FERRARI WINS IN INDIA
08 June 2008 - Shell

and without an oil change

The 74-day Ferrari ‘Magic India Discovery’ Tour reached its conclusion at the famous Gateway of India in Mumbai recently. During the trip, two Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, one red, the other ivory, both sporting a specially designed livery, travelled over 13,000 kilometres and visited 57 cities – all without an oil change. At the end of the tour, Shell sent samples of the used Shell Helix Ultra motor oil for analysis.

Lubricant is the lifeblood of the engine. Its job is to help keep the components clean, protect the moving parts from mechanical wear, reduce friction and power loss, and to cool the engine. Shell Helix Ultra also contains active cleansing agents to help prevent dirt build-up and ensure optimal performance.

“The Ferrari ‘Magic India Discovery’ Tour gave us a unique opportunity to put Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 to the ultimate test,” explains Mark Wakem, Shell Lubricants Development Project Leader for Ferrari.

“Not only did Ferrari deliberately choose to leave the oil unchanged, the cars experienced very harsh driving conditions, including dust, more than 45°C temperatures and slow speeds due to unsealed roads and the multitude of traffic. The analysis results are exciting for Shell because it demonstrates that despite the challenging conditions, the oil has performed - and is still performing - remarkably well.”

The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti owner’s manual recommends that the first oil change take place after 10,000 kilometres or one year. The oil change interval extends to 20,000 kilometres or annually there after. In the build-up to the Ferrari ‘Magic India Discovery’ Tour, the two Ferrari 612 Scaglietti completed around 5,000 kilometres in pre-testing and preparation, which when added to the tour distance, is a total of 18,000 kilometres. In normal driving conditions, the two cars would be coming up on their second recommended oil change. To check the health of the engines, the Ferrari technicians checked the oil carefully on a daily basis throughout the entire tour, and were very pleased with its performance.

“In collaboration with Shell, we made a deliberate decision not change the oil within our recommended timeframe,” explains Ferrari engineer Andrea Costantini. “We knew that this would give us the chance to test and evaluate the engine in the tough conditions of India. We have been working with Shell for a very long time, many years, and we trust them, so we knew that the oil would not let us down on tour.”

http://www.shell.com

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