Power play: Mercury Racing 360 APX revealed
Mercury Racing unveils the new 360 APX, an outboard engine made for a single purpose - to win the wet Formula 1Mercury Racing has launched the 360 APX Competition Outboard, an all-new 4.6-litre normally aspirated V8 engine with a single purpose – to push a Formula 1 tunnel boat as fast as possible.
The 360hp engine is designed specifically for F1 “tunnel boat” racing and features a specialised midsection with an overdrive spur gear to produce “the left-hand propeller rotation desired for Formula 1 circuit racing”.
The midsection is attached to a direct-drive gearcase that has no neutral or reverse gear, and an above-water exhaust system that produces what mercury Racing says is an “exciting tone for racing fans” – read that as loud.
Mercury Racing has even provided an audio clip of the 360 APX outboard engine at what appears to be full noise.
https://www.mercuryracing.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pass-by.wav
But it’s the 64-degree narrow bank powerhead where all the Mercury Racing magic happens, and largely at the 7000rpm WOT – the revs it has to hit to match the performance of the 9600rpm two-stroke race engine it aims to displace.
“A 4.6-litre V8 powerhead is naturally aspirated and features deep-breathing dual overhead cam/four-valve architecture with a short-runner intake manifold mated to a cold-air induction system,” it said in a statement revealing the new engine.
“An 11:1 compression ratio boosts torque output while the 7000rpm redline extends the power curve.
“A dynamic oil pickup system is designed to maintain critical engine oil pressure under high-G loads. A cut-down flywheel, deleted balance shaft and carbon fibre top cowl optimise weight.”
More importantly, the four-stroke Mercury Racing 360 APX delivers up to 90 per cent fewer emissions than a two-stroke equivalent.
The engine uses a 24-volt starter system, a shorter intake manifold with cold-air induction, and is set up for a lightweight cable steering system.
It weighs in at a surprisingly light 195kW dry. By comparison, a 350hp supercharged inline six-cylinder Mercury Verado outboard engine weighs 303kg.
No pricing is available.
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