As Aston Martin readies to take the green flag in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship, its race cars are getting a unique touch in the form of bespoke wings badges.
The opening race of this season’s World Championship is being staged at Silverstone and the Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GTE entries will feature bespoke “Q by Aston Martin” wings handcrafted in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter.
In all, nine badges will be crafted, one to coincide with the flags of each of the countries the Championship visits, starting with a Union Jack inspired piece on each of the three race cars that will start the 6-hour race.
The badges are created using a combination of CAD and ages-old jewellery making tools and machinery (some of which is reportedly more than a century old) by renowned automobile badge manufacturer Vaughtons, located literally across the road from the Jewellery Quarter.
The enamelled wings start off being pressed and annealed for strength and durability, with the ridges smoothed out prior to applying the by hand, and then linished with a fine grindstone to ensure a perfectly smooth surface. They are then fire-glazed, polished and plated for the finished “jewelled” look.
“Our service endeavours to provide customers with a range of unique and personalised options for their road cars,” said Dr. Matthew Bennett, General Manager for Q by Aston Martin. “I’m proud to be able to bring a bespoke touch of luxury to our Aston Martin Racing entries for the 2016 season. We look forward to seeing these iconic Aston Martin wings badges take to some of the world’s leading race circuits.”
There is no word on whether replica badges might be offered to Aston Martin owners, though Q by Aston Martin prides itself on being able to personalize anything on an Aston Martin so it’s undoubtedly just a matter of placing an order.