Revealed: how to make bespoke Aston Martin wings

The 2016 World Endurance Championship kicks-off at Silverstone this weekend and to celebrate, Aston Martin has commissioned a special range of custom wings to adorn its three V8 Vantage GTE entries.

Each of the nine pieces – handcrafted by an expert team of ten jewellers – represents the national flag of a country hosting one of the races on the calendar this year.

“This season really is a fresh start for us,” says Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal Paul Howarth. “With a re-balanced driver line-up and our new V8 Vantage GTE making its competitive debut this weekend, I’m confident that we can put in strong performances throughout the season and carry these wings to strong race results”.

So the team will be focussed on wringing every second out of the cars during the six-hour race on Sunday, and they’ll do so safe in the knowledge that even the badges have been engineered with endurance in mind.

Read on to discover exactly how these bespoke emblems are forged...

After the chrome plate is pressed into shape, the metal block is then heated at nearly a thousand degrees Celsius to add strength and durability.

Some of the techniques used date back to the 19^th century, including this one: the wings are cut away using this simple (yet very precise) sawing machine.

The wings are then filed to remove any rough edges.

More heating adds more toughness. Eventually the chrome plating will be robust enough to survive a ‘salt spray’ test of over 1,000 hours, which replicates the lifetime of the car.

Painting begins, all of which is done by hand. The enamel covering the chrome plate is made of glass.

In total, fewer than a dozen people are involved in the creation of these badges.

After painting, the pieces are finished with a fine grindstone before being glazed and polished.

Once the wings are shiny and lustrous, they are ready to take their place on the car.

The wings have been produced by Aston Martin’s personalisation service ‘Q by Aston Martin’. “We look forward to seeing these iconic Aston Martin wings badges take to some of the world’s leading race circuits,” says General Manager, Dr Matthew Bennett.

See the entire process here.