Park Gate based car salesman Graham Lowe has been found dead in the burned out wreckage of his BMW car outside his home.
Graham Lowe, known to his friends and family as Ralphy
Mr Lowe, who was a director of Cars of Swanwick in Bridge Road at Park Gate, was discovered in his car on Tuesday morning.
Firefighters had been called to deal with a car fire in Windmill Lane at Bursledon and it was only when they extinguished the flames that they realised there was a man inside the vehicle.
A total of 13 firefighters battled to stop the blaze spreading to the nearby house and another car
Police said they were not treating Mr Lowe’s death as suspicious.
The 57-year-old’s family released a statement paying tribute to the father-of-two.
They said: “Graham, who was also known to family and friends as Ralphy, will be deeply missed by everyone. He was a popular and friendly person who could always put a smile on someone’s face.
“Graham was the life and soul of the party and will forever be in our hearts.
“There are no words to describe the devastating and unexpected news and the family and friends of Graham would like people to respect their privacy at this sad time.”
It is understood that Mr Lowe had been director at Cars of Swanwick for around 30 years.
Winchester Coroner has been informed about the death and will be opening an inquest in the next few days.