A deep‑dive into our conversation with YouTuber and engine expert Mike Fernie.

🔧 Who Is Mike Fernie?

Mike Fernie is best known for his fast‑growing YouTube channel focused on engines, automotive engineering, and the hidden brilliance behind everyday car tech. Before going solo, he spent eight years at Drivetribe, experience that shaped his signature blend of technical insight and down‑to‑earth storytelling.

On this episode of My Dad’s Car, Andy and Jon explore the family influences, early memories and formative cars that shaped Mike’s automotive identity.

🧰 Growing Up Around Classics: The MGC & Lanchester

Mike’s earliest car memory is cinematic: opening the garage door as a toddler to find a 1969 MGC and a 1930s Lanchester LD14 waiting inside.

“My dad… his hobby was restoring classic cars.”

These weren’t static museum pieces. They were road‑trip machines, taking Mike and his dad to MG events, the NEC Classic, and even the British Grand Prix. The MGC is currently being restored, with a goal of returning it to the road for the NEC Classic in November.

🚙 The Rover 600: Warm Interiors & Long Drives

Every enthusiast has a childhood car that becomes part of their identity. For Mike, it was the Rover 600, finished in British Racing Green with a cream cloth interior.

“It was always a very cosy car… no matter how cold it was outside.”

It carried him across the UK, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Cornwall, and delivered one unforgettable moment: young Mike leaning forward and shoving the car into gear after the ignition was switched off. The telling‑off was instant and legendary.

This Rover also sparked a lifelong pattern…

🏎️ One‑Upmanship: Outrunning Dad & Granddad

Mike’s Dad and Granddad owned sensible versions of cars Mike would later seek out in their most powerful forms.

  • Granddad: Mk2 Mondeo 1.8

  • Mike: Mondeo ST200

  • Dad: Rover 600 (Honda engine)

  • Mike: Rover 620 Ti

“Clearly there’s something in my head that’s like, no, I want the one‑up from that.”

This theme continues throughout his collection today.

🐯 The Jag Years: X‑Type to S‑Type R

Mike’s dad later bought a Jaguar X‑Type, a car that felt impossibly aspirational to a kid obsessed with Corgi models. But the real milestone came when Mike convinced him to test‑drive a Jaguar S‑Type R, a 4.2‑litre supercharged V8.

“He still daily drives it… absolutely loves it.”

It’s rare to influence your Dad into buying a 400bhp supercharged saloon. Mike managed it.

🎧 The Soundtrack: Kerrang in the Jag, Radio Forth in the Clio

Music is a huge part of Mike’s automotive nostalgia.

His dad’s taste? Surprisingly heavy.

“It wasn’t Neil Diamond… it was Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, Green Day.”

Meanwhile, his mum, a confident, precise driver Mike calls “potentially the best in the family”, preferred Radio Forth and kept up with modern pop long after Mike drifted toward Radio 2.

These contrasting soundtracks shaped his childhood drives.

🏫 School‑Run Supercars & Early Car Spotting

Every car‑obsessed kid remembers the coolest parent in the school car park. For Mike, two stood out:

  • A dad who arrived in a DB9

  • Another with an early Mercedes CLS whose 360 km/h speedo convinced young Mike it was “the fastest car in the world”

He also remembers a neighbour with an Integra DC5, which became part of his first attempt at car journalism. Teenage Mike wrote letters, put them in envelopes, and left them under the wipers of interesting cars asking owners to let him review them.

“I reckon I wrote between 50 and 100 letters… did not hear back from a single person.”

A humble start, but a start nonetheless.

🔧 From Drivetribe to YouTube: Engines, Cat’s Eyes & Niche Brilliance

Mike’s YouTube channel is now known for deep dives into engines, good, bad, and bizarre. But his biggest video so far? A breakdown of the engineering behind cat’s eyes.

“They’re self‑cleaning… they have a little water reservoir in the bottom.”

This perfectly fits his philosophy:
niche but mainstream, everyday objects with hidden engineering genius.

🏁 Poster Cars & Dream Machines

Like many of us, Mike’s imagination was shaped by Top Gear. His poster cars include:

  • Porsche Carrera GT

  • Mercedes SLR

  • Ferrari Enzo

  • Jaguar XJ220

He still alternates weekly between the XJ220 and Carrera GT as his ultimate dream car.

❤️ Why This Episode Resonates

Mike’s story is a reminder that car enthusiasm isn’t just about performance figures. It’s about:

  • The cars our parents drove

  • The music they played

  • The trips we took

  • The moments that shaped us

  • And the machines that still make our hearts race

It’s exactly what My Dad’s Car exists to celebrate.