It was Foxx's last 1980s record in a hard-edged electronica style (his next single, "Miles Away", featured acoustic drums and a somewhat warmer production).

Its staccato introduction was reminiscent of the metallic guitar notes that kicked off the track "Some of Them" from Systems of Romance, Foxx's last album with former band Ultravox.

The title came from a chapter in J. G. Ballard's SF novel Concrete Island and its automobile reference was shared by a number of tracks on Metamatic.

"Burning Car" appears on the John Foxx compilations Assembly (1992), Modern Art (2001) and Metatronic (2010), and both the A- and B-sides are included on the 2001 and 2007 reissue of Metamatic (the 1993 edition had featured only "20th Century").

Musical trends were also covered, including an early episode on the group Spandau Ballet before they had a recording contract,[3] and Depeche Mode as part of the new "electro-disco" scene.

[5] The track was revived by Foxx for live performances with Louis Gordon from 1998 onwards, as documented on the albums Subterranean Omnidelic Exotour (1997), Retro Future (2007) and A New Kind Of Man (2008).