We opened the Berlingo hangar to find two helicopters parked inside.citroen had chosen shuttleworth, that gem of a midlands airfield, to launch its new car, and along with the motoring there was going to be a bit of airborne fun too.

Julian Leyton, a senior PR man at Citroen's UK operations, must be the world's most ham-fisted chopper pilot. Ten seconds after take-off his machine was a wreck strewn across the grass.