Pirelli 2014 Calendar: Helmut Newton's Portraits Brought Back to Life for 50th Edition

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Pirelli calendar, the Italian tyre company has decided to forgo the usual top models and exaggerated sensuality to release a special pictorial edition celebrating the work of photographer Helmut Newton.

The vintage calendar features previously unseen images shot by Newton in 1986. After he abandoned the project because of personal issues,it remained unpublished - until now.

Newton's assistants Manuela Pavesi and Xavier Alloncle helped complete his photos and stored them away in the Pirelli archives as a "family heirloom".

"Newton had everything in his head. He was a visionary and he liked that theme 'poor woman and wealthy woman' we had done together," Pavesi said.

The new calendar features 12 black and white fine art photographs, plus 28 behind-the-scenes images, all shot in Monte Carlo and Chianti.

It serves as a nostalgic throwback to an era before supermodels and Hollywood stars dominated the Pirelli marketing strategy. Naomi Campbell was the first model to pose for the calendar when Terence Donova took the helm in 1987.

But not everybody was pleased about the decision to honour Newton.

Fans expecting to see modern-day icons such as Helena Christensen, Alek Wek and Miranda Kerr expressed their disappointment on Twitter.

One critic wrote: " No sexy nudes this year :-("

IBTimes UK has a look at a few of the images.