The Patrick Morgan drawings throughout this 304-page book (including acknowledgements) heighten the reader's ability to understand the technical aspects of producing this mechanical beast a 32-page centerfold tells the story in photographs. Before then, in a span of just 14 weeks, this engine covered more than 11,000 miles in testing and went through 58 rebuilds as the Ilmor Engineering team attempted to make this behemoth race-worthy and able to last 200 laps and 500 miles. The Mercedes-Benz 500I engine shocked everyone at Indianapolis and went on to win the 500-mile race at the hands of Unser Jr.
It was developed under extreme secrecy, tested under extreme secrecy (including at Nazareth in the snow) and finally brought to Indy for the race in 1994, to be mated to the Penske PC23 chassis. No one knew anything about the engine and its development until Penske pulled the wraps from the project - on the same weekend as the 1994 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Dedicated to the late Paul Morgan and illustrated by his son Patrick, Gurss' book delves into the machinations of Morgan, Mario Illien and Roger Penske as they prepped this massively powerful engine for the three-car Penske Racing entry at Indianapolis with drivers Al Unser Jr, Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy.
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