This year, the Pirelli Calendar is celebrating its 50 years and the 50th edition will feature unreleased monochrome images from 1986.

This year, the Pirelli Calendar is celebrating its 50 years and the 50th edition will feature unreleased monochrome images from 1986.

Every year one of the greatest photographers in the world shoots with some of the finest models ever for the Pirelli Calendar which has become a fashion icon on its own. The 1986 photo session was shot by Helmut Newton. The images have not been published so far.

The Italian and the British editions of the Pirelli Calendar were separate from each other in the mid-80s. The UK edition appointed U.S. photographer Bert Stern, while the Italian edition appointed the German-Australian photographer, according to ELLE. Pirelli explained that Mr Newton had to withdraw himself due to his personal problems. Mr Stern produced the 1986 calendar. Nevertheless, Mr Newton had already conceived and shot for the Italian edition. The collection of photos was archived as Pirelli waited for the perfect occasion to release its 'family heirloom'.

The Italian company, which sells tyres but made its name in the fashion world with some of the incredible calendars in the history, launched the maiden calendar in 1964. It started as a means of boosting their marketing strategies. However, the calendar has carved a distinct name on its own over the years. Pirelli thought that its 50th anniversary should be the perfect occasion to release the monochrome masterpieces. Vogue reports that Pirelli organised a commemorative shoot in August, calling some of greatest Pirelli girls in the recent past like Helena Christensen, Miranda Kerr and Alessandra Ambrosio.

Mr Newton could not see his work getting published as he died in a car accident in 2004. He shot the 1986 images in the villages and the countryside of Italy. Mr Newton was best known for his nudes as a photographer. On the contrary, he apparently had a more restricted approach while shooting the 1986 images. The Pirelli Foundation reconstructed the 1986 structures to recreate the magic.

Watch the Pirelli Calendar HD video here.(Warning: Nudity)