LUXURY car maker Bentley has marked its 75th anniversary of car making in Crewe by putting a vintage vehicle on display.

A Bentley Mk V, the predecessor to the successful post-war Mk VI model, is being showcased outside the Pyms Lane factory today (Friday) as the firm celebrates its production landmark in Crewe.

The Mk V, was the last pre-Crewe model, before the former Rolls Royce switched its car production from Derby to Crewe in 1946 when the Mk VI was the first car to be made.

The nostalgic touch comes as the current generation Bentley models roll off the production line at record levels.

Peter Bosch, Bentley's Member of the Board for Manufacturing, said: "For 75 years Crewe has been synonymous with luxury car manufacturing and our colleagues have produced some of the world's most iconic and desirable products, including cars for global royalty and unique personal commissions.

"Beyond bricks and mortar, this milestone pays homage to the colleagues who have built our brand in Crewe, and I'd like to express my thanks and admiration for their dedication over three quarters of a century."

During the 75-year period, 197,086 luxury cars have been handcrafted in Crewe and records show that 84 per cent of all cars built for the UK market are still on the road today.

Bentley is currently building 85 cars per day; one month's output, two decades ago.

Although Bentley's history dates back to 1919, Crewe became part of the luxury marque's story in 1938 when the Pyms Lane site was transformed from potato fields to a manufacturing base for Merlin aeroplane engines, during the war efforts

With car production having ceased in the war years, the former home of the company in Derby was committed to building new-era jet engines in 1946, meaning a new location was required.

The Bentley Mark VI was built entirely at Crewe works and the first to be offered with a pressed-steel body shell as standard. It became one of the marque's biggest selling cars in history.

Bentley was bought by the Volkswagen Group in 1998 and the Pyms Lane site underwent significant modernisation.

Over the coming weeks, Bentley's most-recent investment will see the opening of an Engineering Test Centre and R&D building as part of the drive towards electrification by 2026, with the entire model range switching to battery electric vehicles by 2030.