Young people can still possess a lifetime of experience. Michael Squire has quickly risen through the ranks to be one of our top specialists and Director of Research, though his career path didn’t initially involve consigning classic cars. After earning his mechanical engineering degree from London's Imperial College, Michael pursued a position in an even more difficult automotive field: New car construction.

Thankfully for Michael, his engineering acumen must have placed him clearly above the legions of people vying for a spot at an OEM, as he was given a job by the UK’s most prestigious living automotive engineer, Gordon Murray of Gordon Murray Engineering. Michael is characteristically modest about his time working with the genius McLaren F1 creator, yet Murray has called the project Michael contributed to, a nimble, yet strong, flat-pack truck called the OX, his proudest creation after decades of designing.

As promising as Michael’s OEM engineering career was proving to be, it still was not his only passion. From a young age, Michael’s father introduced him to the world of vintage racing. Time spent practically growing up in the paddocks of the UK’s greatest rallies, hillclimbs, and concours d’elegance left a lasting impression on Michael. And lest you think the interest was merely cosmetic, Michael’s second-place overall finish in the RAC TT Celebration race at the 2016 Goodwood Revival in the silver 1964 AC Ace, shown above, should dissuade you of that notion. A Specialist with serious skills behind the wheel, we caught up with Michael recently and quickly delivered our Fast Five questions:

1. What was your first car? Any memorable early drives? 

My first car was a hand-down from my sisters, a 2002 Mini One. Unfortunately, they had chosen the colour so it was Liquid Yellow, the logic being that everyone could see you coming…equally all my teachers could see me going early from school. My strongest memory with the Mini was the night when I decided to find out what its top speed really was…amazingly it is still out there going strong! New Minis are great cars, everyone I know who has one loves it and they have been my everyday car since I learnt to drive.

2. Do you have a car you wish you bought early on? The "one that got away"? 

I inherited my passion for cars from my Dad and we enjoy cars together whether it’s racing, rallying, or going out for a drive. Back in 2009, there was an ex-Waldegard 1967 911S which he had raced for most of that season as part of a team backed by the Swedish importer. The history was phenomenal, but the floors were gone, it had the wrong engine and gearbox, etc. I remember it was around £50K, and we decided it was going to cost too much to sort so we passed on it. We have enjoyed other cars instead, but that 911S is definitely one we missed.

3. Where do you believe the classic car world is heading? Any surprising trends you're noticing?

This year has certainly been a challenge and has really laid bare how linked the market is to events and for positive reasons I think that is only set to continue. In the UK we’ve recently had headlines about the ban of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, it could frighten people into thinking that the combustion engine is doomed, but before coronavirus more people were attending collector car events than ever before. I think as motoring becomes electrified; the enjoyment people derive from historic cars will only become more intense as these cars become less a part of our daily lives. People will view them as more a part of the heritage of our society; cars were (and are) a huge force for good.

In normal times, droves of people from all over the world would be visiting old stately homes in the UK throughout the year, and when a Supermarine Spitfire flies over it stops everyone in their tracks, despite the fact that few people who participated in WW2 are alive today. It’s a visceral experience. So, I think the love of collecting cars will endure and only get stronger.

4. During your time at RM Sotheby’s you've consigned some incredible cars, what are you looking for in a consignment?

Depends on the age of the car, all cars are essentially wasting assets so there will come a point when a fully restored F40 will be more desirable than a ‘low mileage’ example with many owners and not a lot of paperwork to prove someone didn’t take the cable out of the speedometer; at the moment it seems to be the other way around which beats me! Saying that, nothing trumps great provenance, originality, and condition—and by provenance, I mean the right stories. One thing I have learned is that my opinion on this exact question will change and so will market sentiment. More recently I’ve become more much interested in cars which have clearly been loved for the entirety of their existence, not left to become derelict or kept in a collection where it will be looked at a few times a year and never driven. The best example of this I can think of is the ex-Forrest Lycett Bentley 8 Litre which set the last records at Brooklands in September 1939; he had an agreement with the Sears family that on his passing it would be sold to them and after decades of ownership it passed to an equally great custodian through another prior agreement. It is good to know one of the greatest pre-war cars in existence has been cherished its entire life.

5. Vintage racing is a strong part of your experience—any advice for people participating in their first one?

Some of my favourite memories are from racing, so if you are thinking of getting into racing then do it! I remember my first race vividly, I hardly got a wink of sleep the night before and the majority of the paddock were seemingly lovely people; by the time I had made it out of Paddock Hill Bend at Brands Hatch, all these lovely people had turned into F1 drivers! I finished stone cold last and it was then that I understood racing, there was no waiting for other people at the door. Thankfully, I raced back up to where I qualified, despite the biggest ‘tank slapper’ I’ve ever had (it was never-ending). When everyone got out of their cars, we were friends again.

Historic racing is about enjoying yourself and nothing else, remember that at all times and you’ll have a great time and make friends for life; for your first meeting be very organised and if you have a friend who races then stick around them for a race weekend before you do it to see how it all works (signing on, scrutineering, briefings etc.). Some people take historic racing far too seriously now; there’s nothing wrong with being quick, a lot of my friends are very quick, but if someone is only at a historic race meeting to race then they’ve mistakenly attended the wrong meeting and are not worth speaking to. If anyone wants some advice, then my email is somewhere on this website…

Learn more about Michael on his profile!