Sneak Peek: First Mercury Racing 300R V-8 Outboard-Powered MTI 340X

Lost in the endless speculation about what Mercury Racing will do next with its 4.6-liter V-8 outboard engine platform is that the company’s new 300R offering is starting to find its way onto the transoms of sport catamarans. Case in point is the MTI 340X sport cat in the photo below, the Wentzville, Mo., company’s first build with the new naturally aspirated V-8s.

With its new Mercury Racing 300R outboard engines, this MTI 340X sport cat is ready to rock (click image to enlarge).

“It went 110 mph in our first propeller test on the rev limiters at 6,400 rpm,” said Randy Scism, the owner and founder of MTI. “We have new props coming. Great acceleration up to the bump box—it’s amazing for 300 hp.”

We won’t speculate on what’s coming from the Fond du Lac, Wis., high-performance marine engine builder, much less when it’s coming. Frankly, we’re still eager to see a lot more of the 300-hp offerings performing in the sport cat world. As Scism observed, it’s an impressive piece of engine hardware.

So for now, one new V-8 outboard from Mercury Racing is more than good enough for us.

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