Auckland Subaru 22B race car destroyed in Ponsonby Automotive blaze amid fire engine failure

The owner of a race car destroyed in a fire at a central Auckland mechanic’s garage says the loss goes beyond its potential $100,000 financial value.

The bright yellow Subaru 22B built from the chassis up by a Ponsonby-based business owner, his son and others was being repaired at Ponsonby Automotive when a fire ripped through the Williamson Ave building on Thursday afternoon.

The fire, which was next to a Z Energy petrol station, sent thick black smoke across the inner city, forced people to evacuate from nearby buildings, and badly damaged the mechanic’s garage.

It also destroyed the Subaru 22B, which its owner estimated was worth about $100,000, although he expected the insurance payout wouldn’t reflect the “true value”.

“[It’ll] probably be a reasonable [financial] loss … [but] there’s a loss anyway – a huge amount of effort was put into building that car, far beyond its dollar value," said the owner, who asked not to be named.

“We built it probably 15 years ago … and put in hundreds and hundreds of hours, by a team of people.”

The charred remains of the Subaru 22B after Thursday's fire.

The owner’s son was the main user of the car, racing it in the Sport and GT series at Pukekohe Park Raceway.

“He’s overseas at the moment, but he’s pretty disappointed as well.”

The owner didn’t know what caused the fire, but felt for firefighters over equipment failures he believed may have doomed the Subaru 22B.

The fire was next to a Z Energy petrol station and prompted a large response from Fire and Emergency. Photo / Anna Heath

“Imagine if it was a house fire. It could be the case of life or death, or injury. I sympathise with firefighters – their equipment needs maintenance.

“[And] if the fire engine hadn’t broken down and they were able to extinguish the fire earlier, I may have ended up with half a car that I could still work with.”

The Subaru 22B was destroyed in Thursday's fire at Ponsonby Automotive.

Firefighters were forced to wait for a second engine to arrive at the fire after a pump providing pressure to the fire hoses failed, New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union Auckland local president Terry Bird said.

Fire and Emergency’s “ageing” fleet of fire engines was breaking down “all the time”, Bird said.

Faulty equipment caused delays in fighting a fire at Ponsonby Automotive on Thursday, the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union says. Photo / Anna Heath

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said mechanics hadn’t found anything wrong with the vehicle and it was “possible that it’s an intermittent fault”.

Equipment broke “from time to time … [but is] well-maintained, safe, certified and legally compliant”.

The affected vehicle was out of service while the issue was being investigated, the spokesperson said.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Fire and Emergency say. Photo / Anna Heath

Fire and Emergency and the union have been in negotiations for more than 600 days over issues including claims its fleet is not fit for purpose, with industrial action now involving one-hour stoppages twice a week.

Meanwhile, the cause of Thursday’s fire was still being investigated, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said.

“But there are no suspicious circumstances.”

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.