Published On 6/16/2022
On Tuesday June 14 twenty-four members and friends from Area 22 and beyond visited Vaughtons in Birmingham. Established in 1819 they continue to make medals, regalia, and chains of office in gold, silver and other precious metals. Why is this interesting to us? Simply because they also make the badges which define the models of our cars including the “wing” on the bonnet. These guys are jewellers, taking infinite care to get the product perfect. We walked round the factory with the Managing Director, Nick Hobbis and his deputy Paul, to see the multi-stage process for ourselves, one “wing” taking up to twelve manhours to complete. Safe to say, everyone was impressed by the craftsmanship and expertise, not to mention friendliness, displayed by all the staff. Some members tried their hand at making a “wing”, but will probably not display it on their car! Lunch was taken afterwards at the delightful Malt Shovel pub in the picturesque village of Barston.