21/04/2017 by Mark
AMSOIL INC. has announced that its founder, Al Amatuzio, passed away last month aged 92, leaving a legacy that includes bringing synthetic lubricants to the automotive market.
Having been raised in a tough neighbourhood, Amatuzio went on to a distinguished military career. While serving as a pilot, it occurred to him that cars and trucks could also benefit from synthetic lubricants. Jet engines could only function with synthetic oil, yet motor oil at the time was generally low quality, with it tending to break down in high heat and contributing to hard starts on cold mornings.
Amatuzio persisted, however, and began research and development in 1963, leading to his first synthetic motor oil in 1966. He went to on to further develop and market different oils under various names, and his AMSOIL synthetic motor oil became the first of its kind to meet the service needs of the American Petroleum Institute in 1972, forever changing the automotive lubricants industry.
Despite offering a superior product, the automotive industry was slow to adopt synthetic motor oil. Car manufacturers deemed synthetic oils unnecessary, while consumers did not understand the benefits and often opted for the cheaper conventional oils instead. Amatuzio’s determination ultimately won through in a hostile environment, and AMSOIL went on to grow rapidly.
Today, synthetic motor oils like Mobil 1 New Life 0W/40 are commonly used in passenger cars, showing how much Amatuzio’s vision has affected the daily lives of many drivers.
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