Motor oil has come a long way since many vintage and classic vehicles were first on the road. Today’s oils may have little in common with oils used back then, but as David Kaiser, Development Director, at German oil and additive LIQUI MOLY explains, this does not mean that no modern lubricants solutions are available for cars from a by-gone era. 

David says, “Modern synthetic oils are generally unsuitable for older vehicles, as they do not match the engine technology used at the time. With older vehicles a completely different set of additives is necessary, because modern ash-free oils have wear protection that is matched to other engine materials. The detergents contained in these additive packages prevent sludge formation and this is a disaster with old filter-less engines.”

David goes on, “The engines of vintage cars and even older modern classics are made of different materials and have different manufacturing tolerances and oil change intervals than modern cars. That’s why LIQUI MOLY offers motor oils for classic vehicles that are based on specially developed formulations. A major difference between today’s classic lubricants and those of the past is their performance spectrum. They meet the special requirements of classic engines and at the same time have state-of-the-art wear protection properties. Therefore, the modern classic car oils are clearly superior to the earlier ones.”

Comparing the tasks performed by old and new technology oils, David says, “Lubrication is just one of many tasks performed by an oil. It has to thermally relieve and seal the engine, protect it against wear and corrosion, and safeguard engine performance. The earlier assemblies cannot be compared to the designs and loads of today’s. The temperatures and pressures in modern engines are much higher than in old units. In addition, the issues of exhaust emission reduction and fuel savings played no or only a minor role in the past. This is precisely why tailor-made oils are so important, so as not to risk engine damage.” 

To meet the requirements of older engines LIQUI MOLY offers its Classic collection, specially designed for engines of historic vehicles. This comprises three mineral-based motor oils in the viscosities SAE 30, SAE 50 and SAE 20W-50 HD as well as the Motorbike HD-Classic SAE 50 Street. The Classic motor oil line is supplemented by the transmission lubricants SAE 90 and SAE 140.

These specialist oils are available from LIQUI MOLY stockists and information on the correct oil for any application can be found in the LIQUI MOLY oil Guide.