A UNIQUE piece of Bentley design - a 'soapbox' or Down Hill Racer designed by engineers and graduates at the Crewe firm - has raised more than £5,000 in a silent auction for The Prince’s Trust.

The winning bidder, Bentley enthusiast John Watkinson, travelled to Crewe this week to collect his prize.

Code-named EXP 9.83, the Down Hill Racer has a fully engineered body and suspension and won second place in the 2004 Goodwood Gravity Racing Club Soapbox Challenge.

Directly influenced by Bentley’s 2003 Le Mans winning race car the Bentley Speed 8, it has traditional Bentley traits such as a leather trimmed fibre glass seat and a hand carved walnut steering wheel.

Every year Bentley graduates are encouraged to organise and run fundraising activities as part of their professional development programme.

This year’s graduates managed to secure the Down Hill Racer for the silent auction, which is part of a wider range of fundraising activities for the Prince’s Trust Million Makers challenge.

The auction was launched at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power in July and has attracted significant interest from Bentley enthusiasts.

Bentley's Richard Charlesworth said: "We encourage our graduates to get involved in fundraising and community events developing new skills and engaging with the local community.

"This year’s team certainly used all of their powers of persuasion and negotiation to secure the Down Hill Racer for the auction, so we are delighted that Mr Watkinson made such a generous offer.

"It really is a unique piece of Bentley design and his donation will go towards a very worth cause.”

John Watkinson said: “I was fascinated that the youngsters spent so much time designing the Down Hill Racer using such advanced technology in a prototype.

"The money is going to a great cause and the Soapbox to a good home.”