When Did MasterCraft Make The Switch To Ilmor Engines & How Is GM Involved?

Ilmor engineering, a United Kingdom based designer and builder of internal combustion engines, was founded in 1983. The partnership involved Mario Illien, with his engineering design skills, and Paul Morgan, possessing a prowess for manufacturing. This duo reached out to Roger Penske and eventually convinced General Motors to get involved by funding a new turbocharged V8 Chevy engine for use in the IndyCar Series.

Mario Andretti captured the first race win for Ilmor Engineering using the Ilmor Chevrolet engine in 1987 at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Over time, the Ilmor engine would prove its worth, powering multiple IndyCar Racing champions and Indy 500 winning cars. Building upon its success, Ilmor began producing engines for Formula 1 race cars, winning F1 World Championships in 1998 and 1999. Ilmore also made engines for NASCAR and motorcycle brands like Triumph and Harley Davidson.

Ilmor entered the marine industry in the early 2000s building race engines for offshore racing boats. After becoming well-established in the marine market, Ilmor announced an agreement with MasterCraft boats in 2010 to become the boat maker's exclusive powertrain supplier set to begin in 2012.

The inboard engine design used by MasterCraft is one of four basic boat engine types that include Jet Drive, Stern Drive, and Outboard engines. As the exclusive supplier of MasterCraft inboard engines, Ilmor provides four V8 variations: 6.0L MPI, 5.3L GDI, 6.2L GDI, and a Supercharged 6.2L.

Other than the variation in displacement across the lineup, the main difference between these engines is the methods they use to get the combustible mixture of fuel and air into the cylinders. The 6.0L MPI uses multi-point fuel injection and produces 373 horsepower. The 5.3L and 6.2L Ilmor GDI engines, producing 365 horsepower and 430 horsepower, respectively, use direct gasoline injection (gasoline direct injection) to deposit fuel directly into the cylinder when it's needed for combustion. The main drawback with this system, in terms of limiting horsepower production, is the cylinders only have as much oxygen as they can draw through the intake system with engine vacuum.

Higher power ratings come with the use of forced air induction systems, such as the Supercharged 6.2L Ilmor engine with 630 horsepower and 665 pound-feet of torque. Superchargers work by forcing air into the engine's cylinders, allowing the injection of higher-density fuel ratios to create more power.