Ilmor High-Performance Marine Introduces "INDY®" Stern Drive
Feb 12, 2009Ilmor High Performance Marine has unveiled a host of new products for the high-performance marine market including, the new INDYⓇ stern drive and transmission system. The INDY stern drive is designed for use with Ilmor's upgraded 2009 emissions-compliant, fourth-generation MV-10 marine engines. The entire engine and drive system is designed to maximize efficiency and withstand the rigors of high-performance boating. The Gen-4 725-horsepower Ilmor engine is now compliant with all California and European Union environmental emission regulations.
The INDY stern drive name comes from Ilmor's heritage of more than a quarter-century of design and manufacture of winning race engines from the Indianapolis 500 to the Formula One World Championship and, most recently, two consecutive Powerboat P1 World Championships. Since being created in 1983, Ilmor has built 14 winning engines at the Indy 500, and has applied the same engineering expertise and discipline to the high-performance marine field. The drive system is another step in Ilmor's complete and long-term commitment to the marine industry.
"Ilmor built a reputation upon designing and manufacturing components that would excel against the toughest competition in the world; first in auto racing and now in the marine world," said Paul Ray, President of Ilmor Engineering, Inc. "The INDY stern drive and transmission was designed to be the most efficient stern drive system available. It was engineered to compliment our new 650 and 725 horsepower emissions-compliant V-10 engines.
"We started by looking at the current state-of-the-art drive systems more than three years ago," Ray explained. "Then, we spent several thousand hours designing, modeling and testing our drive system. With efficiency as our goal, we included elements such as the twin downshafts in the drive lower unit, with the intent of minimizing the bullet shape and size. Our CFD (computerized fluid dynamics) engineers spent a great deal of time optimizing the system for the lowest drag possible."
In addition to the improved CFD characteristics, the new drive system also features a racing-style dry-sump transmission and a dry-sump lower unit helping to minimize performance loss between the engine and the propeller.
Complimenting the new INDY drive, Ilmor has dramatically upgraded the MV-10 engine package. The improved engines have more horsepower than before and have met both the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resource Board (ARB) emissions regulations (3-Star, Ultra Low emissions rating) and the European Recreational Craft Directive (RCD-CE) emissions standard. These critical emissions certificates assure the Ilmor MV-10 engines can continue to be sold in the high-performance California marine market and introduces the MV-10 engine range to the European Union. At this time, the Ilmor MV-10 725 is the most powerful gasoline-powered engine to have met the required European RCD-CE certification emission standards.
Each MV-10 650 or 725 HP model engine is also fitted with the exclusive Ilmor Control Electronics ("ICE") system, a new electronic control system designed to monitor and control every element of the engine, transmission and vessel electronics. The ICE module is the brain of the system, allowing all of the boat's electronics to be managed through a central command system using the marine-standard NMEA 2000 communications bus system.
Since its inception in 2004, Ilmor's marine division has seen substantial growth as a supplier to the US and European high-performance boat markets. Ilmor High Performance Marine LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ilmor Engineering, Inc. and shares its world headquarters in Plymouth, Michigan. Twin Ilmor V-10 engines powered the World Championship-winning Fountain Worldwide boat in the Powerboat P1 Championship in 2007 and 2008. Consumers can purchase the exact same specification Ilmor engines for their own high-performance powerboats.
For more information
Paul Ray, President, Ilmor Engineering Inc.
(734) 456-3600
Ian Hawkins, GM, Ilmor High Performance Marine
(734) 456-3600