A pensioner had a miracle escape after his 29-year-old Reliant Robin exploded into a fireball as he drove through his home town.
The three-wheeler was completely destroyed when the car backfired and burst into flames in Tenbury Wells, Worcs.
The driver, aged in his 60s, climbed out unhurt but watched helplessly as the fibre glass vehicle melted.
It is thought the blaze was caused by a faulty fuel line.
Tenbury Fire Station crew commander Dan James said only about two feet of the vehicle remained when they arrived.
He said: ”We could see the smoke from about three miles away. When we got there, there was a car almost burnt out.
”Because it was fibre glass, it had all melted.
”We deal with cars regularly that are totally destroyed but this is the first time I have been to a Reliant Robin and when we got there it was about two feet tall.”
The driver suffered burns to his hands and he was later taken to Tenbury Community Hospital by ambulance after the incident at 9.45am last Friday.