[AshSimmonds]

OMG, I can't help but find myself simultaneously wince-grinning at the magnitude and crying at the loss...

From previous posts I got the impression there was a bit of an engine fire, a tough but not catastrophic occurence.









THIS IS SCORCHED EARTH POLICY IN ACTION.

[dodger]

Lucky you got photos, even luckier you got out, what the hell caused that ?

The only cars Ive seen burn lately are Ferrari's, is this a trait ?

[RS]

yes mate, i wasn't anywhere near the car at the time since it isn't mine.   

for some reason i clicked on the wrong post to quote

Hope your Ok Al,

[allanuber]

Car had literally been through a service with a Sydney independent the day before. Younger brother driving it, me in the Esprit, a customer in the yellow porsche and the 360 leading up front.

We made it throught Sydney, started up Putty Road, and were just about at Kolo, where there's a few bends and it's the start of some great driving. In the rear view I saw younger bro falling back a bit, but he knows the road well and I figured he had to pee or something similarly exciting.

This is the first bit of road with no phone reception, so I drive on with the other two cars about another 5 windy K's to Upper Colo. As soon as I'm elevated and there's reception, the phone starts going nuts with messages.

I pull over, and hear what's possibly the worst possible message you can ever hear.  <Crackle ... sh<crackle>  MAN ... FIRE ... HELP <crackle>

Looking back down Putty we can see a black plume above the treeline. At this point I know the f*cking 355 is gone, but I'm freaking out as I have no idea whether my brother is OK and at that point I truly do not give a crap about the car. I tell the other guys about the message, and tear off back towards the smoke.

As we come around a bit sweeper downhill, in what is a 100K zone, I see the first massive black smoke, and there's just a ball of fire at the bottom of it. Somehow the road's already blocked off, and I run the Esprit up onto the side bank beside banked traffic and sprint to towards the fire.

There's a fire truck there, just dumping water out of the hoses directly into the 355, which is ablaze from tip to tail. The heat was fierce from literally 100m away. I'm still freaking out, looking for my brother and the police officer who's on the scene practically tackles me as he sees me sprinting downhill. While explaining it's my car, and I need to know what's happened to my brother, I spot him at the other end of the roadblock with other police - I cannot tell you how happy I was to see he seems to be OK.

45 minutes later, the fire's out, roadblock is cleared and literally everyone just drives off. We're left in the middle of the bush, with a burnt out wreck, and no phone reception.

Talking to my younger bro - the car seemed to be running fine, he'd had a few chances to open it up a little and it was running strong. As he was coming up the first round of hills he literally saw a flash from the rear, and saw through the letterbox rear window, a tiny lick of flame. He pulls over on the hill, shuts down the engine and jumps out. In the 10 seconds to do that, the fire's already eaten through the holes in the rear grill. 10 more seconds later, the car starts to rock with the heat, another 10 and it's rolling backwards - presumably as the handbrake cable is melted and gearbox is practically a puddle. Remember this is on a sweeping hill, in a 100K zone through bush. Bro has the amazing sense to reach back into the car (must have been blazing hot) to turn the wheel as the car starts to roll - which means it rolls backward into the embankment - rather than into the middle of a highway - or across he highway, and into the ditch and bushland. Amazing thinking under intense pressure and he saved a bad situation from being a potentially fatal one.

I'll add a bit more on the follow up - but the extinguisher in the car was useless. The fire was far too aggressive. It happened stupidly quick. From flash to on fire end-to-end in maybe 2 minutes, whole car was gutted in less than 30. Amazing work by the police and firemen, both of whom were co-incidentally on the way to investigate other incidents.

[scud]

for some reason i clicked on the wrong post to quote

Hope your Ok Al,

understood mate

[deangpsx8]

Wow uber hope you got out ok.
You must have shit yourself.

Any idea what caused it? Electrical or Fuel?

Didn't think this would happen on a 355.

It's my biggest fear with the Countach. 
I have installed an integrated extinguisher with a big red button on the dash.

[scud]

Car had literally been through a service with a Sydney independent the day before. Younger brother driving it, me in the Esprit, a customer in the yellow porsche and the 360 leading up front.

We made it throught Sydney, started up Putty Road, and were just about at Kolo, where there's a few bends and it's the start of some great driving. In the rear view I saw younger bro falling back a bit, but he knows the road well and I figured he had to pee or something similarly exciting.

This is the first bit of road with no phone reception, so I drive on with the other two cars about another 5 windy K's to Upper Colo. As soon as I'm elevated and there's reception, the phone starts going nuts with messages.

I pull over, and hear what's possibly the worst possible message you can ever hear.  <Crackle ... sh<crackle>  MAN ... FIRE ... HELP <crackle>

Looking back down Putty we can see a black plume above the treeline. At this point I know the f*cking 355 is gone, but I'm freaking out as I have no idea whether my brother is OK and at that point I truly do not give a crap about the car. I tell the other guys about the message, and tear off back towards the smoke.

As we come around a bit sweeper downhill, in what is a 100K zone, I see the first massive black smoke, and there's just a ball of fire at the bottom of it. Somehow the road's already blocked off, and I run the Esprit up onto the side bank beside banked traffic and sprint to towards the fire.

There's a fire truck there, just dumping water out of the hoses directly into the 355, which is ablaze from tip to tail. The heat was fierce from literally 100m away. I'm still freaking out, looking for my brother and the police officer who's on the scene practically tackles me as he sees me sprinting downhill. While explaining it's my car, and I need to know what's happened to my brother, I spot him at the other end of the roadblock with other police - I cannot tell you how happy I was to see he seems to be OK.

45 minutes later, the fire's out, roadblock is cleared and literally everyone just drives off. We're left in the middle of the bush, with a burnt out wreck, and no phone reception.

Talking to my younger bro - the car seemed to be running fine, he'd had a few chances to open it up a little and it was running strong. As he was coming up the first round of hills he literally saw a flash from the rear, and saw through the letterbox rear window, a tiny lick of flame. He pulls over on the hill, shuts down the engine and jumps out. In the 10 seconds to do that, the fire's already eaten through the holes in the rear grill. 10 more seconds later, the car starts to rock with the heat, another 10 and it's rolling backwards - presumably as the handbrake cable is melted and gearbox is practically a puddle. Remember this is on a sweeping hill, in a 100K zone through bush. Bro has the amazing sense to reach back into the car (must have been blazing hot) to turn the wheel as the car starts to roll - which means it rolls backward into the embankment - rather than into the middle of a highway - or across he highway, and into the ditch and bushland. Amazing thinking under intense pressure and he saved a bad situation from being a potentially fatal one.

I'll add a bit more on the follow up - but the extinguisher in the car was useless. The fire was far too aggressive. It happened stupidly quick. From flash to on fire end-to-end in maybe 2 minutes, whole car was gutted in less than 30. Amazing work by the police and firemen, both of whom were co-incidentally on the way to investigate other incidents.

wow. 

sorry to hear buddy, glad little brother got out, quick thinker too. good on him. hope insurance covers the loss.

i wondered how the car was parked beside the rail then the other photo showed it off the road. i assume your brother took the pics?

[allanuber]

First pic is on the hill, rest are at the bottom, up on the ditch.

Brother (Don) had the camera with him in the car as we do a few stops for snaps, and managed to grab that and his manbag. I forgave him for the navman/gps, ipod, dash camera and my sonia dada CD collection that he left behind.

[dodger]

Thats a scary story, I can imagine what it would have been like before you found your brother, thank goodness he was ok.

[RS]

Good to hear your brother got out before the fire got too intense, lucky he caught the flame through the rear window