BACK IN the glory days of print media, the annual British motor show was a highlight of the calendar for anyone working on car magazines. The junior event at Earls Court may have been a lower-key affair but the alternating full-on show filling the giant NEC was for a brief period an international-standard event, prominent enough for manufacturers to stage global unveilings.
The 1998 event was particularly notable for two launches, both of which were crucial for their makers and both of which would be remembered for rather different reasons.
The first was the German idea of a modern British car which was the Rover 75. Unashamedly retro, it was packed with BMW componentry and promised to be the best vehicle which had emerged from the Rover Group since the Longbridge firm parted ways with Honda.
Sadly, the launch was marred by a spectacularly ill-judged speech from BMW chief Bernd Pischetsrieder, essentially threatening the British workforce with closure of the brand should things not
