Mercury Slogans & Race Engines

Exploded view of a Mercury Racing outboard cowl, reimagined in bold red-and-black racing livery. A visual tribute to Mercury’s performance legacy and iconic design.

Mercury Outboard & Racing Slogans, Legends & Race Engines (1940s–Present)

🔧 "Full-Jeweled Power" (Late 1940s)

Mercury’s earliest slogan emphasized precision roller bearings—highlighting smoothness and performance.

🐘 "Pulls an Elephant, Runs on Peanuts" (Early 1950s)

A legendary demo: towing a 5,000 lb elephant on skis with a 90hp outboard. Power meets efficiency.

⚡ Thunderbolt Ignition (1950s–1960s)

Mercury’s high-performance ignition system. “Thunderbolt” became a mark of power and durability.

🚨 "Dockbuster" – No-Neutral Inline-6 (1950s–1960s)

Infamous for immediate forward thrust—loved for power, feared at the dock.

📌 "Tower of Power" – Inline-6 (1956–1980s)

Tall, dominant inline-6s like the Mark 75 and Merc 1000 defined the era and became marine icons.

🧪 "Lake X" (1957–Present)

Mercury’s secret Florida test site. 25,000 miles nonstop endurance run sealed its reputation.

💮 "Phantom Black" Paint (1962–Present)

A timeless branding choice—Mercury engines go all black, becoming instantly recognizable.

🏆 "Black Max" – First V6 (1976)

The 2.0L 175hp V6 sets the foundation for four decades of Mercury V6 performance dominance.

⛏ SST-140 – 2.4L Carb Race Motor (Mid 1970s)

Mercury’s class-leading Stock Super Tunnel outboard. Raw, reliable, race-bred.

🧱 SST-120 – 2.0L Carb, Evolving to 2.5L Block (Late 1970s–2005)

Born as a 2.0L V6 carb engine for F2, later migrated to 2.5L castings for strength and longevity. A race favorite for decades.

🚀 Champ / F1 V6 – 2.0L EFI (Early 1980s)

Purpose-built for Formula 1 tunnel boats. Screaming RPMs, tight EFI tuning—pure racing pedigree.

🔥 "Bridgeport" – 2.4L EFI (Mid 1980s)

Named for its bridge-style exhaust ports. Known for wild top-end and Mod-VP domination.

🛏 "Behind the Liner" (BTL) – 2.4L Prototype / Birth of 2.5L (Late 1980s)

Experimental intake porting behind the sleeve. Became the 2.5L production block standard.

🏋 💥 245 Carb / 260 EFI / 280HP / S3000 / Drag 300 – 2.5L Race Series (Early 1990s)

• 245 Carb: Dual float carbs. Simple, strong race performance.

• 260 EFI “Horn Motor”: Plenum-fed injection, 260 hp, tunnel favorite.

• S3000: Over 300 hp, race-built for F1 and Champ racing.

• Drag 300: Ultralight, 9,000+ RPM monster for ¼-mile & bass drag. Together, they defined 2-stroke race tech for the 1990s.

🏆 "Number One on the Water" (1980s–2016)

A slogan synonymous with dominance—used across all marketing and race coverage.

⚖ ROS (Race Offshore) – Tuned Short Mid (2000s–Present)

Designator for Mercury’s factory-built short-mids for offshore classes like X-Cat and drag.

🆕 300X EFI – 3.0L High Performance (Early 2000s)

Rough, loud, and fast—300hp at the prop. Popular with offshore and bay racers.

♻ 300XS OptiMax – 3.2L DFI (Mid–Late 2000s)

Low-emissions two-stroke with big torque. Go-to for bass, drag, and offshore endurance.

🌿 OptiMax 200 XS & SST – 2.5L DFI (Late 1990s–2000s)

Endurance champs—dominated events like 24 Hours of Rouen with half the fuel of competitors.

⚙ Verado 350 SCi – First Performance 4-Stroke (2007)

Supercharged L6 with Sport Master gearcase. Start of the four-stroke performance revolution.

🛋 "Go Boldly" – New Mercury Slogan (2017–Present)

A bold step into modern branding: innovation, confidence, and pushing boundaries.

🏎 250R / 300R – 4.6L V8 Naturally Aspirated (2018)

Mercury Racing’s clean-sheet 4-stroke V8 platform. Lightweight, tunable, tournament-grade.

🌪 400R / 450R – Supercharged 4.6L V8s (2019)

Game-changers: huge horsepower with modern reliability. The 450R shattered records.

💨 "Wide Open" – Mercury Racing Slogan (2019–Present)

Captures the soul of performance boating—full throttle, no compromise.

🦖 360 APX – Formula 1 4-Stroke (2020)

Mercury’s first modern F1 four-stroke race motor. 360hp, clean-burning, hard-pulling.

✊ 200 APX → 250 APX – F2 Evolution (2021–Present)

The 200 APX V6 was quickly replaced by the stronger 250 APX 4.6L V8 for F2, marking the shift to 4-stroke dominance.

💪 "The Race Never Stops" – Unofficial Ethos (All Eras)

A recurring line in Mercury Racing history—testifies to the brand’s non-stop pursuit of performance