Well as some of you may have guessed and as some of you I have told privately (thank you for keeping it quiet!) a very bad thing happened to my beloved car....FIRE!
Because of what happened and how it happened I feel I have a duty to let everyone know about some unique and somewhat potentially dangerous things our car has if it catches on fire. I couldn’t say anything earlier because my insurance company was slow and settling with this but we’ve come to a tentative settlement so I can talk about it now.
Basically in May of this year after a whole bunch of mods and also road rash repair my car was beautiful and ready to tear up the track. I had put a modified turbo on there and trying to get some extra power. Anyway it looks like one of the oil lines to it broke (or something we’re not sure) and when I was at the racetrack renting it privately to test out my car all of the sudden there was a pop and tons of white smoke was coming out the back of my car while I was going down the track at 90 miles an hour. I only had a small fire extinguisher in the car and I was about half a mile from the big trailer with all the fire extinguishers and also a water hose available. So I had to make a decision as soon as I saw the smoke I was pretty sure it was a fire because it was such a huge plume but there was no flames yet so I unbuckled my harness grab the door and made my decision either to stop the car get out and try to put it out with my little fire extinguisher or drive the half mile back to the trailer. I chose the latter.
Driving back to the trailer honking my horn keeping an eye on my rearview mirror if I saw any flames I was ready to slam on the brakes open the door and jump out a roll out of the car if I needed to! I made it back to the trailer slow down a bit and then I saw some orange flames I went another 10 feet and jumped out of the car as quick as I could.....total stuntman shit!
My mates could see me coming from quite a ways away and they were ready with the big fire extinguishers and started putting it out. It really wasn’t a huge flame and I certainly thought the fire extinguishers will put it out.
Then it became shocking. The fire would not go out. It would look like it was out but then it kept coming back. I hooked up a hose to the water and was squirting water on it while they were still using more fire extinguishers. But the fire just kept coming back. It was around the turbo area and we had the engine compartment open squirting water and fire extinguishers in there well. we even jacked up the car in the back so we could squirt water from down below. The fire just kept coming back. After about 15 minutes my race shop manager told me to call the fire department. I called them and of course they were slow and went to the wrong address and other stupid stuff and they eventually showed up took their time putting on all these masks and stuff while my car is burning. Then they emptied one whole fire truck and then they had to hook up a second one! Was absolutely incredible the fire that would just not go out!!!!
Now my car wasn’t melting or burning to the ground or anything like that it was just a fire in the engine compartment and underneath the car get into the gas tank which then opened up and there was a bunch of fire under the car. But my car actually looks pretty much intact it just got hot for a really long time it burned for like 25 minutes all the time with water being squirted on it.
After the fire department left I went to undo the emergency brake and it was red hot there was actually still fire in that tunnel in the carbon fiber tub. I pulled off the emergency brake cover and squirted water in there from the hose and heard a hiss. Looks like I finally put the fire out and what was happening is that there was oil on fire stuck in the carbon fiber tub in the tunnel that kept coming back. Also I’ve spoken to some other people that know the car really well and behind the gas tank is kind of a crevice near the carbon fiber tub that’s really hard to get out. I think that hot burning oil was stuck in his crevices and could not be got out and that’s why the fire just kept coming back.
Sad thing was that we were planning to put a fire suppression system and we just never got around to it because we ran out of time!
So although changing a Turbo is not a big deal a lot of people do it but for anybody that does anything like that I would strongly suggest getting a very good fire suppression system with plenty of nozzles that shoot into these crevices.
I wonder if I would’ve pulled over immediately and use my little fire extinguisher if it would’ve put out the fire possibly. But it being so far away from the water and the trailer with the fire extinguishers if it didn’t work my car would’ve certainly burned to the ground.
Right now there’s some salvageable parts on it I think I can buy a wrecked one and with my burnt up car if I buy it from my insurance company I can make one good car out of the both of them. That’s the plan.
I really loved that car it was so beautiful. But like some people.....those that burn twice as bright last half as long.
I am really sad about this but it’s really no different than if I was driving on the freeway and some idiot totaled my car. Plus I didn’t get hurt or burned up! I guess now I can say that I’ve driven a car on fire! All first world problems!
I don’t have any parts to sell or anything like that when the time comes about if I decide to do that I will let people now on here what I have.
And I did a lot of tracking this year anyway my Giulia QV I lightly modded it by lowering it, did a Girodisc iron rotor brake conversion, ECU tune added some camber and a cat back exhaust. The car turned out to be stupid fast! About the same speed as a stock GT3 if driver skill is the same. Its almost most as fast around the track as my 4C was even though it weighed 1300 pounds more! And I’ve tracked it enough that my driving is to the point where I can’t make it go any faster without giving it wider tires because they’re pretty skinny for the car. So I’m looking to put a widebody kit on it and have 305 width tires square on it. I’m also working with Ideal Racing on a new ECU tune that will run on 92 gasoline or E85. The car will be about 700 HP at the crank. Will be faster than a GT3RS!!! And it’s a four-door sedan LOL. I even put some granny stickers in the back windows so when I pass all these 2 door sports cars they have to wave at granny as we fly by them. Yes i’m still terrorassing the racetracks and crazy as a loon!
I’m also doing wheel to wheel racing now with a 2001 Porsche Boxster S. It’s a good car for Racing because parts are available they’re cheap and it’s a quite reliable 250 hp. And being a mid engine light weight car (2700 pounds stripped down and with roll cage) It actually handles very similar to a 4C which warms my heart. I’ve got an enduro race this weekend at Area 27 in Canada.
So next year I’ll have a 700 HP big girl sedan beast that will blow up every car and also have a lightweight 250 HP race car I have to momentum drive.
And also possibly have a new 4C that will look almost identical to my last one. I’ll still keep it street legal but track it too. I don’t think I’ll go into the motor other than camshafts and an ECU tune. And yes I will have a fire suppression system LOL!!!
The 4C really is an amazing car! Absolutely everyone loved that car both on the track and on the street and it was very fast! I look forward to having one again!
As far as car insurance worked I had full coverage insurance and I wasn’t racing the car and it just started on fire so covered. But It’s a real fight proving the value of your betterments on the car. Wish me luck!
I have a YouTube channel with all my videos and I mostly just been posting on a Facebook Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio page.
But I’ve got to tell you I think this 4C forum is one of the best ones around.
Here’s a video from last weekend at Area 27 in Canada. I was up there for my final weekend of the season with my Giulia QV and I was just blowing up everyone and it really wasn’t much fun other than competing with myself but then this blue Corvette showed up! And he was a good driver!! I ended up doing my fastest time of the season on 200 hardness street tires catching him and then he never could catch back up. Boy those tires were singing!!!
Take care!!
Because of what happened and how it happened I feel I have a duty to let everyone know about some unique and somewhat potentially dangerous things our car has if it catches on fire. I couldn’t say anything earlier because my insurance company was slow and settling with this but we’ve come to a tentative settlement so I can talk about it now.
Basically in May of this year after a whole bunch of mods and also road rash repair my car was beautiful and ready to tear up the track. I had put a modified turbo on there and trying to get some extra power. Anyway it looks like one of the oil lines to it broke (or something we’re not sure) and when I was at the racetrack renting it privately to test out my car all of the sudden there was a pop and tons of white smoke was coming out the back of my car while I was going down the track at 90 miles an hour. I only had a small fire extinguisher in the car and I was about half a mile from the big trailer with all the fire extinguishers and also a water hose available. So I had to make a decision as soon as I saw the smoke I was pretty sure it was a fire because it was such a huge plume but there was no flames yet so I unbuckled my harness grab the door and made my decision either to stop the car get out and try to put it out with my little fire extinguisher or drive the half mile back to the trailer. I chose the latter.
Driving back to the trailer honking my horn keeping an eye on my rearview mirror if I saw any flames I was ready to slam on the brakes open the door and jump out a roll out of the car if I needed to! I made it back to the trailer slow down a bit and then I saw some orange flames I went another 10 feet and jumped out of the car as quick as I could.....total stuntman shit!
My mates could see me coming from quite a ways away and they were ready with the big fire extinguishers and started putting it out. It really wasn’t a huge flame and I certainly thought the fire extinguishers will put it out.
Then it became shocking. The fire would not go out. It would look like it was out but then it kept coming back. I hooked up a hose to the water and was squirting water on it while they were still using more fire extinguishers. But the fire just kept coming back. It was around the turbo area and we had the engine compartment open squirting water and fire extinguishers in there well. we even jacked up the car in the back so we could squirt water from down below. The fire just kept coming back. After about 15 minutes my race shop manager told me to call the fire department. I called them and of course they were slow and went to the wrong address and other stupid stuff and they eventually showed up took their time putting on all these masks and stuff while my car is burning. Then they emptied one whole fire truck and then they had to hook up a second one! Was absolutely incredible the fire that would just not go out!!!!
Now my car wasn’t melting or burning to the ground or anything like that it was just a fire in the engine compartment and underneath the car get into the gas tank which then opened up and there was a bunch of fire under the car. But my car actually looks pretty much intact it just got hot for a really long time it burned for like 25 minutes all the time with water being squirted on it.
After the fire department left I went to undo the emergency brake and it was red hot there was actually still fire in that tunnel in the carbon fiber tub. I pulled off the emergency brake cover and squirted water in there from the hose and heard a hiss. Looks like I finally put the fire out and what was happening is that there was oil on fire stuck in the carbon fiber tub in the tunnel that kept coming back. Also I’ve spoken to some other people that know the car really well and behind the gas tank is kind of a crevice near the carbon fiber tub that’s really hard to get out. I think that hot burning oil was stuck in his crevices and could not be got out and that’s why the fire just kept coming back.
Sad thing was that we were planning to put a fire suppression system and we just never got around to it because we ran out of time!
So although changing a Turbo is not a big deal a lot of people do it but for anybody that does anything like that I would strongly suggest getting a very good fire suppression system with plenty of nozzles that shoot into these crevices.
I wonder if I would’ve pulled over immediately and use my little fire extinguisher if it would’ve put out the fire possibly. But it being so far away from the water and the trailer with the fire extinguishers if it didn’t work my car would’ve certainly burned to the ground.
Right now there’s some salvageable parts on it I think I can buy a wrecked one and with my burnt up car if I buy it from my insurance company I can make one good car out of the both of them. That’s the plan.
I really loved that car it was so beautiful. But like some people.....those that burn twice as bright last half as long.
I am really sad about this but it’s really no different than if I was driving on the freeway and some idiot totaled my car. Plus I didn’t get hurt or burned up! I guess now I can say that I’ve driven a car on fire! All first world problems!
I don’t have any parts to sell or anything like that when the time comes about if I decide to do that I will let people now on here what I have.
And I did a lot of tracking this year anyway my Giulia QV I lightly modded it by lowering it, did a Girodisc iron rotor brake conversion, ECU tune added some camber and a cat back exhaust. The car turned out to be stupid fast! About the same speed as a stock GT3 if driver skill is the same. Its almost most as fast around the track as my 4C was even though it weighed 1300 pounds more! And I’ve tracked it enough that my driving is to the point where I can’t make it go any faster without giving it wider tires because they’re pretty skinny for the car. So I’m looking to put a widebody kit on it and have 305 width tires square on it. I’m also working with Ideal Racing on a new ECU tune that will run on 92 gasoline or E85. The car will be about 700 HP at the crank. Will be faster than a GT3RS!!! And it’s a four-door sedan LOL. I even put some granny stickers in the back windows so when I pass all these 2 door sports cars they have to wave at granny as we fly by them. Yes i’m still terrorassing the racetracks and crazy as a loon!
I’m also doing wheel to wheel racing now with a 2001 Porsche Boxster S. It’s a good car for Racing because parts are available they’re cheap and it’s a quite reliable 250 hp. And being a mid engine light weight car (2700 pounds stripped down and with roll cage) It actually handles very similar to a 4C which warms my heart. I’ve got an enduro race this weekend at Area 27 in Canada.
So next year I’ll have a 700 HP big girl sedan beast that will blow up every car and also have a lightweight 250 HP race car I have to momentum drive.
And also possibly have a new 4C that will look almost identical to my last one. I’ll still keep it street legal but track it too. I don’t think I’ll go into the motor other than camshafts and an ECU tune. And yes I will have a fire suppression system LOL!!!
The 4C really is an amazing car! Absolutely everyone loved that car both on the track and on the street and it was very fast! I look forward to having one again!
As far as car insurance worked I had full coverage insurance and I wasn’t racing the car and it just started on fire so covered. But It’s a real fight proving the value of your betterments on the car. Wish me luck!
I have a YouTube channel with all my videos and I mostly just been posting on a Facebook Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio page.
But I’ve got to tell you I think this 4C forum is one of the best ones around.
Here’s a video from last weekend at Area 27 in Canada. I was up there for my final weekend of the season with my Giulia QV and I was just blowing up everyone and it really wasn’t much fun other than competing with myself but then this blue Corvette showed up! And he was a good driver!! I ended up doing my fastest time of the season on 200 hardness street tires catching him and then he never could catch back up. Boy those tires were singing!!!
Take care!!