Trail blazers

‘Right! No left, definitely left. Erm, could that have been a right? Did we pass a church?’

Such was the riveting in-car banter on a typical car launch in the 1980s and ’90s as motoring journalists attempted to read a map and directions, while keeping to a well-planned schedule between hotel, various coffee stops, photographic points and lunch. Spoiled luxury it certainly was, but to be fair, there was a bit more to it than swanning around at walking pace.

Here we look at the other side of the car launch, the route planners, who juggled airports, routes, print schedules (for them as well as us) and journalists who didn’t want to drive much and others who were gimlet-eyed in their serious search for the soul of the new model.