How a hidden profanity in a car magazine led to a famous firing

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Launched in 1895 when only six cars existed in Britain, Autocar claims to be the world's oldest automotive magazine. While it pioneered the modern road test, its history is also marked by eccentric staff, including a future television star fired for hiding a vulgar message within a 1992 yearbook.

Founded by Iliffe and Son Ltd on 2 November 1895, Autocar was initially titled The Autocar. Henry Sturmey, the magazine's first editor, reportedly established the publication as a propaganda tool for Harry J. Lawson, the founder of the Daimler Company. At the time, the magazine served the interests of the few people operating mechanically propelled road carriages in the United Kingdom. Over the following century, the publication evolved from a niche interest into a global brand, now licensed in sixteen countries including Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The magazine is credited with inventing the formal road test in 1928, when it analyzed the Austin 7 Gordon England Sunshine Saloon. This commitment to rigorous performance data has remained a hallmark of the publication, which has provided independent testing for iconic vehicles like the McLaren F1, the Jaguar XJ220, and the Bugatti Veyron. Beyond standard automotive journalism, the magazine occasionally tests unusual subjects, such as the Concorde or the HMS Ark Royal, in its annual Christmas issue.

The publication's history is also defined by its colorful contributors. Former writers include Chris Harris and James May. May’s tenure ended abruptly in 1992 after he grew bored while writing the entire 'Road Test Yearbook.' He embedded a hidden acrostic across the magazine's pages that, when read together, formed a profane complaint about the difficulty of writing the reviews. Once readers decoded the message, May was dismissed. Today, the magazine continues under editor Mark Tisshaw, maintaining its legacy by digitizing its entire archive dating back to its Victorian origins.

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