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THE ORIGINAL BRITISH MOTOR OIL SINCE 1899
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Alexander Duckham’s first Bentley, BGF 63, a 1934 3½-litre convertible, outside a stone manor house in the evening sun
Duckhams Classic Q 20W-50

ClassicSpecialist oils for classic engines.
Trusted across generations.

The Original British Motor Oil Since 1899. Trusted by generations of classic car enthusiasts to protect, preserve and keep their pride and joy performing at its best for years to come.

Established 1899The signature of Alexander Duckham

The original British motor oil since 1899

When was your car built?

Pick an era for a starting point. If your owner’s handbook names a grade, follow the handbook: it always wins.

The 20W-50 years

Multigrades arrived in the 1950s. By the 1960s, 20W-50 was the grade most British handbooks named.

  • 20W-50

    Carburettor engines of the period, in everyday or occasional use.

    Meets API SF/CC · MIL-L-2104B

    See the 20W-50

Early-1950s car whose handbook still calls for a straight grade? Use SAE 30 or SAE 40 instead.

Where to buy
Duckhams Classic Q 20W-50
Black and white close-up of an engine's timing gear and cylinder head.

Why classic engines need the specialist oil

Every classic engine tells the story of its era, from the materials it was built with to the way it was engineered to perform. Duckhams Classic oils are formulated to work in harmony with these unique requirements, delivering the right viscosity and protection to help preserve your engine and keep it performing at its best.

The story of Q.

Explore our history
  • Duckhams Q 5500 advertisement: the original flat-curve motor oil, first in the field
    1951

Duckhams launches Q5500, a multigrade engine oil, described as Europe’s first multigrade.

A hand setting a can of Duckhams Q 5500 multigrade engine oil onto the engine of a car, photographed in 1951

Europe’s first multigrade.
Since 1951.

Q 5500 was Europe’s first multigrade motor oil. The Classic range is its descendant, made for the engines that ran on it, in the grades they were built around.

Keep your classic moving.

Where to buy

Find a Duckhams stockist near you, or online.

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