This Company Is Offering Pre-Rusted Car Trim Pieces

Typically, people are wanting to get rid of rust, not add it. And usually, it’s on older cars when you see it. However, Heritage Customs has gone and made pre-rusted parts for the new Land Rover Defender.

The company is calling it a “unique metal binding technology” that has been designed for its Valiance model (based on the new Land Rover Defender) and Vintage model (based on the old Defender).

According to the site, spraying a thin layer of aluminium, brass, bronze, titanium, zinc or even gold is applied, which then assumes the same flexibility as the parent material. Following application, the studio can brush, polish, sand and rust the material for an even more dramatic look.

The customer can then choose to coat it to stop it from rusting any further, or leave it to “let the natural course of corrosion start”. If the second option is chosen, it can be sealed at any time, stopping the natural oxidization.

The images in this article show a Defender with side vents and the hood plate inserts with the rusty treatment. Other possibilities include wheels, dashboard trim and door inlays.

While rusted vehicles and patina in particular are nothing new, this is one of the first times we’ve seen aftermarket individual pieces offered in an intentionally rusty finish.