FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS COME GREAT THINGS...In 1919 Castrol entered the New Zealand lexicon. It was a product that was to revolutionise and innovate lubricants for the next 100 years.

Castrol soon became a household name and the product of choice for many New Zealand transport companies.

Smallbone Brothers, in rural Canterbury, became one of the first when they opened for business in June 1919, they are still operating today!

Kiwi motorists came to rely on outlets that sold Castrol, just as the adverts said “They were a good garage”

‘When failure is not an option’ Castrol was the product of choice for the Royal visit in 1927 of the Duke & Duchess of York.

It didn’t stop on land for Castrol. Over the years they developed specially tailored products for many diverse engines on land, air and sea.

In 1936, Jean Batten, New Zealand’s own ‘Queen of the Skies’ flew from England to New Zealand in just 11 days and 2 hours, a world record at the time. Castrol was there too as Jean knew that due to its aero formulation it wouldn’t freeze at high altitude.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand farming industry were also quick to see the advantages of Castrol especially the growing range of Agri products.

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Never one to stand still Castrol continued to develop many specialist products like Turbomax, Dynamax, Agri MP and RX Plus, with many becoming key power brands like GTX, Magnatec and EDGE.

Over the years Castrol has also played a major part in the history of NZ Motorsports. Like Kiwi legend Burt Munro and his famous ‘World’s Fastest Indian’ motorcycle. Burt’s son John remembers his father as “A devoted user of Castrol products. I still remember the distinctive smell of Castrol R in the garage when I was a kid.”

The two wheeled success didn’t end there. During the 70s and 80’s New Zealand hosted the legendary Castrol Six Hour Challenge and who can forget Kiwi Aaron Slight leading the Castrol Honda International Racing Team in the World Superbike Championship.

Sheer stress on the product performance met Castrol head on in other forms of motorsports. Drag racer Garth Hogan trusted Castrol as did the Curran Brothers who set times in their Mazda drag cars that left the opposition stunned.

And when it came to Drifting we looked no further than Fanga Dan making history in his Castrol using Mustang.

Castrol was there every step of the way for Greg Murphy’s ‘Lap of the Gods’ at Bathurst in 2003, an event that no Kiwi motorsport fan will ever forget.

As for the future, Castrol is also leading the way with its growing range of Carbon Neutral products helping to reduce carbon emissions.

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING A VITAL PART IN OUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE!

(Photo courtesy of the E Hayes Motorworks Collection, Invercargill, New Zealand.)