Al Amatuzio

Albert J. Amatuzio invented the world’s first synthetic motor oil under his company’s name of Amsoil. Amsoil is the leading independent manufacturer of synthetic lubricants, which every other oil company has followed.

In 1972, Amsoil 10W-40 Motor Oil became the world’s first synthetic motor oil to meet the American Petroleum Institute service criteria. Other company firsts include two-cycle oil, racing oil, marine oil and transmission fluid.

Amatuzio became interested in synthetic lubricants during his 25 years in the Air National Guard. As a jet fighter pilot, he was honored twice as North America's top pilot, winning the William Tell Air-to-Air Shootout and Earl Rick's Competitive Shootout competitions.

"As a child growing up on Raleigh Street, I would watch the old mail plane skim the waters of St. Louis Bay and dream of becoming a pilot," he said.

As a pilot, Amatuzio was acutely aware that only synthetic lubricants could withstand the tremendous pressures and temperatures encountered by jet engines. He also knew that every jet engine used only synthetic lubricants. Armed with that knowledge, he reasoned the same performance benefits would prove invaluable in cars, trucks and all other combustion engines.

He graduated from Denfeld in 1942. That year's Denfeld Oracle prophesized that Amatuzio would someday become an oil engineer.

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