RACING CAB DAMAGED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18663, 20 March 1924, Page 8

RACING CAB DAMAGED.

CATCHES FIRE IN GARAGE. MR. N. SMITH'S RECORD-HOLDER. The racing motor-car, in which Mr. Norman Smith, of Sydney, established the Auckland-Wellington record of 13 hours 19 minutes last week, was damaged by fire' yesterday morning at Messrs. Pullan and Armitage's garage in Federal Street. The outbreak was the result of a backfire through the carburetter, which occurred while mechanics were engaged in tuning up the engine, The flames immediately enveloped the" front of the car, but tbo outbreak was quickly suppressed by means of chemical extinguishers. •*

At first it appeared as if the engine had been seriously damaged, but inspection disclosed that although the ignition fittings and valve springs had suffered from the heat, the more vital parts had been insulated from the high temperature of the 'blazing petrol by r the water jacket. V The repair work was well advanced by last evening, and Mr. Smith does not consider the accident will impair .the efficiency of the car or prevent him competing m the Muriwai motor races on Saturday. The car, a four-cylinder Essex, is owned by Dalgety and Company, Ltd., of Sydney, and is insured for £750 in the Phoenix Office.