AN evening of Gallic charm, with a still-secret car as a star guest in a surprise British premiere, helped Southampton dealership Freeborn Citroen launch the latest C5 to its customers.

Andrew Jones, Citroen dealer principal at Freeborn's Stadium Motor Village in Southampton, said: "We had a fantastic evening introducing 100 VIP customers to the French lifestyle.

"There was a fashion show, demonstrations of French cuisine and perfumes, wine-tasting and the smoothest of hand-made chocolates.

"In the first week the C5 went on sale we sold six of the cars and, as a mark of our special relationship with Citroen - we are one of its largest and longest-established privately-owned Citroen dealerships in the UK - they sent along a C5 Tourer, a car that remains under wraps officially until June.

"Three guests immediately signed up to buy the car, which everyone agreed to be a real knock-out.

"The car was delivered straight into the showroom by Citroen using a closed transporter on the afternoon before the party and the following morning it was whisked away again before you could say croissants'!

"But what an impression it made!

"The evening was a great blend of socialising and talking about cars with our retail and fleet customers showing just how much they knew. There were some interesting discussions, but then the C5 is the type of car that inflames passions.

"Everyone here made a big effort to ensure the evening was both enjoyable and memorable - there wasn't even time to sneak out the back for a crafty Gaulloise!"