A YORK motoring enthusiast hauled his beloved sports car out of a burning outhouse with his bare hands after the building burst into flames.

Adrian Carpenter, from Sandy Lane, Stockton-on-the-Forest, was watching the Formula One Grand Prix at San Marino just after 1pm yesterday when he noticed smoke billowing from the outhouse attached to his home.

A nearby farmer raised the alarm while Mr Carpenter tackled the fire with an extinguisher.

He then pulled out his beloved TVR 400 SE with his bare hands, but was unable to rescue a Land Rover Discovery and two mountain bikes, which perished.

Mr Carpenter said: "There were flames three to four foot high. "The fire brigade were here within ten minutes but by that time the flames were coming out of the roof."

He said he managed to drag the car out of the building before it suffered any more than minor fire damage.

York station officer Mal Austwick said: "On arrival we were faced with a well-developed fire.

"Due to the severity of the fire the officers requested an additional two fire crews to attend from Tadcaster and Acomb.

"We managed to stop the fire from entering the ground floor extension."

Station Officer Austwick said it was thought the fire was started by an electrical fault.

Updated: 10:33 Monday, April 21, 2003