Three men were seen pouring petrol into cars which then caught fire on St Clement Street in Aberdeen.
Police are appealing for information on the incident during which four cars were damaged.
The incident took place at around 2am on Monday May 24.
Pictures from the scene show a police cordon in place on Monday lunchtime, with the burnt-out vehicles suffering damage to the paintwork and windows.
The vehicles targeted, believed to be a Nissan Note, Mazda 3, Vauxhall Meriva and Kia Sportage, were all placed behind the cordon while a police vehicle was parked nearby.
Detective Sergeant John Pirie, from CID at Queen Street Police Station, said: “Three men were seen to exit a silver vehicle in the earlier hours of this morning and pour petrol into four cars in the street.
“Two of the cars caught fire but were quickly extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. No one was hurt as a result.
“We are keen to trace the three men responsible and I would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward.
“I would also appeal to anyone who has a ring door bell or CCTV to get in touch, you may have captured something that may assist our enquiry.”
North-east region Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden said: “This is an awful deed that could have had even more serious consequences.
“A coordinated crime like this is entirely out of character for Aberdeen.
“So someone will know something about it, and I urge them to come forward with information to help the investigation.”
He added the incident had taken up significant fire service and police resources, at a time when those on the front line could least afford it.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101 and quote the reference number 0204.