---
title: "Driver Crashes Classic AMC AMX Leaving Car Show, Starts Brush Fire in California"
description: "This crash involving a late-Sixties AMC AMX in California over the weekend just might be the first time we've seen a flashy car show exit end with a small wildfire."
date: "2018-10-02"
modified: "2018-10-02"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/23989/driver-crashes-classic-amc-amx-leaving-car-show-starts-brush-fire-in-california"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "AMC"
  - "AMX"
  - "car show"
  - "Crash"
  - "fire"
  - "Muscle Cars"
---

# Driver Crashes Classic AMC AMX Leaving Car Show, Starts Brush Fire in California

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/10/amx-fire.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Leaving a car show can be a perilous moment. Cold tires, all that pent-up horsepower, and the temptation to show off have [done in drivers](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/8110/watch-a-classic-chevy-camaro-crash-outside-a-cars-coffee>) and [innocent bystanders](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/20376/this-crash-between-a-mclaren-720s-and-a-parked-audi-r8-will-not-be-cheap>) alike, but this crash involving a late-Sixties AMC AMX in California over the weekend just might be the first time we've seen that combination culminate in a small wildfire.

[*KCRA News* reports](<https://www.kcra.com/article/fairfield-crews-put-out-fire-after-driver-leaving-car-show-crashes/23536466>) that the unidentified driver had just left a car show in Fairfield, California on Saturday and was driving on a frontage road next to Highway 12 when he lost control and rolled his classic muscle car into a ditch. He escaped uninjured—which is frankly amazing considering the way the AMX's roof crushed in—but the vehicle quickly caught fire and ignited the dry grasses surrounding it.

The blaze quickly burned through five acres of brush and forced the closure of the highway in both directions before the Fairfield Fire Department was able to get control of the situation. Fortunately, no structures were destroyed. A quick check of the burn area [on Google Maps](<https://goo.gl/maps/qqw5YMMNUoS2>) shows it was mostly contained by surrounding roadways, though its location directly in front of the city's large Anheuser-Busch brewery was cause for concern.

![message-editor%2F1538525708199-amcfirenew.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1538525708199-amcfirenew.jpg>)
**Facebook | Fairfield Fire Department**

The brewery was hosting a charity car show on Saturday, and several attendees [posted pictures](<https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMnZTH_7iId4YIuGP0sikQh2PscmvRgdruderXnnB0pBrEopD63Y5GfTM9R9NqfwA?key=bFl5YlhtY0F1dDhLRVFDTkZNeWFEaU1SWFhvSGlR>) of the [doomed AMX](<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213089295809520&set=gm.10156981846565663&type=3&theater>) on social media as it stood proudly on the lot—the lowered suspension and side pipes hinting at lot more than your average restoration. While there's no video of the crash itself, unconfirmed reports on Facebook say the driver was doing a burnout when he lost control.

![message-editor%2F1538524031819-amxcrash.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1538524031819-amxcrash.jpg>)
**Facebook | Barry Sullivan**

We're not here to point fingers without evidence. It's just a good reminder that even a single car crash on an empty road can have secondary consequences.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)