As the smell of burning rubber wafted through the air and bits of shredded tyre peppered the crowd, something sinister appeared to go unnoticed at a West Australian car show over the weekend: swastikas.

Key points: Event organiser Daniel Andre says he hadn't noticed the car with the swastika, and if he had, he would have asked for it to be removed

Event organiser Daniel Andre says he hadn't noticed the car with the swastika, and if he had, he would have asked for it to be removed A University of Adelaide academic says the swastika is a symbol for Neo-Nazism and extreme right-wing views, and if there are signs of it, it should be "called out"

A University of Adelaide academic says the swastika is a symbol for Neo-Nazism and extreme right-wing views, and if there are signs of it, it should be "called out" Mr Andre says swastikas are not part of the culture of the burnouts club

Self-proclaimed "rev-heads" and "bogans" travelled for hundreds of kilometres to come together in the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie for a burnout competition.

Amid fumes, noise and metal, 48 customised cars competed to make the most smoke, blow the most tyres and get the crowd on their feet.

This was not a political rally or a white supremacist meeting; it was a public event attended by families, car enthusiasts and curious locals.

But one of the cars featured a swastika and an engine decorated with military-style helmets.

A young man wearing a swastika watches the burnout competition. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Rhiannon Stevens )

Swastika not 'derogatory'

Goldfields Burnouts organiser Daniel Andre said he had not noticed the car with the swastika.

"If I had have seen it, I would have asked them to take it off," he said.

However, the car had been approved by a scrutineer and given a safety check when entered in the competition.

After the ABC showed Mr Andre a photo of the car, he said he did not believe it was meant to be "derogatory".

Smoke from car burnouts wafts into the crowd in Kalgoorlie at Goldfields Burnouts. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Rhiannon Stevens )

But an academic, who works in the area of racism, prejudice, and inter-group conflict at the University of Adelaide begged to differ.

Professor Martha Augoustinos from the University of Adelaide said the swastika was an easily identifiable political symbol.

"A swastika in Western countries is easily recognisable as a political symbol, which stands for Neo-Nazism and support for right-wing extremist views around nationalism, white identity and very explicit racist views," she said.

"When we see signs of it we need to call it out."

People are expressing these views more openly and publicly because the social norms around supressing these views have been loosened, Professor Augoustinos said.

"I think we're seeing that resulting in waves of right-wing extremism emerging in Europe, in Britain, in the USA, in Australia, and of course recently in New Zealand," she said.

"I think we've got our heads in the sand if we think that right-wing extremism doesn't occur in this country, in our neighbourhoods and backyards."

Vehicles queue for their turn on the burnout pad. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Rhiannon Stevens )

Not the first time

This is not the first time swastikas have appeared in Kalgoorlie, and it was not the only incident on the day.

Mr Andre said he had not noticed any swastikas in the crowd, but someone had written something "offensive" in the dirt and on a car, and he made sure it was removed.

"Don't be fooled into thinking that's the culture [of the burnouts club], with swastikas and what-not in mind, that's not what it's about at all," Mr Andre said.

This was not a political rally or a white supremacist meeting, it was a public event attended by families, car enthusiasts and curious locals. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Rhiannon Stevens )

About 400 people attended the official event, with St John Ambulance and the local fire brigade providing support.

The ABC has approached the driver of the car for comment.