BENTLEY Motors is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of its Crewe design department - as it plans its move to new premises.

Back in 1951 when the department was founded staff captured sketches as watercolour artworks, painted by hand to design the R-Type Continental in 1951.

The watercolour renders, reproduced in scale or full-size technical drawings, depicted elevations and sectional views along the body to help the model makers shape the form of the new car.

Model makers of recent times follow the same processes as they did in the 1950s, only using the latest technology such as scanning equipment and virtual reality modelling.

Measuring arms and scanning equipment enable quicker assessment of three-dimensional models, with accuracy down to hundredths of a millimetre.

Bentley's Director of Design Andreas Mindt said: "Leading the next evolution of Bentley's design DNA is a true honour, especially after so many decades of exquisite design in our studio in Crewe.

"There are iconic Bentleys that were created here – beautiful cars that have stood the test of time, and which inspire our styling cues to this day."

The design team will come together in a new unit on the Bentley campus in the months to come.

That will be a far cry from the work completed during the pandemic.

But Darren Day, the head of interior design and longest serving member of the team, recalled how staff adapted to remote work.

"I had at least two of my design colleagues working in different locations around the world due to the travel restrictions preventing their return to Crewe," he said.

"But using virtual reality we could hold design reviews, assess details, alternate texture, choose colour, swap materials and yet still make progress and achieve our deadlines."

The design team has grown from just five when Darren joined 27 years to more than 50 staff today.

Their work stretches beyond luxury vehicles to bespoke furniture as well as designing the world's first Bentley-branded residences in Sunny Isles Beach, Miami.

Built to suit luxury car owners, each residence includes an in-unit multi-car garage and a patented car elevator.