Overheating, oil leak caused Audi fire

Mumbai Fire Brigade has completed probe into the January 27 accident near the Worli end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link in which an Audi R8 worth around Rs 1.8 crore was charred. It said "overheating and leakage of engine oil coming in contact with hot parts of the engine" sparked the fire.

The luxury sports car belonged to businessman Bhavesh Thakkar.

"Our investigation revealed the engine got overheated. Oil leak ignited the fire," said a fire brigade official.

The fire was extinguished within 10 minutes but not before the silver model was reduced to a heap of rubber and metal with no trace of its roof, windows and windshield.

An Audi spokesperson said, "Our investigation is still on. Leakage of engine oil could be due to a number of reasons, including under-body damage. "We would like to investigate thoroughly and then arrive at a conclusion." The company had earlier said the fire may have occurred due to an internal modification made by the car owner.

Thakkar, however, said, "No modification was made by me in the structure or internal body of the car."

Audi claimed, "No Audi R8 customer has raised concern with regards to the fire incident. In fact, we have contacted all Audi R8 customers and offered them free check-ups at our workshops, especially if they have made after-market alterations to the car."

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