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1899
COMPANY FOUNDED BY ALEXANDER DUCKHAM.
A chemist and businessman from
Blackheath, South London, Alexander
establishes his own oil company in
Phoenix Wharf, London with a small
loan from his father.
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1910
ALEXANDER DUCKHAM TAKES TO THE SKIES.
In a two-person aircraft, fitted with
a 100hp Gnome-Blériot engine,
Alexander Duckham and Louis Blériot
reach a record height of 1,600 feet at
the Bournemouth Flying Meeting.
Seen here accompanied by Alexander Duckham (left), the French aviator Louis Blériot made the first powered cross-Channel flight in 1909 and achieved a new record altitude the following year.
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1914
WWI BREAKS OUT AND DUCKHAMS FOCUSES ON THE WAR EFFORT.
Supplying lubricants to the war effort results in Duckhams
being appointed to high office in government, on the
recommendation of Winston Churchill.
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1920
PHILANTHROPY: RAF BENEVOLENT FUND.
Alexander Duckham donates his
former family home, Vanbrugh Castle,
to the RAF Benevolent Fund, providing
a school for the children of RAF airmen
killed in service.
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1922
REVOLUTIONARY NEW PROCESS OILS ARE LAUNCHED.
Duckhams develop a new oil
that controls the build-up of
carbon deposits. Within a year,
over 60 British car-makers
specify Duckhams.
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1931
DUCKHAMS RECOMMENDED BY
90% OF CAR MANUFACTURERS.
Many classic marques, including Morris, Wolseley, Austin,
Bentley, Invicta, Rolls-Royce, Humber and Rover make
Duckhams their engine oil of choice.
After more than 50 cars, Alexander had a love affair with Bentleys.
This is BGF 63, his first, a 3.5-litre convertible.
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1933
FIRST SYNCHROMESH GEARBOX OIL.
MG give sole recommendation to Duckhams oils for not just the engine, but also gearbox
and axle. Gear oils approved and adopted as factory fill by Morris and Wolseley too.
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1934
DUCKHAMS DEVELOPS
THE REVOLUTIONARY
‘ADCOIDS’ FUEL
TREATMENT TABLET.
As their effectiveness becomes recognised,
sales of Running-In Tablets soar and their
eventual contribution to the growth of
Duckhams is enormous.
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1949
DUCKHAMS HELPS BREAK
LAND SPEED RECORD.
Goldie Gardner breaks the land speed record
in Utah with his MG using Duckhams oil.
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1951
EUROPE’S FIRST MULTI-GRADE
OIL LAUNCHES.
Duckhams is responsible for the introduction
of the iconic green oil, this innovation would
transform lubrication technology forever.
1951 – Q5500
1956 – Q20W-50.
The traditional underbonnet holder in Morris
cars could now carry a multigrade oil.
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1959
BMC MINI INTEGRAL
GEARBOX OIL
DEVELOPED.
Duckhams Q20W-50 addresses
the problem of lubricating engines
with an integral gearbox, ensuring
the compact design of the Mini is
made possible.
A decade after the Minor, the first Mini (a Morris
Mini-Minor) rolled off the line at Cowley, bringing
a new lubrication challenge for Duckhams with its
revolutionary integral engine/gearbox unit. It is
pictured here with designer Sir Alec Issigonis, on the
occasion of his retirement in 1971. (Rover Group).
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1964
BRANDING CHANGES
TO THE NOW FAMILIAR
BLUE AND YELLOW.
The iconic colours that are so synonymous
with Duckhams are adapted and rolled out
across all packaging and communications,
making it Britain’s fastest expanding brand.
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1967
Q20-50 EXPORTED
TO 37 COUNTRIES.
Success of this legendary oil results in a
massive boost in exports. Closer to home,
Duckhams is now one of the top players in
the UK oil market.
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1968
DUCKHAMS
ENJOY SUCCESS
IN MOTORCYCLE
RACING.
Sammy Miller, Mike Hailwood
and Barry Sheene all wear
the Duckhams colours and
Duckhams win the 1995 British
Motorcycle Championship
with the rotary engine Norton.
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1968
DUCKHAMS
ENJOY SUCCESS
IN MOTORCYCLE
RACING.
Sammy Miller, Mike Hailwood
and Barry Sheene all wear
the Duckhams colours and
Duckhams win the 1995 British
Motorcycle Championship
with the rotary engine Norton.
Barry Sheene and girlfriend pictured
on a Duckhams-sponsored charity trial
in the 1970s. The company had backed
him in his early days, riding Bultaco
two-strokes prepared by his father.
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1971
DUCKHAMS ENTER F1, FORMULA 3
AND FORMULA FORD.
John Surtees (right) shakes hands
with competitions manager
Ron Carnell.
The company’s association with motor sport expands
into F1 and other formulas, including supporting the
John Surtees’ team. It was a momentous time, with the
car’s Ford Cosworth DFV F1 engine successfully running
on an ‘of-the-shelf’ oil – the Q20-50.
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1971
DUCKHAMS ENTER F1, FORMULA 3
AND FORMULA FORD.
Team boss John Surtees has a last word with Tim Schenken,
while his car gets a final oil check before the start of a race.
The company’s association with motor sport expands
into F1 and other formulas, including supporting the
John Surtees’ team. It was a momentous time, with the
car’s Ford Cosworth DFV F1 engine successfully running
on an ‘of-the-shelf’ oil – the Q20-50.
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1971
DUCKHAMS SPONSOR
MOTORSPORT’S
FUTURE STARS.
Winners include John Surtees, James Hunt,
Jacky Ickx, Ronnie Peterson, Nigel Mansell,
Ayrton Senna and David Coulthard.
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1981
DUCKHAMS
GOES RALLYING.
Ari Vatanen wins the Rally World
Championship, the only privateer
driver to have achieved this feat.
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1982-1993
STATE-OF-THE-ART
PRODUCTS LAUNCHED
Duckhams launched its first fully synthetic engine oil in 1993, together with
Duckhams Diesel and Hypergrade Plus, meeting the latest API SH specification
– another first for Duckhams in the UK market
Hypergrade, the result of three years’
development, QXR aimed particularly
at the increasingly popular ‘hot hatch’
sector of the market, and QS, Duckhams’
first fully-synthetic engine oil for the UK
are all introduced during this time.
-
1998
SIMPLIFIED RANGE
LAUNCHED
After a century at the forefront of
oil technology, a new simplified
range hits the shelves.
-
2017
THE ICONIC
BRITISH OIL BRAND
RE-LAUNCHES.
Combining modern lubricant technology
with our distinctive green coloured oil,
Duckhams are once again producing
trusted motor oils that deliver unrivalled
protection and performance for
cherished classic car engines.