CASTROL

HOT ROD 75th ANNIVERSARY

To celebrate a milestone 75 years in the making, MotorTrend partnered with Castrol to ride shotgun on a yearlong anniversary journey as HOT ROD revisited seven and a half decades of cars, customizers, builders, and technical breakthroughs. Castrol’s EDGE and GTX brands were seamlessly integrated throughout the celebration, earning unprecedented cross-platform exposure that drove awareness and consideration among performance enthusiasts and DIYers.

Throughout the 12-month rollout, Castrol received a robust mix of sponsorship deliverables, including official logo integration, editorial features, co-branded promotions, targeted brand media, sponsorship of HOT ROD’s extensive digital archives, and a full-season sponsorship of HOT ROD Garage. Castrol’s presence extended into major live events, including HOT ROD Power Tour and HOT ROD Drag Week, where high-impact, in-person moments engaged fans directly and reinforced the brand’s long-standing connection to the community.

To further weave Castrol into the storytelling, HOT ROD Garage leaned into the Brand's heritage and DIY spirit with two ambitious anniversary builds, each powered by Castrol GTX. First, the team converted the iconic Project X, the most famous ’57 Chevy of all time, from EV power back to a high-tech, high-horsepower big-block engine. The revived Chevy made its public debut at the HOT ROD Power Tour, shared simultaneously across social platforms before premiering on linear and digital channels. Then, honoring HOT ROD’s land-speed racing roots, the team built a dedicated racer to run at El Mirage, the birthplace of hot rodding. Castrol was also featured across branded content produced from both builds, spotlighting its essential role in engine protection.

This truly integrated partnership delivered massive, sustained brand exposure while leveraging the full legacy of the HOT ROD brand. The result positioned Castrol not only as a valuable partner in celebrating automotive history, but as an indispensable component of engine protection for the next generation of enthusiasts and DIYers.