Fuel leaking from one of the cars appears to have been ignited by the heat of the Ford’s engine and torched both vehicles
https://www.carscoops.com/author/chris-chilton-cc/
by Chris Chilton
1 hour ago
The rivalry between the BMW E9 CSL and Ford Capri RS3100 in European Touring Car racing in the early 1970s provided some incredible on-track action for fans. But at a historic race even in Spain this month featuring the two coupes, the real excitement was in the pits when a fire broke out engulfing a CSL and Capri in flames.
The accident happened last weekend at Spain’s Estoril circuit, during the Estoril Classics event. Video footage shows a CSL Batmobile parked in the pits with a Capri RS3100 tucked up close behind it and a Mk1 Ford Escort RS behind that. Even before the fire has erupted the people gathered around the BMW seem to be concerned about something, and we can see a small stream of liquid running between it and the Capri on the pitlane asphalt.
Then, just as the camera and two of the observers (one of them, fortunately, holding a fire extinguisher) move a little closer, the fuel under the Capri’s hot engine ignites and the flames leap forward, covering the entire rear of the BMW, which must have been the source of the leak. As the cameraman wisely pulls back we see that there’s a huge area of asphalt next to the BMW that’s also ablaze, giving a clue as to how much fuel has escaped.
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Soon there’s a thick plume of black smoke sailing upwards and several people are trying to put out the fire with a mixture of foam-style fire extinguishers and also with what looks like a conventional water hose, which is a bad idea. Fire safety experts advise not to spray water on fuel fires because the petrol will float on top of the water, continue burning and can actually be spread further.
By the end of the video the fire has been extinguished but we’re too far away to see how badly the two cars were damaged. On the track in the 1970s it was the BMW that came out tops, but we suspect the CSL came off worse in this encounter. By the way, if you’ve never heard the Capri’s screaming V6 in action, check out the onboard sections of the video below.