It isn't really new.
Neo has had 0w-5 since the late eighties.
Most of the boutique race oil manufacturers have one on their list.
A lot of the small capacity 'spec' engine classes in the UK like Vauxhall/Lotus (which series was Mobil 1 sponsored at the time) and Formula Ford grids were dominated in the late eighties/early nineties with the Neo 0w-5 oil.
Mobil were so ****** off in Vauxhall/Lotus that the rules were changed to stipulate only M 1 to be used by the entire field.
I'm pretty sure the '88 & '89 Australian Formula Ford championship was won on this oil. The engine builder in question certainly had a reasonable amount of oil in stock.
Having used it for several seasons in the early nineties, (it was the easiest horspower I ever found) cylinder wall surface finish and bearing clearances had to really be set up to suit the oil. I tended to substitute 10w-30 if the ambient got above 22-25*C. Oh, and we only used to set the oil pressure (dry sump) at 30-35psi @ 7000 RPM.
It smells fantastic too, although I stopped short of using it as aftershave.
Rick.
[ June 14, 2004, 12:10 AM: Message edited by: tdi-rick ]