be unharmed in his capsule."

I going to guess that "unharmed" is a relative term.

i think the design means to decouple the focal point of the blast from the chassis of the vehicle , so the whole thing isnt thrown into the air.

im sure you want to wear ear protection along with it, and take a change of clothes with you.