1936 Squire Supercharged – Classified of the Week

Now, we can’t speak for everyone here, but, when we were 21 we were not doing much. The chances are, we were nursing a hangover of some description, or working on getting one down at the student union. Back in 1931, however, a 21 year-old chap by the name of Adrian Squire was doing neither of those things. In fact, by the time he reached that age he had already accrued time with both Bentley and MG. But that wasn’t enough, so at what seems like an impossibly young age by today’s standards, he set up his own car company. Namely the Squire Manufacturing Company. Now, you can be forgiven if it’s not a name you’ve heard of. Only seven cars were ever built. But what fine cars they were, as evidenced by this glorious 1936 example.

Don’t think that because so few were made, they were rubbish. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The cars were fast, they had world class stopping power, and thanks to Frazer-Nash getting rid of British Anzani, they were powered by a cutting edge engine. In fact, it’s the engine that wins the headline here. Small in stature at a mere 1,496cc it boasted double overhead cams, and a rev-happy nature. Naturally aspirated, it generated 100hp. This one, however, was supercharged and thus packed more power.

The chassis was built for speed, care of being extremely rigid. Buyers could have it in short or long wheelbase, depending on how many seats they wanted. Bodies were, naturally for a high-end car of the time, constructed by Vanden Plas. It was a glorious, exciting, powerful, fast machine that should have put Squire on the map. Sadly though, it didn’t. The car was just too expensive for inter-war buyers. It was well over £1,000, which was Bugatti money. Only seven were built before the company folded in late 1936. Squire himself would go on to work for Lagonda and then the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Of the seven built, JB8776 was one of a kind. The sixth car built, it was the only lightweight version, and it was campaigned in the 1936 RAC Rally in a bid to drum up interest in this newest of names. As we know, that didn’t work, but the car wasn’t mothballed. Instead, a chain of enthusiastic owners carried on racing the car over the following decades. VSCC events and even two Mille Miglia events have been completed, along with myriad other events around the globe. Not content with being a proven racer, JB8776 was also a screen star, featuring as a background player in 1968’s The Devil Rides Out starring Christopher Lee.

Still in glorious condition thanks to caring owners willing to exploit this little car’s sporting abilities, this is a pre-war car like no other. It’s a characterful, cheeky little thing that is ready to be used and to be raced. The engine was overhauled by the previous owner, who was apparently all too keen to check it could still crack the promised 100mph. It’s been repainted red at some point, and looks stunning as a result. A car so special should be a bright hue. It is a truly special car, and this sale is a true ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity. The price? On application, we’re afraid. But if you’re passionate about cars of this vintage, you’ll know that whatever the number is, it’s worth it.