CREWE'S Bentley Motors is staging an art auction to raise money for The Christie cancer hospital in Manchester.

The firm's styling and design team have turned their creative energy to making art, to be auctioned on the evening of December 1 at Bonhams auction house in London.

The collection includes a vast array of sculptures, painting, digital art and photography.

Created in many different media, from sculptures in bronze and set in wood, to metal and leather, to palette knife and brush paintings on canvas, the works showcase the imagination of the men and women who design Bentley cars.

A total of 22 designers have been involved in the project, including digital designers and clay modellers.

Head designer Dirk van Braeckel said the work embodies the best aesthetics possible, with advanced technology in the forefront.

He said: “The team worked up some early ideas on sketches and pen and paper but everything else is all done on a computer.

"There has been a tremendous response from all the team from the day the idea was born.

"People have been doing additional work – after originally saying they would do one piece, they want to add more work."

The team has received support and encouragement from the Bentley board, with ten of the pieces on display to international press and customers who attended the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The inspiration originated with Richard Gilmartin, whose mother died of cancer and who has been raising money for the Christie since 2001.

Bonhams the auctioneer has donated its premises in Bond Street to hold the auction for 300 invited guests.

The auction will be conducted by James Knight, international managing director of Collectors Cars at Bonhams.

Online bidding will be available exclusively on the Bentley website www.bentleydesignpassion.com. All 40 pieces will be open for bidding from November 4.

Online bidding will finish at midday on the day of the auction at Bonhams and the highest bids transferred to the auction room.

The live auction of 25 artworks will take place at Bonhams, where guests will still be encouraged to bid silently at the event for the remaining 15 pieces.