We’ve been an automotive badge manufacturer for over a decade and have seen various designs and ideas. We’ve put together a list of OEM automotive badges that we like, from both a design and manufacturing perspective. We briefly explain the history of the vehicles and badges and then attempt to predict how we believe these famous badges are manufactured. When car badges were first made they were often manufactured from metal, this was a premium finish and was suitable for low-volume production. As production numbers of vehicles has increased and durability plays a key role, injection moulded car badges is often the most popular method of production.
10. Alfa Romeo
Quick History: Founded in 1910 in Milan, Italy, Alfa Romeo's emblem features a red cross and a serpent devouring a human figure. The red cross represents Milan's emblem, and the serpent-eating-man motif is derived from the coat of arms of the Visconti family, rulers of Milan in the 11th century. The badge has seen various changes but maintains a consistent design.
How we think it’s made:
The Alfa Romeo badge is a particularly intricate design with various finishes and processes involved to create the iconic emblem. There are various methods that could be used to create this effect but as automotive badge manufacturers we predict this badge is most likely created by utilising a few processes. Firstly the badge is housed, in what looks to be a chrome plated plastic injection moulded carrier. Within the carrier looks to be a combination of pressed aluminium and enamel filling. If we were manufacturing this OEM car badge we would explore the option of a highly decorated resin decal.
9. Corvette Stringray
Quick History: The Chevrolet Corvette, a renowned American muscle car often featured in Hollywood movies, has an interesting history. The Corvette Stingray's origins trace back to the first generation Corvette introduced in 1953. The official use of the Stingray name, however, began with the second generation (C2) launched in 1963. Early Corvettes were stylish but lacked the high performance image associated with the later Stingray models. The Stingray badge design is emblematic of this iconic phase in Corvette history.
How we think it’s made:
The Corvette Stingray is great example of 'less is more', this extremely unique automotive badge is one of the simplest to create. This badge will most likely have been manufactured by a plastic injection moulder and either chrome plated or painted depending on the finish required. Some designs are chrome plated as per the image or they are painted in black.
8. Aston Martin
Quick History: Aston Martin, a quintessential British sports car brand famously associated with James Bond, was established in 1913 in London by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford as "Bamford & Martin Ltd." The name "Aston Martin" was inspired by Lionel Martin's racing experiences at Aston Hill. The distinctive badge of Aston Martin prominently features a pair of outstretched wings, a consistent element since the company's early days. Symbolising speed, freedom, and dynamic performance, these wings create a sense of flight, embodying the brand's aspiration for high speed travel and racing success.
How we think it’s made:
As car badge makers we are often asked for ideas on how to create elaborate OEM car badges, our most popular solution is to injection mould a chrome plated carrier and house a resin decal within the carrier. The Aston Martin badge is an example of this, a relatively simple process that can create a highly unique and premium finish.
7. Maserati
Quick History: Founded in 1914 in Bologna, Italy, Maserati began as a tuner before producing its first complete car, the Tipo 26, in 1926, marking the start of its racing involvement. The iconic Maserati trident logo is inspired by the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore, symbolising the god's control over the seas and reflecting the company's racing heritage and origin.
How we think it’s made:
Like all car badge designs the Maserati Trident has changed slightly over time. The Trident is a good example of combining both design with manufacturability, the design is a one piece moulding which means tooling, moulding and assembly are the cost effective. This OEM car badge is almost certainly plastic injection moulded and chrome plated as a one piece chrome car badge
6. Dodge Hellcat
Quick History: Founded in 1900 by brothers John F. Dodge and Horace Elgin Dodge, Dodge initially supplied parts to Detroit based car manufacturers. In 1914, they ventured into producing vehicles, launching the Dodge Model 30. The "Hellcat" name is inspired by the World War II fighter plane Grumman F6F Hellcat, known for speed and firepower, reflecting Dodge's intent for exceptional performance. The Hellcat badge typically showcases an aggressive looking cat, symbolising the power and ferocity of the Hellcat.
How we think it’s made:
When manufacturing automotive badges, a vast majority of designs utilise chrome plating to achieve a premium finish. However, chrome will coat the entire badge meaning a lack of contrast branding. The Hell Cat badge is plastic injection moulded that is hot tip foiled to create the contrast silver on black finish. This is a cost effective method as the badge is a single piece and hot tip foiling is a relatively simple process.
5. Abarth
Quick History: Abarth, the Italian racing and road car manufacturer renowned for high-performance models, was established in 1949 by Austrian-Italian engineer and racer Carlo Abarth. Initially specialising in performance parts and tuning kits, especially for Fiat cars, the iconic scorpion logo, introduced in the early 1960s, is a reference to founder Carlo Abarth's zodiac sign and has become synonymous with the brand.
How we think it’s made:
The Abarth logo consists of a number of colours and therefore looks to be a decal housed within a injection moulded recess to ensure a snug fit for the branding as well as providing a more premium finish to the OEM car badge.
4. Pagani Huayra
Quick History: Pagani, an Italian hypercar manufacturer renowned for exquisite craftsmanship and extreme performance, was founded in 1992 by Argentine-Italian engineer Horacio Pagani. With a background in composite materials from his time at Lamborghini, Pagani aimed to create exclusive and technologically advanced hypercars. The name "Huayra" finds its roots in the Quechua language of the Andean region, where "Wayra" signifies the wind or spirit of the wind. This choice reflects Pagani's appreciation for Andean culture, conveying the dynamic and powerful nature of the Huayra by drawing inspiration from the wind's force and energy.
How we think it’s made:
Although the Pagani Huayra badge is definitely not manufactured via injection moulding we had to include it in our list. Crafting the Huayra badge is a meticulous process that takes around 24 hours as the badge on the car's rear bumper is machined from a solid aluminium block over the course of a day, mirroring the method used for crafting the car's aluminium wheels.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/tombilesappsphotography/
3. Rolls Royce
Quick History: Renowned for craftsmanship and opulence, Rolls-Royce, a symbol of luxury, was officially founded on May 4, 1904, by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Rolls, a wealthy car dealer, partnered with Royce, a meticulous engineer. The iconic hood ornament, the Spirit of Ecstasy, also known as the "Flying Lady" or "Emily," symbolises luxury and automotive elegance. This figurine represents freedom, speed, and the pursuit of perfection, aligning with the core values of the Rolls-Royce brand.
How we think it’s made:
The Spirit of Ecstasy is one of the most iconic forms of automotive badging, unfortunately this badge is definitely not injection moulded. The Spirit of Ecstasy is almost 100% made from casting in steel to produce the one piece solid statue.
2. Mclaren Senna
Quick History: Established in 1963 by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren, McLaren began as Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, competing in Formula One and car racing. The McLaren Senna, a hypercar, pays tribute to Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, reflecting his notable association with McLaren in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The minimalistic black and silver design of the Senna badge is believed to prioritise weight savings, emphasising the car's track focused nature.
How we think it’s made:
The Mclaren Senna badge is a very minimalistic design, we don’t believe this is from lack of creativity but in fact to aid in further weight saving on the vehicle. The design is a cored out injection moulded badge hot tip foiled. Overall this badge design would have less weight than a chrome plated solid badge which is more in keeping with the light weight properties of the Mclaren Senna.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/zainvizualz/
1. Ferrari
Quick History: In 1939, Enzo Ferrari founded Auto Avio Costruzioni, initially concentrating on producing race cars and sponsoring drivers for Alfa Romeo. The Ferrari legacy began with the debut of the 125 S in 1947, the first car to bear the Ferrari name. With a 1.5-liter V12 engine, it marked the inception of Ferrari's road car heritage. The Ferrari logo features a black prancing horse on a yellow background. It pays homage to World War I fighter Francesco Baracca, who painted a similar horse on his aircraft. Enzo Ferrari adopted the symbol for good luck, modifying it and adding the yellow background. The logo represents speed, power, and Ferrari's racing heritage.
How we think it’s made:
The Ferrari name badge is a good example of a badge designed for manufacturing, this is most likely an injection moulded chrome finished car badge. Although the joining of the letters looks to be part of the design its in fact to ensure the OEM car badge can be moulded as one piece. This not only brings tooling costs down, it also ensure chrome plating and assembly are easier. It just shows the even Ferrari are looking at cost efficient ways of manufacturing their parts.
Get In Touch
We hope you enjoyed our list of OEM automotive car badges, a combination of injection moulded parts as well as a few other methods of production. If you are looking at manufacturing a vehicle badge or part please get in touch as we are confident we can help.
