Five cars belonging to the late engineer and inventor Alex Moulton go under the hammer in Oxford on Monday.

The auction at Bonhams falls on the first anniversary of Dr Moulton’s death and the money raised will go back into preserving the Moulton heritage.

The cars have been stored at The Hall in Bradford on Avon, Mr Moulton’s home, and include a 1981 Austin Mini Metro 1.35 Saloon, a 2000 Rover Mini 1.3i Saloon, a 1964 Morris Mini Moke, a 1997 Bentley Brooklands Saloon and a 1966 Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ Saloon.

Dan Farrell, technical director at Moulton Bicycle Company, said: “All of them, except for the Bentley, he put his stamp on. The Mini Moke, Metro and the Cooper ‘S’ are historically significant in the Moulton story and indeed the entire British car manufacturing story.”

Dr Moulton was renowned for his expertise in the field of suspension design and he continued driving, in the Rover Mini 1.3i Saloon, until around the age of 90. This same car was parked by the entrance of Holy Trinity Church in Bradford on Avon on the day of his funeral last year.

Patrick Toynbee, senior valuer at Bonhams, said: “We are expecting a lot of interest because he was such an iconic figure in car design.

“We have a huge worldwide mailing list so the catalogue is emailed out to our buyers and they can view it on the website.”

On the day there will be people bidding in person, on the phone and via the internet.

Mr Toynbee added: “They are part of a big auction with other cars so there is something for everybody. They can appeal to collectors and restorers. The Mini Moke needs some TLC, so someone could restore that.”

Mr Farrell added: “I am sure there are enough enthusiasts out there. Dr Moulton would have been very keen to see them preserved but he would have also been keen to see them being used.”