Why the fire extinguisher?

[pockomoth]

My '77 Spider came with a fire extinguisher when I bought it used last year. I thought it was weird but just left there by the previous owners. But others on this forum talk about their extinguishers. Are the extinguishers OEM? And if so why?

[dcroop]

Its not OEM. It's not a bad thing to carry in an older car. In vintage racing you must have a working extinguisher or fire system on board. Like many other things done to these cars, for some, the decision to carry an extinguisher has practical reasons but may also be race car-inspired. Before I restored my car, I had one behind my seat and actually had to use it when I had fuel leak that caused a small engine fire. Ah the good old days... I may add back one of those lovely chrome ones when I finish the interior.

[tartan18]

Due to my "abundance of caution" personality I carry a 2.5# Halon fire extinguisher in my car. It is tucked behind the driver's seat making it nearly invisible from outside the car. Over the 40+ years I have been driving I've only had two occasions to use a fire extinguisher on a car. Both times it was an electrical fire under the dashboard. The first time it was my own car (a 1979 264GL) and the other was a car pulled over to the side of the road. That is why I don't carry a dry chemical extinguisher. So, while the chances of having a fire are slim ... I'd rather be safe than sorry.