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From the text of his book The MGB it records that in late 1978, as the 1979 model year MGB made its appearance, the wide open theme remained, but the special gimmick this time was a giant red hot-air balloon - at 350,000 cubic feet, the second largest such balloon in the world. The MGB had been converted to a gondola, with steel bars welded to the front and rear of the body, which allowed the car to be suspended precariously beneath the balloon on four steel cables. A propane gas cylinder was installed in the boot, while the "burn" controls were in the car interior. The ensemble - which the company had to register with the Federal Aviation Authority as an "experimental aircraft" - was flown to 6,500 feet as part of another bold thirty second television advertisement, breaking the record for the heaviest lift by a hot-air balloon in the process.
Citroen must be feeling somewhat deflated, having issued communications about their assumed success.
Issued by MG Rover Group Communications