Rare Bugatti Burns To the Ground
This was a hard story to read. As a vintage car owner who has ignited his car several times I feel pain for anyone who looses their own car to a fire. While my car survived that episode thanks to frantic beatings with an oily towel (sacrificing my charred hands and arms), I realize that my old British car could still fall victim to the torch at any moment.
Sports Car Market recorded the sad details of how a once proud Bugatti has been reduced to a pile of rubble. The 1935 T57 was a rare bird here in the US. Having owned it since the 1950’s it was also prized possession of Grover Berryman. Disaster struck this September while the car was being readied for a show. What’s even more distressing and eye opening to me is that Grover was doing something that most old car guys have to do from time to time, the very same thing that set my MGB on fire for the first time:
“Berryman was having difficulty starting the car, and unbeknownst to him, gasoline had flowed from the carburetor onto the carpet beneath. He finally resorted to starter fluid, and when the car turned over it backfired, igniting the gas that had now permeated the carpet. Because the T57 was parked behind Berryman’s everyday driver, he couldn’t get it out of the space. By the time he returned with the right keys, the blaze had consumed the entire garage.”
Whenever working with fuel systems remember to be in a well ventilated area and always have a fire extinguisher on hand. Also if you smell gas, be weary about starting anything before a thorough search for leaks and examination of the fuel system has been completed.
View the full story at: http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/905
-Bill Mertz
Sports Car Market, Bugatti, fire, burn, rare
