A woman watched in horror as the new car she bought only hours before burst into flames on a busy Sydney road yesterday.
The 34-year-old Bondi woman ran into trouble when she drove the Mini Cooper over a mattress in Parramatta shortly after 5pm, but continued on not realising something was wrong.
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She eventually stopped the car after smelling smoke and stepped out to see flames coming from the back wheel.
The fire had engulfed the vehicle by the time police and fire crews arrived at the scene.
The woman escaped unhurt.
The blaze was triggered by the mattress becoming wedged between the engine bay and the wheel, a police spokeswoman said.
Witness Phil Burt said the woman told him she had only bought the car that day and was on her way to her parents' house.
"She was agitated, bewildered and very, very emotional," Mr Burt told ninemsn.
Mr Burt said many people had stopped to watch the burning car produce a few "spectacular explosions", but it was not enough to stop traffic on the busy highway.
"Initially I thought it was quite exciting — it's not every day you see a car blow up," he said.
"Everyone thought someone was dead. She was pretty lucky. I told her she should go buy a lottery ticket."
Police said the car was insured.
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