Australia's first Mercury Racing 150R released on limited-edition Whittley SL20 R at Melbourne Show
by Alan Whittley 16 Oct 2024 13:48 PDT

Mercury Racing 150R released on limited-edition Whittley SL20 R © Alan Whittley
Whittley Marine Group, Australia's leading fibreglass trailer boat builder, retailer and service provider, is excited to announce the release of the new Limited-Edition SL 20 R model and the first Australian unveiling of the new Mercury Racing 150 R motor at the 2024 Melbourne Boat Show.
This marks the first public viewing of the new Mercury Racing engine in Australia and is part of the ongoing partnership between the Whittley Marine Group and Mercury Marine.
Brock Cohen, National Dealership General Manager at Whittley Marine Group, expressed his excitement about the release of the new SL 20 R package and the new Mercury Racing engine.
"We are thrilled to be the first to offer the new Mercury Racing 150 R engine on a boat package in Australia. After extensive testing, the R&D team at the Whittley Factory matched the performance-based engine perfectly to the SL 20 offshore performance hull. This boat package has the wow factor and is a fun and sports-oriented package to drive when offshore or for water sports."
As part of an exclusive pre-Australian release, the new Mercury Racing R 150 engine will be available to view and purchase at the 2024 Melbourne Boat Show, powering the limited-edition SL 20 R Model package. Drawing on Mercury's market-leading performance engine heritage from Lake X and combined with the deep-vee performance of Whittley Boat's SL hull series, this limited-edition SL 20 R is the ideal unique boat package for those looking for the performance edge that only Mercury and Whittley can offer.
Mercury Racing's new 150 R model boasts class-leading features, including:
1) Mercury Class Leading DTS Controls and Shift
2) New 3.4 Litre V6 Mercury Engine Model
3) Mercury Racing Tri Ram Mid-CMS Section
4) Mercury Racing Sport Decal Kit
5) Exclusive Mercury Racing Colour Combination
6) Sports Exhaust System
7) Mercury Racing Tuned Performance Engine
8) Lightest 150 HP Engine in its Class
9) Highest Output Alternator of any 150 HP Engine
10) Largest Displacement Engine in its Class
Mr. Cohen also commented on the new Mercury Racing 150 R engine, saying, "Having driven the new Mercury Racing 150 R engine on the SL 20, the performance and sound are unmatched due to the engine being the lightest in its class. Customers will also enjoy the benefits of a larger alternator over the competition, along with Mercury's unique CMS midsection and V6 performance. Congratulations to our outboard partner, Mercury Marine, in developing the ultimate high-performance mid-sized outboard. The Whittley team have worked hard to couple the engine to an exclusive version of the popular SL 20 model. The production run by the Whittley Factory will be limited to only five builds. I think the public will be drawn to this new model's styling; we look forward to showing you at this year's Melbourne Boat Show."
The limited-edition SL 20 R version will be limited to five production builds and includes the below unique features:
- Exclusive Imported Italian Vinyl R Interior
- Painted Premium White trailer with R Decals
- Unique One-Off R Decal Kit
- Exclusive Black Powder Coated Rails
- Signed plaque by Brock Cohen of Cohen Brothers Racing and Alan Whittley from Whittley Boats
- First Mercury 150 R's Fitted in Australia
- Coast Tourer Edition Options
"The new SL 20 R model features a unique signed plaque, a one-off exclusive imported Italian vinyl interior throughout a white painted trailer, and a unique "Racing" decal design. The limited-edition model will be released at this year's show but will be available exclusively via the Whittley Factory Owned Dealership Network across Australia. If you are looking for the ultimate in performance offshore boating, then the new SL 20 R model combined with the new Mercury Racing 150 R engine is the ultimate head turner when you arrive at the boat ramp!" Mr. Cohen said.
The new Mercury Racing 150 R engine and the Limited-Edition SL 20 R model will be on display at the Whittley Boating Centre Melbourne stand at #25 at the 2024 Melbourne Boat Show. The Boat Show runs from Thursday the 17th through to Sunday the 20th of October at Melbourne's Dockland precinct. Accompanying the new engine and model will be a wide range of Whittley Boat models at Whittley Boat's hometown boat show. For additional information, please visit your local Whittley Factory-Owned Dealership or phone 03 8339 1800.