Viper, Demon, and M6 Go Drifting, Pennzoil Might Have Created World's Best Commercials

You could say that Ken Block was a sort of visionary, as he was one of the first people to create a viral automotive video. Since that day, his Gymkhana videos have racked up hundreds of millions of views. And even for a big company, it can be difficult to get to that level.

But who's there to stop you from trying? Pennzoil has had its difficult moments over the years, and a '90s commercial even prompted rival company Castrol to start a lawsuit against the Houston-based corporation on the terms of "false and misleading advertising."

We aren't going to talk about that story this time, but one thing you'll notice is that Pennzoil commercials have come a long way since the '80s. And you might remember that a few years back, the company created a series of epic videos aimed at appealing to a wider and younger fanbase.

There are a few recursive factors that stand out, but we'll talk about that in a minute. We've selected four of these commercials to showcase in this story, but you ought to know that there's more where these came from.

If you'll search for "Pennzoil Airlift Drift" and "Pennzoil Escaping the Ring" you'll come across two distinct motor oil commercials, both featuring yellow cars and a lot of sideways action.

Using cars from different continents and brands was a smart decision indeed, as that way you can make sure the video will work on multiple levels and for multiple categories of viewers. It may be difficult for some of you to decide between a BMW M4 CS and a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, but that's just an appetizer for what's coming up next.

Rating these commercials will provide different results for different people. And it won't be easy to figure out which one is the most exciting. But let's work our way up from the ground level.

The Joyride Tundra video was shot in the Canadian Rockies, and a BMW M6 is the star of the show. Even from the opening shots, you can't help but feel that you're watching a James Bond movie. And you also have to wonder why The Fast and The Furious movies aren't offering this level of excitement anymore.

There are several Pennzoil-related inserts throughout the video, but the train scene has to be the most obvious one. The background sounds almost make you think of Brian's race against Dom in the first F&F movie.

But you'd best strap yourselves in for the next level of automotive cinematography perfection, as the motor oil company brought out a Ferrari 488 GTB. It's not often that you get to see this kind of supercar going sideways, and the idea behind these commercials is even more obvious here.

"If Pennzoil is good enough for a high-end supercar like that, then it must be good for my car too." Also, it almost feels like every time someone uses this product, they tend to go out on an exciting adventure of some sort.

And if the previous Joyride video looked pretty cool, this one has "I'm going to share it on my newsfeed" written all over it. And yet, the last two ideas are even more spectacular. "The Last Viper" pays tribute to five generations of the American icon.

This time, the script is slightly more complex and features a story in which someone's pride-and-joy has been stolen and is in dire need of rescue. For 150 seconds, you can't take your eyes off the screen.

The "V8 EATR" Viper is somehow even more spectacular than the 488 GTB, and the only other place you'll see one of these going sideways is at a Formula Drift event. But we've saved what's best for last. At the end of the Viper video, you'll notice the two characters texting each other. And the final message serves as a teaser: "How are you at exorcising Demons?"

This last video will send more shivers down your spine than any of the previous ones. It feels like Pennzoil created the automotive version of Constantine, and the producers must have studied some tricks used in horror movies.

You can't help but wonder how successful a feature film shot at this level would be and one can only hope that Pennzoil will be creating more of these soon. It's good to see that drifting has become a key element for this sort of advertising, and you might remember Chelsea Denofa's RTR Mustang from Formula Drift is also running on Pennzoil products.