When you look at a car, it can be one of two things: a door to the past or a window to the future. Modern automobiles have been with us for nearly 140 years, and much like fine art, fashion, or architecture, they are reflective of a period in time’s specific aesthetic and technical evolution.

“I always say that cars are time machines,” says world-renowned automotive photographer and Pennzoil ambassador Larry Chen. For Chen and many like-minded car enthusiasts, we’re drawn to a car’s transportative properties and the raw nostalgia they trigger.

Pennzoil has been around since 1913, though, as the era dictated, those early years were focused on keeping the primitive four-cylinders of the day humming. As engines evolved, so did the oil’s use case. By the 1980s, Pennzoil went all in on motorsports, the ultimate, high-stress laboratory for research and development. While automotive manufacturers have historically used racing to inform road-car development, it’s rare that the exact components of high-performance race cars actually make it to mass production. With oil, however, the track remains the most brutal proving ground for the lubricants sold at your local parts counter, and the protection required to survive a race weekend directly correlates to the same bottle available for your own project car or daily driver.

But after establishing its credentials in open-wheel and stock car racing, Pennzoil’s yellow livery went global. For Chen, he was immediately hooked at the sight of the brand’s late-’90s sponsorship of grand touring racing in Japan. Watching those yellow-clad, widened, high-downforce silhouettes terrorize the racetrack didn’t just cement a brand preference, it ignited a passion for JDM and car culture as a whole that Chen eventually parlayed into his current career as a visual historian.

Since then, Pennzoil has become synonymous as a brand invested in the future and the longevity of car culture. But preservation demands more than passion; it requires a chemical defiance capable of outrunning time itself.

A Disposable Era

Pennzoil has long championed the concept of longevity, but in an age defined by instant gratification, next-day delivery, and three-year lease cycles, the automobile has shifted for many from a cherished asset to a replaceable appliance. As the industry pivots toward engineless and even driverless pods, we face a crisis of cultural erasure. Chen argues that the most sustainable car is the one that has already been built.

“People think the only way to be ‘green’ is to buy a brand-new EV. In my eyes, instead of continuously building more and more and more, how about we preserve the vehicles that already exist? How about we preserve them and make them more efficient?” asks Chen.

This is where the chemistry of Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ becomes a tool for honoring and preserving what you already own. Made with natural gas, the base oil protects against carbon-heavy deposits found in traditional crude oil, lacking the harsh contaminants that typically degrade seals and components over time. This purity allows engines to run cleaner and longer than their original creators ever imagined, turning mechanical preservation into a quiet act of rebellion against a throwaway culture.

A direct parallel exists between the "scroll and forget" nature of modern digital content, Chen’s artistry, and Pennzoil’s dedication to longevity. To counter the tide of this disposable era, Chen views Pennzoil Ultra Platinum as a form of mechanical insurance. “I’m curating these years [of car culture] for future generations,” Chen explains. “Somebody, way back when—40, 50, 60 years ago—someone did the same thing I did. I'm lucky that I still get to experience those photos and those cars, so I think about how future generations will experience my work.” For the archivist, this isn't just about an oil change; it is a way of safeguarding the mechanical DNA of car culture, ensuring the next generation can experience these machines firsthand rather than through a screen.

The Science of the “Second Life”

Through Chen’s success behind the lens, he’s been exposed to an immense variety of makes and models. And as some of the most iconic JDM legends hit the 25-year mark, we’re seeing an influx of these iconic performance cars finally hitting American streets.

“One car I found overseas had been sitting for years and was unloved and really neglected. I had it restored in Japan, and I like to say now that I’m in the process of un-restoring it,” Chen says of his recent import. “I’ve been driving it every single day, and it’s a joy and a privilege to give something a second life.”

Chen credits the mechanical smoothness of his vintage vehicles to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. “When these cars first launched, they ran on whatever oil was available [which wasn’t great by today’s standards]. Now, when you introduce such a high-quality synthetic, it makes a world of difference in the engine’s health.” But much of that health comes down to internal hygiene. The Pennzoil Ultra Platinum formula keeps pistons cleaner than the toughest industry standards, thanks to active cleansing agents and premium anti-wear additives.

And while Chen’s daily is oftentimes a 50-year-old Japanese import, he keeps a specific tool in his garage for every driving scenario. From wheel-to-wheel racing and drifting to off-roading, “Every car I own has a specific utility. None of my cars are show cars. Each car has an intention and purpose,” states Chen.

He often uses his vehicles to chase the iconic shots he’s famous for—whether that’s pushing his drift car to the limit to capture another driver getting sideways or documenting a grueling off-road race. As Chen’s career evolves, his focus has expanded from simply documenting extreme performance to participating in and actively maintaining it, mirroring the ethos of Pennzoil’s own pursuit of a cleaner, more advanced synthetic.

“Whatever my team and I are doing, we have to use the highest-performance oil in the cars in order to just make sure they last at all. Especially when I’m racing at the track, I’m so hard on the car. We’re always hitting redline, staying at redline, making as much boost as possible. And then what people don't realize is that in an off-road rally, you have to follow the race. You’re driving at speed with the competing teams over ruts and washes. I am very hard on equipment. I just absolutely have no mechanical sympathy. It’s very evident when you look at my cameras, and it’s the same thing with my cars.”

Today, Pennzoil’s most advanced formulation offers outstanding performance in extreme temperatures and better fuel economy. This includes superior Cold Start Flow, which provides faster low-temperature oil flow in extreme cold down to -40°F and is critical for preventing wear during the first few seconds of a cold start, the time when most engine damage occurs. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum even backs the hardware with a lifetime engine protection warranty, providing peace of mind.¹

Since every one of Chen’s vehicles is heavily modified, they endure a level of punishment the factory never envisioned. “They make way more power than they were originally intended to," Chen says. "We can't leave anything alone, but that also means there's just so much more stress on the engine.”

To mitigate this, Chen is reliant on Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, which creates a protective layer against oil oxidation and degradation in extreme heat environments up to 400°F. The formulation specifically targets horsepower protection, preventing power loss by reducing friction in the high-performance, turbocharged, and supercharged engines that define Chen’s fleet.

This level of protection is made possible by proprietary technology, a three-step Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) process that converts natural gas into a crystal-clear, high-quality synthetic base oil. Unlike traditional crude-based lubricants, this molecularly engineered foundation ensures that even when Chen is bouncing off the rev limiter, his hardware remains shielded.

The process begins with partial oxidation, where natural gas reacts with oxygen to create synthesis gas, a concentrated mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This syngas then undergoes Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, passing through a reactor equipped with a proprietary catalyst that converts the gas into liquid hydrocarbons. Finally, through cracking and isomerization, these liquid chains are tailored into specific molecular lengths, resulting in Pennzoil’s high-quality, base oil. The final formulation is blended with high-performance additives that improve viscosity and the result is a synthetic that specifically targets and protects modern high-heat turbocharged engines and low-speed pre-ignition, providing the superior wear protection required when pushing modified hardware to the limit.

Inheriting the Idle

Cars are one of the few great connectors that transcend cultural and linguistic barriers—a unifier that fosters instant community.

“I find that no matter where I travel to in the world, I can make a connection and make friends pretty much instantly because of the type of car they drive," Chen reflects. "Whether it be a $500 build or a $1,000,000 car, it doesn't matter.”

As the unofficial archivist of car culture, Chen’s 50-year vision is simple: he wants his photos to live on long after he’s gone, but he understands a fundamental truth of the hobby: a photograph of a stationary car is just a eulogy. For those images to truly matter, the subjects must remain viable. Pennzoil’s dedication to thinking decades ahead mirrors Larry’s life work, providing the long-term endurance necessary to preserve the art of driving for the next million miles.

“The big reason why I’m so lucky to be able to partner with Pennzoil is because they care to support car culture," says Chen. "They care to put their money where their mouth is and support creators and content that inspires the next generation."

By 2076, when a new generation looks back at the performance icons of our era, the goal is for those machines to be more than silent artifacts. Whether it’s the rhythmic idle of a legendary inline-six or the complex mechanical harmony of a modern hybrid V-6, these engines represent a peak in human engineering that deserves to be heard, not just remembered.

¹ Limited Lubrication Warranty for lifetime engine protection if you exclusively use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic motor oil and follow all oil change recommendations in your owner’s manual. Other conditions apply including enrollment and receipt requirements. See pennzoil.com/warranty for full details and terms.