The wait is over—a 500R outboard from Mercury Racing was unveiled tonight in Charleston, S.C.

https://www.speedonthewater.com/500-...en-anniversary

Rumor is Mercury is unveiling a 600R at Miami in February! 😬

That's just flat-out brilliant.

Well played.

What the heck is the boat in the background? I can't figure it out.....looks like a supercar floating there??

https://www.boats.com/power-boats/20...ngray-8536627/

There a couple companies basically taking OEM PWC-like jet boat powertrains and putting them in "supercar hulls".

Well, the 500R isn't what I expected. I thought the 500 HP outboard would be V10 based with a supercharger.

So all of the improvements mentioned with the 500R; coupled with the V10 platform and a supercharger...
...could be the "600 HP outboard" from Mercury one day.

Too bad Seven Marine already surpassed that; and then was squashed when Volvo bought them.

t500hps had a strong theory at one point, that Mercury could have possibly paid Volvo to buy Seven Marine; and bury them 6 fee under..
...so Mercury could corner the market on the "big" outboards. It's feasible; and such has happened in other industries.

I seriously doubt that Mercury (or BC) would risk their good name on such an obviously illegal maneuver. They are a public company after all and subject to both criminal and civil prosecution for mis-deeds.

Cant wait! My 500 is here next week

Regarding the choice of platforms for the 500R, during the roll-out I asked Mercury Racing director of engineering Jeff Broman about the decision for the follow-up article (https://www.speedonthewater.com/insi...tboard-engine/):

Most folks on hand, save for the boat builders, were surprised that the Fond du Lac, Wis., high-performance marine propulsion and accessories company went with the 4.6-liter V-8 platform rather than the V-10. But there were plenty of good reasons, according to Jeff Broman, Mercury Racing’s director of engineering.

“When we did the 450R in 2019, we knew there was more power and potential to get there,” Broman explained. “But what would it take? What we liked about the V-8 is that it is a compact, lightweight platform. It has the best power-to-weight ratio out there and with the 500 we just raised the bar again. But we also knew we had to create a new drive and make some structural changes. We started the 500R project about a year after we released the 450R knowing that the 500R would be the next evolution for that platform.”

Depending on its configuration, the 500R tips the scales at 720 pounds and change. With supercharging hardware added, Broman estimated that a V-10 version would weigh “well over” 800 pounds. (Worth noting? The V-10 engine development program was happening in parallel with the V-8 program.)

There's more information in the complete story, but I hope this sheds light.