Three fire engines were called to Ford's research facility at Dunton on Monday night after a test vehicle caught fire.
The west wing's sprinkler system quickly put out the blaze.
Two fire engines from Basildon and one from Brentwood were called to the fire at about 9.20pm.
They ensured the fire was fully extinguished and helped pump out water from the building's basement.
A dozen workers were behind a glass screen next to the test ring when the blaze started in the car engine.
Station officer Mark Samuels of Basildon fire station, said: "All the safety procedures which were in place worked and were very effective."
Short-time working at Ford's giant Dagenham production plant will continue until the end of October, the company has confirmed.
By the end of October the plant will have been on a four-day production week for more than a year because of a fall in demand across Europe.
About 3,500 production workers will be affected at Dagenham, where the Fiesta car and van models are built.
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