Indy Drive Retrofit Kit

[Matt Trulio]

Just spoke with Paul Ray of Ilmor Marine this morning for a story I'm working on. He mentioned that Ilmor has released an Indy drive retrofit kit for its 550-, 625- and 710-hp engines. They haven't made a big deal about the kit, whch they just released three weeks ago, but now people who want complete Ilmor propulsion packages (OK, except for the prop), can have them.

Check out http://speedonthewater.com for more detail.

I am in the process of getting pricing and will get it to you as soon as I have it.

Cheers,

M

[lavey jr]

Has the Indy Drive been tested at all in single engine applications?

[ILMORdude]

Its been on our test boat, a 30 Eliminator single 650, for a long time.

[Matt Trulio]

Price on the retrofit kit, including an Indy drive of course, is $37,488.

[C_Spray]

Dang. I was going to volunteer the Lawn Dart...

[lavey jr]

Its been on our test boat, a 30 Eliminator single 650, for a long time.

How does that run and handle? Any handling issues in single engine setup like the NXT?

[ILMORdude]

It walks a bit coming thru 75 mph and has hit 82. Seems to handle really well, its a very fun boat.

[YoungPerformance]

Wow that price seems kind of steep. That caught me off guard. I was not expecting that much. Do you know if that is an inflated retail price or is that what they will sell for? No offense, but I think I would take a #6 that has proven itself over and over. I think it is great that Ilmor has entered the drive market. I just hope that is not going to be the selling price because I think they will have a tough go of it.
Eddie

[Matt Trulio]

Eddie,

The kit includes drive, transmission, bellhousing, drive plate, trim pump, wiring and trim indicator.

Regarding price: Ilmor only gives retail pricing. However, according to Ilmor's Paul Ray, "better deals than this would be available from our service centers or by contacting Teague Custom Marine who could do the installation."

Off the top of my head, I don't know retail pricing for No. 6 drive. I do know that it might be overkill, and less than ideal in terms of efficiency, for a 700-hp engine.

Hope that helps.

[C_Spray]

Price on the retrofit kit, including an Indy drive of course, is $37,488. For comparison purposes, what is full retail on the equivalent NXT and #6 packages from Mercury Racing? (Complete with transmission, etc.)

[Trim'd Up]

Damn. $40kfor a 700hp rated drive is up there. That will buy a whole pile of XR's. You could carry a couple spares everywhere you go.

[YoungPerformance]

Eddie,

The kit includes drive, transmission, bellhousing, drive plate, trim pump, wiring and trim indicator.

Regarding price: Ilmor only gives retail pricing. However, according to Ilmor's Paul Ray, "better deals than this would be available from our service centers or by contacting Teague Custom Marine who could do the installation."

Off the top of my head, I don't know retail pricing for No. 6 drive. I do know that it might be overkill, and less than ideal in terms of efficiency, for a 700-hp engine.

Hope that helps.


Thanks Matt.
That is the question. How much lower is the actual selling price from the retail. Everyone has an inflated retail price that in no way compares to the actual selling price. That's what I would like to see....what will they go for on the street. It wouldn't be a bad deal if they were under 30K.
Eddie

[Airpacker]

Damn. $40kfor a 700hp rated drive is up there. That will buy a whole pile of XR's. You could carry a couple spares everywhere you go.

or two Imco SCX's with all the trimmings and leave a good chunk of change in your pocket too.

[Matt Trulio]

Seeing as the kit has only been on the market for a little more than three weeks, I'm not sure there's answer to your very good question, Eddie. It's quite possible that none of the kits have been sold yet. But as Paul Ray said, "better deals would be avaiable" through Ilmor's service centers.

How much better is the question, of course, and at this point I'm not sure that's actually known.

[C_Spray]

Damn. $40kfor a 700hp rated drive is up there. That will buy a whole pile of XR's. You could carry a couple spares everywhere you go.It's actually rated for 1,000 hp. That makes it far stronger than even an NXT, but not as beefy as a #6. Comparing the Indy drive to a Bravo XR is like comparing a Corvette to a Chevette.

As near as I can tell, a #6 is a $55,000 upgrade over a Bravo. That implies a $60,000+ stand-alone price.

An ebay auction for an NXT claims the bare drive is $20,000 list. Add in the transmission, transom assembly and gimbal. Where does that put it? I'm guessing close to $38,000.

Can anyone <in the know> confirm these prices?

If they're right, that means an Indy is about 43% stronger than an NXT for the same price, or 66% as strong as a #6 (assuming 1500 hp) for 62% of the price. Add in low parasitic drag and hydraulic shifting, and the Indy looks pretty good to me.

[mikes280]

you know i am able to get about 2 years out of a xr if i drive with a little smarts so at that price i can buy xr's for the next 12 years

[Sean H]

It's actually rated for 1,000 hp. That makes it far stronger than even an NXT, but not as beefy as a #6. Comparing the Indy drive to a Bravo XR is like comparing a Corvette to a Chevette.

Again - Anyone have full retail $ on complete NXT or #6 setups?

As near as I can tell, a #6 is a $55,000 upgrade over a Bravo. That implies a $60,000+ stand-alone price.

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/mercruiser_hi_performance.asp

[Jassman]

Dont get me wrong.. Im very interested in the Ilmor venture.. this will keep Merc in line. Price is strong, (need to wait till someone actually purchases one for X.) and inbetween the NXT and 6 drive as far as amount of power it can handle. Hook me up with some asd-7's or 8's at 1/2 the price..less moving parts, just as strong...and I'm not worried about the resale end of it.

[Matt Trulio]

C Spray, I think your prices are correct. But I will check.

[Trim'd Up]

It's actually rated for 1,000 hp. That makes it far stronger than even an NXT, but not as beefy as a #6. Comparing the Indy drive to a Bravo XR is like comparing a Corvette to a Chevette.

If they're right, that means an Indy is about 43% stronger than an NXT for the same price, or 66% as strong as a #6 (assuming 1500 hp) for 62% of the price. Add in low parasitic drag and hydraulic shifting, and the Indy looks pretty good to me.

By no means am I comparing the Indy to an XR, other than cost. I am sure it's a much better drive but the value doesn't seem to be there, particularly on an unproven drive. Like Airpacker said, you could buy an SCX, have another for a spare and rebuild your motor for the same cost as one Indy. On the other hand, I love to see other non-merc options out there and hope they do well.

[ILMORdude]

but what about the resale factor on a non mercury drive, I know most people probably would'nt buy a boat with a non mercury drive on it.

But alot of people also like to be different. :driving:

[Matt Trulio]

There's also the fact that the Indy drive was designed for Ilmor engines by the same people who designed those engines. So you're looking at a single-source (except for the prop) propulsion system.

How would that affect resale value? No one knows, because as I understand it no one has used this kit to retrofit an Ilmor engine and then sold the boat. And even then you'd have to compare it to the resale value of the same boat with the same hours and the same power (again, the retrofit kit, like the Indy drive, is only going to Ilmor engines at this time) and a Mercury drive.

[Jassman]

but what about the resale factor on a non mercury drive, I know most people probably would'nt buy a boat with a non mercury drive on it.

Matt stated it best... Your statement is current at the moment. I feel over the next 10- years or so you will see a change or shift towards another leader in technology as Ilmor. Merc has had the run for 30 plus years. We as consumers had to take it or leave it.. and many times were the guinee pigs for their R&D..Don't get me wrong, they do build some great items.. but the monopoly must fall sooner than later.... Ilmor's approach is quite different.. as you see in Matts post. They are also liquid at the moment, and I dont see any problems in the future..especially if you checked out their portfolio. I'm happy we have a successful choice..