For more than 120 years, British company Castrol has been at the forefront of oil technology. Company founder Charles Wakefield launched his first vehicle engine oil in 1906, a pioneering blend of mineral and castor oils that offered unrivalled lubrication properties. Since then, and through many further innovations, Castrol oils have lubricated the beating heart of everything from speed records to Mars missions.

Castrol has created countless product lines from its state-of-the-art UK research facility. It has also been commissioned to develop many specific oils for individual vehicle manufacturers. But among owners of neo-classic cars in particular, the go-to lubrication grade within the reintroduced Castrol Classic Oils range is the XL 20w-50.

Castrol Classic XL 20w-50 is a premium multigrade engine oil specifically designed to meet the day-to-day motoring needs of vehicles built before 1980 and not equipped with catalytic converters. The oil is formulated using a high-quality mineral base enhanced with carefully selected modern additives that align with the technologies available at that time and comply with contemporary API guidelines and SF/CC specifications.

Castrol Classic XL 20w-50 is suitable for all-year motoring in both gasoline and diesel car engines and can also be used in four-stroke motorcycle engines that do not run a wet clutch. It offers a high level of wear protection and excellent oil consumption.

Castrol Classic Oils XL 20w-50: available sizes

• One litre tin, £8.60
• One gallon (imperial) tin, £34.50
• 20-litre workshop drum, £125.25
• 208-litre barrel, £POA

Historically, many motor manufacturers recommend Castrol by name in their original vehicle handbooks and now today’s owners are able to follow those original recommendations through Castrol Classic Oils.

Purchases can be made through the Castrol Classic Shop (https://classicoilsshop.co.uk/), where you can also find links to Castrol’s helpful oil finder tool and period-perfect merchandise range ENDS.