A badge of honour for the McLaren Speedtail

The 106 individuals who have reserved McLaren's next Ultimate Series, the McLaren Speedtail, are being offered the chance to add a unique finishing touch to their 391km/h Hyper-GT by selecting from a range of optional finishes for their car's badging.

The material finish that McLaren has chosen to exhibit first is a combination of 18 carat white gold and carbon fibre inlays. The materials used represent just one of the innovative ways the Speedtail is combining art with extreme performance and is already proving popular with customers who have seen the car at its first private preview event.

McLaren Automotive's famous brand badge, featuring the McLaren 'Speedmark' logo, is crafted in gold by a specialist company in the U.K.'s Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.

A set of three badges, two brand badges at the front and one name badge at the rear, is available as part of the limitless tailoring opportunities available from McLaren Special Operations for the three-seat Hyper-GT.

They are laser-etched with a McLaren hallmark, showing where and when they were created, and feature carbon inserts utilising McLaren's new and exclusive Thin Ply Technology. The front badge weighs 100g. But for the more weight-conscious customer, a lacquered transfer, which weighs almost nothing can be specified instead.

The gold badge set has been hand-crafted for the Woking-based sports car and supercar manufacturer by Vaughtons, which since 1819 has been creating the most exclusive badges and trophies - including Olympic gold medals and football's FA Cup.

It is not the first time that real gold has been used in a McLaren car. Speedtail's three-seat, central-driving-position forerunner, the legendary McLaren F1 of 1993, famously used gold foil as a heat shield in the engine compartment.