At the 10 a.m. start of the Miami International Boat Show, Mercury Racing did what it always does: taking front and center in the marine industry. The high-performance propulsion giant started with the latest engine in its QC4v series, the 860 Sterndrive. Developed and manufactured in-house, the naturally aspirated 9-liter engine features Mercury Racing’s exclusive aluminum four-valve cylinder heads and dual overhead camshaft valve train. The heads are integrated with the company’s proprietary V-8 block that features hardware designed specifically for Mercury Racing. The valve train enhances performance and durability, and lets the engine produce 860 hp at 6,800 rpm on 89-octane fuel. Mercury Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) is standard on the 860, which comes standard with the Mercury Racing M6 surfacing drive.
Stepping up its game for the upper echelon of the power range for offshore powerboat racing, Mercury Racing unveiled the 1750 Competition, which increases power output over the company’s current offering, the 1650 Competition. In addition to making more power and massive torque, the turbocharged engine sports a bold new color package to differentiate it from other QC4v offerings.
On the outboard side, Mercury Racing jazzed up the graphics on its wildly popular Verado 400R with the 400R Carbon Edition, an exotic high-performance outboard that features contemporary layered surfacing sculpted out of lightweight carbon-fiber composite. Carbon Edition 400R outboards share all the industry’s leading performance characteristics and creature comforts of the Phantom Black and Cold Fusion 400R.
Finally, to put the power of the Verado 400R and 400 ROS offshore-racing outboards to the water more efficiently, Mercury Racing introduced the new CNC Outboard Cleaver Propeller. The precision-machined, five-blade, surface-piercing propeller is designed to maximize top-end speed on hulls powered by 400R and 400 ROS outboards fitted with the Mercury Racing Sport Master gear case. Models range from 14.5 to 15.5 inches in diameter with a 15-degree rake and pitches including 32, 32.5, 33.5 and 34 inches.
