Correcting the record

Autocar invented the road test back in 1928 - or did we? KEITH JONES trawls the past to find the true starting point

- KEITH JONES

Few phrases illustrate language's evolution as succinctly as 'road test'. Free from the constraints of its earlier, literal limitations, nowadays it's applied to myriad scenarios where products or situations are sampled before making informed decisions about whether they warrant our commitment.

Over recent months we have witnessed smartphones, kettles and even databases being subjected to the notion of being 'road tested'. Denominalisation's march is relentless.

As the road test's originators, Autocar defined the concept of reviewing cars in an as-standardised-as-possible manner, amplifying its readers' ability to compare different models' virtues, or lack of. Combined with the series' stoic longevity, its worthiness as a focus for a geeky reference work resonated with me, so a couple of years ago I began working on the Road Test Record.

Autocar cites 13 April 1928 as its road testing legacy's commencement, making it the logical point from which to record data. But was it? Mining the online Autocar Archive's depths confirmed those early Road Tests lacked sequential reference numbers: this development appeared 34 months later, in the 13 February 1931 issue, bearing the number 619.