The stunned driver called police after he parked his car and spotted the snake slithering out of the headlight and across the bonnet.
Officers alerted animal rescue expert Dave Bigsby who raced to the scene in Scarborough on Saturday afternoon (June 13).
He opened the bonnet to discover the snake coiled firmly around the engine block with its head coming out of the front light.
The driver had travelled 20 miles from Bridlington with the snake under the bonnet.
Dave, 52, who runs Lilly’s Reptile Rescue, said: “Some passersby spotted it and the driver rang 101.
“The police put them in touch with myself. I got there within ten minutes but the snake had vanished.
“I rang 101 and then they chased the owner who came back and opened the bonnet for us.
“It was wrapped up in the engine bay, you can’t pull on them too much for the fear of damaging them.
“It was a case of holding onto it and waiting - I was doing that for nearly two hours.
“The Ford Fiesta had travelled from Bridlington to Scarborough which is about 20 miles.
“When it parked up, it came out onto the bonnet and that’s when the members of the public spotted it.
“It must have slithered under the car, up into the bonnet and stuck on the right hand strut spring at the back of the engine bay.
"It travelled some distance, it’s a miracle it didn’t get squashed."
Dave spent two hours freeing the animal and has now managed to track down the relieved owner.
He added: “I got back and tagged a lot of pages on Facebook.
"Someone got in touch and we verified the owner comparing his picture to markings on the snake. He’s coming next week to collect it.
“This has got to be one of the most unusual places to find a snake.”
Corn snakes, also known as red rat snakes, originate in North America and can grow up to 180cm (70ins) long.
5. Dave Bigsby, removing the snake from the car. // This is the moment a 2ft corn snake was pulled free from an engine bay after travelling 20 miles hidden inside a Ford Fiesta. The female corn snake was spotted by shocked tourists in Scarborough, East Yorkshire, on June 13. The reptile was seen wriggling around the bonnet of the red Ford before quick-thinking members of the public called 101. But before reptile expert Dave Bigsby could reach the scene, the animal had wedged itself against the cars engine.
Dave Bigsby, removing the snake from the car. Photo: SWNS
6. Dave Bigsby, with the snake. // This is the moment a 2ft corn snake was pulled free from an engine bay after travelling 20 miles hidden inside a Ford Fiesta. The female corn snake was spotted by shocked tourists in Scarborough, East Yorkshire, on June 13. The reptile was seen wriggling around the bonnet of the red Ford before quick-thinking members of the public called 101. But before reptile expert Dave Bigsby could reach the scene, the animal had wedged itself against the cars engine.
Dave Bigsby, with the snake. Photo: SWNS
7. Dave Bigsby, with the snake and Lynn. // This is the moment a 2ft corn snake was pulled free from an engine bay after travelling 20 miles hidden inside a Ford Fiesta. The female corn snake was spotted by shocked tourists in Scarborough, East Yorkshire, on June 13. The reptile was seen wriggling around the bonnet of the red Ford before quick-thinking members of the public called 101. But before reptile expert Dave Bigsby could reach the scene, the animal had wedged itself against the cars engine.
Dave Bigsby, with the snake and Lynn. Photo: SWNS