In January of 1994 the new engine was bolted onto the latest Penske for the first test. Dubbed the PC23, the new-for-1994 Penske was a subtle evolution of the Nigel Bennett designed PC22 that had scored eight victories, including at the Indy 500, during the previous season. In 1993, Penske met with Ilmor’s Paul Morgan and Mario Illien, telling both about his grand idea for the 1994 Indianapolis 500. Fitted with the Mercedes/Ilmor 500I engine, it was driven to victory in the Indy 500 by Al Unser Jr. For several years Team Penske had sourced their engines from the part-owned British engineering firm Ilmor. Photo by: Bill Murenbeeld / Motorsport Images. Up until 1994 these V8 engines were labelled Chevrolet but as the American company dropped its support, they were simply known as Ilmors during the regular season. Team Penske tested and further developed the engine in secret in the winter and spring of 1994. The latest episode in Autosport’s Race of My Life podcast series is legendary team boss Roger Penske on the day his team and Mercedes-Benz shocked the world with its ‘secret’ pushrod engine. Al Unser Jr., Penske PC23-Mercedes-Benz. Penske and Mercedes announced on Wednesday that Penske's three Marlboro-backed cars will use a Mercedes-financed engine -- designed and built in England by Ilmor Engineering -- … It was a race when Penske's team stunned the rest of the motorsport world by revealing a new engine designed specifically to target victory at the 1994 Indianapolis 500. Penske was Penske, wherever the race and whatever the engine, but there is a postscript. Page 1 of 2 - Penske's Indy 500 engine from 1994 and other mentally fast CART engines - posted in The Nostalgia Forum: Recently I read the photo finish of the last edition of Autosport, and I was quite amazed by that loophole Ilmor managed to find for that race! Before Mercedes-Benz joined the effort, the engine was initially called the "265E", which followed Ilmor's standard naming convention for their dual overhead camshaft engine. But I guess the one that was really key for us was the 1994 Indy 500, when we came in with the pushrod Mercedes engine.
Chassis PC23/007 was the seventh of nine Penske PC23s constructed for the 1994 season. However I suppose the one which was actually key for us was the 1994 Indy 500, once we got here in with the pushrod Mercedes engine. Al Unser Jr., Penske PC23-Mercedes-Benz. We kept it a secret until a week or two before the month of May opened, came in, sat on pole and led almost every lap. Picture by: Invoice Murenbeeld / Motorsport Pictures.