Many (many) years ago I was in a massive traffic jam at 5PM on a Friday evening, summer in july headed into the lincoln tunnel out of NYC. Like 18 lanes merging into 2....in a VW bug, no AC, just brutal hot stale summer in the city.....

All of a sudden the engine starts racing... I look out the rear view and smoke is pouring out the back.

Turn the engine off, jump out- open the engine lid- engine fire!! No water, no extinguisher...I had a cold cup of coffee from the morning, which I tossed on...then I take off my T shirt and beat the fire out.

Turns out the rubber fuel hose had cracked at the mechanical fuel pump, the fuel leaking then ignited and the fire melted the throttle return spring.

So, with people honking around me and two transit authority cops hassling me, I cut the hose, reclamped it... cut the spring, rebent the end, hooked it up....and off I went...shirtless.

Totally OT..but the 'Holland tunnel' and fuel pump triggered that little story....