Ilmor Releases World’s Most Powerful Towboat Engine

Though an inboard 630-hp supercharged engine from Ilmor Marine is tame by go-fast powerboat standards, it is the most powerful engine ever released in the towboat world—a segment generally beyond the scope of speedonthewater.com coverage—to date. And that is exactly what the Mooresville, N.C., engine builder has created for MasterCraft towboats.

The new engine currently is on display at the Miami International Boat Show, which closes Sunday.

Still building high-performance marine power, Ilmor Marine has added a 630-hp for MasterCraft.

“It is the best of the best—an engineering marvel,” said Fred Brightbill, the chief executive officer and chairman of MasterCraft, in a press release. “As a pioneer of performance and innovation, our relentless focus on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the water is core to providing our consumers the best on-water experience.”

The 6.2-liter, direct fuel-injection engine produces 665 foot-pounds of the kind of torque towed-sports athletes crave and is exclusive to the Vonore, Tenn., boatbuilder. According to a joint press release from Ilmor and MasterCraft, the engine boasts a completely closed cooling system—including exhaust—and a four-star emissions rating. It will come with a five-year/500-hour warranty.

Ilmor Marine exited the high-performance powerboat market in 2016. The company’s new towboat engine is more powerful than the first 525-hp, V-10 mill it released for the go-fast powerboat segment in the early 2000s.

The new supercharged powerplant from Ilmor generates a monstrous 665 foot-pounds of torque.

“We’ve been eager for this day since we started first developing the Supercharged 6.2L,” said Paul Ray, the president of Ilmor, in the release. “This entirely new powertrain represents an extraordinary level of power, performance and refinement, something we at Ilmor recognize as a huge industry advancement.”

The supercharged 6.2-liter engine is scheduled to begin production in spring 2022. It will replace the current 7.4-liter engine offering in MasterCraft’s 2023 model-year boat lineup, according to the release.

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