Sperm oil – the liquid wax refined from the head of a Sperm whale – was a highly sought-after automotive lubricant back in "the good old days”.
Featuring above-average lubrication properties, a brilliant low-temperature viscosity, heat stability and anti-gum/anti-rust properties, Sperm oil was the magical oil of choice for American manufacturers who wanted their products to last.
After siphoning off the industrial remains of a whaling industry that peaked in 1850, American manufacturers in the mid-‘50s to early ‘70s would use Sperm oil as the main additive to their transmissions and locking differentials to improve smoothness and reliability.
But despite Sperm oil being ‘the halo of oils’ back in the day, there were a few problems. Whaling isn’t a particularly cheap, hygienic, quick, or ethically transparent process; there are only a finite number of whales in the ocean; and by 1972 the Endangered Species Act has just come out.
So not only was it difficult to harvest Sperm oil, it was now illegal.
What other giant mammals should we test for ‘magic oil’? Tell us in the comments below.
