Fifty years ago Kiekhaefer Mercury created the Mercury Hi-Performance division as a complete marine racing center. As the business evolved, the name was changed to Mercury Racing, and ironically its focus shifted from racing to high-performance pleasure boat power, a category where it presently rules the roost. Today Mercury Racing is to mainline Mercury Marine as AMG-Mercedes is to Mercedes, a mostly independent subsidiary charged with creating outboard and sterndrive power for demanding performance boat enthusiasts. It is also an aspirational brand, which explains the appearance of Mercury Racing power on pontoons, for example. Besting thy neighbor, after all, is still fun.
Mercury Racing outboards are based on a mainline Mercury engine, and its latest offering, the V10 400R model introduced in February, is similar to the Mercury V10 Verado 400 model but has a very different mission. The Verado turns a huge propeller to deliver the locomotive-like thrust required to efficiently push multi-engine center console and wide-beam day boats. The V10 400R is built for speed, designed to power the new breed of high-performance luxury center console boats, where life begins at 75 mph and accelerates well beyond the century mark.
With speed in mind, Mercury Racing chose not to use the 6.4-inch-diameter gearcase and proprietary Revolution X propeller introduced with the V10 Verado. It offers the 400R with its own 5.44 HD or Sport Master gearcase options. The Sport Master is a surface-piercing design for boats capable of exceeding 85 mph, while the 5.44 HD is intended for boats that require a more-submerged gearcase and benefit from added stern lift. For more confident control at speed, the Racing Advanced MidSection is fitted with heavy-duty guide plates and stiffened engine mounts tuned to stabilize the engine, but which also pass more vibration to some boats.
The 5.7-liter V10 powerhead is unchanged internally, but features a larger throttle body and intake tract to enhance air flow at high rpm. The digital throttle and spark advance are re-programmed to provide more “snappy” response. The rpm range at WOT is 6000 to 6600, which is about 200 rpm higher than the Verado, which creates a broader window for propping and boosts peak output to an estimated 410 hp, about 28 hp more than the previous 2.6-liter supercharged 400R outboard model. The engine retains a full suite of Mercury SmartCraft technology
The V10 400R is available in four lengths to accommodate any single or multi-engine. With a retail price starting at $46,000, the V10 400R barks aggressively through its exhaust relief on start-up and will announce its presence with a growl as you idle through the marina. This is absolutely a “look at me” outboard, but that’s part of the fun. If you have a real performance boat, the 400R will unlock its full potential. — Charles Plueddeman
This article was originally published in the June 2023 issue.
