Why go through all the hassle of dealing with airlines, hotels, and rental-car agencies yourself, only to see the arrangements get all screwed up, when with just a single phone call you can have a trained professional screw them up for you?

The Gray Man hated his current rental car. He got the distinct impression it hadn't been handled enough by humans when it was young, and now it would never be pleasant to be around.

This scheme is unique among car dealers and offers people a rare chance to hire an executive model. Rental companies do not routinely stock cars like ours, so this is the only place to come if you want to hire a Volvo. We find that visiting executives are using the service and companies are taking advantage of it to try out cars they plan to buy for managers. It's a big commitment to spend £30-£40,000 on a car. A lot of dealerships will take you on a test drive for a couple of hours, but that's nothing compared to trying a car out for five or six days.

It's much better to be open and transparent about it. These are obviously issues that all agencies are dealing with and it's much better that we are open about them and confront them head on, that we spot them early on and take action early on, rather than try and do any kind of cover up.

The notes that really create a hassle are the ones at the last minute. You're dealing with one child; we're dealing with 40 or 50.

Auto racing is boring except when a car is going at least 172 miles per hour upside down.