Mercedes-Benz 500I engine

Last updated
Mercedes-Benz 500I (Ilmor 265-E) [1]
Mercedes-Benz 500I engine rear Mercedes-Benz Museum.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Ilmor-Mercedes
Production1994
Layout
Configuration 72° V-8
Displacement 3.43  L (209  cu in)
Cylinder bore 97  mm (3.8  in)
Piston stroke 58  mm (2.3  in)
Cylinder block material Aluminum
Cylinder head materialAluminum
Valvetrain 16-valve, OHV, two-valves per cylinder
Compression ratio 11:1
Combustion
Turbocharger Garrett
Fuel system Electronic fuel injection
Fuel type Methanol
Oil system Dry sump
Cooling system Liquid cooling
Output
Power output 1,024  hp (764  kW)
Torque output 557  lb⋅ft (755  N⋅m)
Dimensions
Dry weight 124–131  kg (273–289  lb)
Chronology
Successor Mercedes-Benz IC108 engine (1995)

The Mercedes-Benz 500I engine is a highly powerful, turbocharged, 3.4-liter, Indy car racing V-8 engine, designed, developed, and built by Ilmor, in partnership with Mercedes-Benz, specifically to compete in the 1994 Indianapolis 500. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Contents

The Mercedes-Benz 500I engine was slightly lighter than the Ilmor 265D Indy V8 it replaced in the Penske PC-23, although because of its longer inlets, the 500I had a higher overall centre of gravity, thus changing the overall balance of the car a bit. [11] The development and testing of the 500I engine, at that time called Ilmor 265E, took place in the utmost secrecy because there was a possibility of the turbocharger boost level being changed, or the engine being banned by the Indy 500 sanctioning body. [11] [12]

Background

Mercedes-Benz 500I

Much to the surprise of competitors, media, and fans, Marlboro Team Penske arrived at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a brand new, secretly-built 209  cid Mercedes-Benz pushrod engine, which was capable of a reported 1000 horsepower. [13] Despite reliability issues with the engine [13] and handling difficulties with the chassis, [14] the three-car Penske team (Unser, Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy) dominated most of the month, and nearly the entire race. This engine used a provision in the rules intended for stock block pushrod engines such as the V-6 Buick engines that allowed an extra 650 cm³ and 10  inches (4.9  psi/33.8  kPa) of boost. This extra power (1,024 horsepower, [15] which was up a 150-200 hp advantage over the conventional V-8s. [14] ) allowed the Penskes to run significantly faster, giving them the pole and outside front row on the grid for the 78th Indianapolis 500. Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi dominated the race, eventually lapping the field with 16 laps to go in the 200 lap race when Emerson made contact with a wall coming out of Turn 4, giving Al Unser Jr. the lead and win. [16] The only other driver who finished on the lead lap was rookie Jacques Villeneuve.

In the summer and fall of 1993, [14] Ilmor and Penske engaged in a new engine program. Under complete secrecy, [14] a 209-CID purpose-built, pushrod engine was being developed. [13] Mercedes stepped in near the end of development and paid a fee in order to badge the engine as the Mercedes-Benz 500I. The engine was designed to exploit a perceived "loophole" that existed in USAC's rulebook since 1991. [14] While CART sanctioned the rest of the Indycar season, the Indianapolis 500 itself was conducted by USAC under slightly different rules.

In an effort to appeal to smaller engine-building companies, USAC had permitted "stock-block" pushrod engines (generally defined as single non-OHC units fitted with two valves per cylinder actuated by pushrod and rocker arm). The traditional "stock blocks," saw some limited use in the early 1980s, but became mainstream at Indy starting with the introduction of the Buick V-6 Indy engine. Initially, the stock blocks were required to have some production-based parts. However, in 1991, USAC quietly lifted the requirement, and purpose-built pushrod engines were permitted to be designed for racing at the onset. Attempting to create an equivalency formula, [14] both pushrod engine formats were allowed increased displacement (209.3  cid vs. 161.7), [13] and increased turbocharger boost (55  inHG vs. 45 inHG) [13]

Team Penske mated the engine with the in-house Penske chassis, the PC-23. It was introduced to the public in April, just days before opening day at Indy.

Applications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilmor</span> Engineering company

Ilmor is a British independent high-performance motor racing engineering company. It was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in November 1983. With manufacturing based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, and maintenance offices in Plymouth, Michigan, the company supplies engines and consultancy to the IndyCar Series and MotoGP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Penske</span> American auto racing team

Team Penske is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organization has also competed in various other types of professional racing such as Formula One, Can-Am, Trans Am, and Australia's Supercars Championship. Altogether, Team Penske has earned over 500 victories and over 40 championships in all of auto racing. Team Penske is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske. The team president is Tim Cindric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Racing</span> American automobile racing team

Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in USAC, CART, Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. Patrick Racing was started by U.E. "Pat" Patrick in the 1970s. The team is best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 on three occasions, and the Indy car title twice. Patrick Racing achieved 45 Indy car wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 Indianapolis 500</span> 79th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve won in his second start. After dominating the 1994 race and the 1994 season, Marlboro Team Penske failed to qualify for the race. Two-time and defending Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. and two-time winner Emerson Fittipaldi (bumped) could not get their cars up to speed. A noticeable period of decline followed for the team, including being absent from Indianapolis from 1996 to 2000 due to the ongoing Open wheel "Split". The team returned to Indianapolis in 2001, and were back to their winning ways by 2000 when Gil de Ferran won the CART championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Indianapolis 500</span> 78th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 78th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 1994. The race was sanctioned by United States Auto Club (USAC), and was included as race number 4 of 16 of the 1994 PPG IndyCar World Series. For the second year in a row, weather was nary a factor during the month. Only one practice day was lost to rain, and pole day was only partially halted due to scattered showers. Warm, sunny skies greeted race day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Indianapolis 500</span> 74th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 74th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 27, 1990. Dutchman Arie Luyendyk took the lead with 32 laps to go, and earned his first-ever victory in championship-level competition. It was the second consecutive year the Indy 500 was won by a foreign-born competitor, the first time that had occurred since 1965–1966. Luyendyk completed the 500 miles at an average speed of 185.981 mph (299.307 km/h), a record that stood for 23 years until 2013. In reference to the long-standing speed record, the 1990 race had often been referred to as "The Fastest 500."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Indianapolis 500</span> 73rd running of the Indianapolis 500

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Indianapolis 500</span> 72nd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 72nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 29, 1988. Team Penske dominated the month, sweeping the top three starting positions with Rick Mears winning the pole position, Danny Sullivan at the center of the front row, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside. Mears set a new track record, becoming the first driver to break the 220 mph barrier in time trials. On race day, the three Penske teammates proceeded to lead 192 of the 200 laps, with Rick Mears taking the checkered flag, his third-career Indy 500 victory. The race represented the milestone 50th victory in Championship car racing for owner Roger Penske and Penske Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Indianapolis 500</span> 71st running of the Indianapolis 500

The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 24, 1987. After dominating practice, qualifying, and most of the race, leader Mario Andretti slowed with mechanical problems with only 23 laps to go. Five laps later, Al Unser Sr. assumed the lead, and won his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. At age 47, just days short of his 48th birthday, Unser became the oldest winner of the Indy 500, a record that still stands as of 2024. During the month of May, an unusually high 25 crashes occurred during practice and qualifying, with one driver in particular, Jim Crawford, suffering serious leg injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 CART PPG Indy Car World Series</span> Sports season

The 1990 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 12th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 16 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Al Unser Jr. was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Eddie Cheever. The 1990 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Arie Luyendyk won the Indy 500, his first-ever victory in championship-level competition, and the fastest 500 until the 2013 Indianapolis 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series</span> Sports season

The 1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 9th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 16 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Bobby Rahal was the national champion, winning his second-consecutive title. The rookie of the year was Fabrizio Barbazza. The 1987 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser won the Indy 500, his record-tying fourth victory at Indy.

The 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 10th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 15 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Danny Sullivan was the national champion, winning for Team Penske. The rookie of the year was John Jones. The 1988 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his third victory at Indy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 PPG Indy Car World Series</span> 16th national championship season of American open wheel racing

The 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 16th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART under the name "IndyCar". The season consisted of 16 races. Al Unser Jr. was the national champion, his second CART title, and the rookie of the year was Jacques Villeneuve. The 1994 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 from the pole position, his second career victory in that event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-22</span> Racing car

The Penske PC-22 was a CART Penske Racing car which competed in the 1993 season. It raced in all sixteen events, scoring eight wins, three with Emerson Fittipaldi and five with Paul Tracy. The most remarkable success of the PC-22 was the 1993 Indianapolis 500 win by Fittipaldi, placed 2nd at the end of the season, missing the championship by only 8 points. The car was designed by Nigel Bennett as a radical departure from the basic concept of the previous Penske cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-23</span> CART racing car

The Penske PC-23 was a highly successful CART racing car that competed in the 1994 IndyCar season with Penske Racing, and in the 1995 IndyCar season with Bettenhausen Motorsports. It was designed by Nigel Bennett, who based its design on the 1993 car, the PC-22, which was a radical departure from the basic concept of the previous Penske cars. The PC-23 was one of the most dominant open-wheel race cars ever developed. It won both the 1994 CART season, and the 1994 Indianapolis 500 with Al Unser Jr., together with Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy scoring 12 wins out of 16 in total, collecting 10 pole positions and 28 podium finishes, in a season that saw Penske also take the Constructor's Cup, and the Manufacturer's Cup with the Ilmor-Mercedes-Benz engine. Nevertheless, the car is mostly known for the controversial pushrod Mercedes-Benz 500I engine, designed and developed for the single race of Indianapolis, exploiting a loophole in different technical rules between the Indy 500 and CART sanctioning bodies at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-20</span> Racing car model

The Penske PC-20 was a CART Penske Racing car which competed in the 1991 and 1992 seasons. In 1991, it raced in all seventeen events, scoring 3 wins, two with Rick Mears, and one with Emerson Fittipaldi, placed 4th and 5th at the season's end respectively. The most remarkable success of the PC-20 was the 1991 Indianapolis 500 win by Mears, his 4th win at the Brickyard. The car was designed by Nigel Bennett, his 4th for Penske Racing. In 1992, it also raced alongside the Penske PC-21.

The Penske PC-25 was an open-wheel CART racing car that competed in the 1996 IndyCar season with Marlboro Team Penske and Hogan Penske Racing. It was designed by Nigel Bennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A is a turbocharged, 2.65 L (162 cu in), V-8 Indy car racing engine, designed and developed by Ilmor, in partnership with Chevrolet, for use in the CART PPG Indy Car World Series; between 1986 and 1993.

The Mercedes-Benz Indy V8 engine, known as the Ilmor 265-D (1994), and later the Mercedes-Benz IC108 (1995-2000), is a powerful, turbocharged, 2.65-liter, Indy car racing V-8 engine, specially designed, developed, and built by Ilmor, in partnership and collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, to compete in the CART series; between 1994 and 2000.

The Penske PC-24 was an open-wheel CART racing car that competed in the 1995 IndyCar season with Marlboro Team Penske and Hogan Penske Racing. It was designed by Nigel Bennett. It scored a total of 5 wins that season; 4 wins for Al Unser Jr., and 1 win for Emerson Fittipaldi. It was powered by the 2.65 L (162 cu in), 800 hp (600 kW), Ilmor-designed and developed Mercedes-Benz IC108 engine.

References

  1. ↑ Ago, Leginin #auto • 4 Years (2018-02-15). "Engine Mercedes-Benz 500I. Engine indicator Penske PC-23 in 1994. Specifications". Steemit. Retrieved 2021-10-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ "Mercedes-llmor 500i". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  3. ↑ "Our Story | Ilmor Engineering". www.ilmor.com. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  4. ↑ MCG (2014-05-22). "Tony Matthews Cutaway: The Mercedes-Ilmor 500I pushrod Indy V8". Mac's Motor City Garage. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. ↑ "When Mercedes-Benz Tackled the Indianapolis 500…". www.mercedesamgf1.com. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  6. ↑ Huffman, John Pearley (2019-05-25). "Indy Was More Fun When There Was More Cheating". Car and Driver. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  7. ↑ S, Matt. "Interesting Engines: The Mercedes-Ilmor 500I – Spannerhead" . Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  8. ↑ "This Monster 1000 HP Penske-Mercedes IndyCar Was One Of The Most Dominant Race Cars Ever". Jalopnik. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  9. ↑ The Indy 500 engine they had to outlaw , retrieved 2021-10-17
  10. ↑ "When 'The Beast' obliterated the Indianapolis 500". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  11. 1 2 "Mercedosaurus Rex at Indianapolis Park, Part 10: Penske PC23 - a home for the engine". forix.autosport.com.
  12. ↑ "1994 Penske PC23 Mercedes Specifications".
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Siano, Joseph (1994-04-18). "AUTO RACING; Penske's Engine Has Opponents Singing Brickyard Blues". The New York Times.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Siano, Joseph (1994-05-22). "AUTO RACING; Penske Drives Through Loophole And Into Indianapolis Front Row". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ "- YouTube". YouTube .
  16. ↑ "FITTIPALDI HITS WALL, UNSER JR. RIDES TO INDY VICTORY". Washington Post.
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