For as long as there have been cars, there have been those seeking to impress others with the performance of their hot rods. The classic burnout has long entertained thrill seekers, and while it is a trick that even a beginner can figure out, it takes a true pro to master the art of burning rubber. But sometimes even the masters of the burnout can encounter serious trouble.

A man known to his fans as “Gup” is the crazy person behind this monster Holden Commodore, which packs a 727 cubic-inch Sonny’s big block motor under the hood capable of making over 1,200 horsepower. So imagine our horror when we watched flames engulf this masterwork of Australian ingenuity.

Turns out that Michael ‘Gup’ Gilbert from Brisbane, Australia, is the mastermind behind the down-under Powercruise series, which can best be described as, “An event where you can do all the things you’re not allowed to do anywhere else.” In 2011, Gup brought the madness to the US, and this video comes from the 2013 Powercruise USA event at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota.

What precisely happens to catch the Commodore on fire, we don’t know, though the flames don’t first appear until about 16 seconds into the video, right beneath the transmission. That leads us to think that it could be an issue with the torque converter perhaps.

Just a couple of seconds later and a fireball completely engulfs the front half of the Commodore. Thankfully both the driver and passenger can be seen exiting the vehicle before the video cuts out… but you don’t have to be an insurance adjuster to know that a fireball that size probably caused some serious damage.