Credit: Photo by Paul Reynolds (Grand Prix Collection), licensed under CC BY 2.0.
In the early ’80s, two ambitious engineers, Mario Illien and Paul Morgan, walked away from Cosworth, the British powerhouse that had once dominated F1’s engine scene.
They were not rich, and they certainly were not backed by a global corporation, what they had instead was a shared obsession, dreaming to build something faster, lighter and smarter than the industry’s established giants.
With the financial support from Orger Penske, the legendary American figure, the pair founded Ilmor Engineering in 1983, the setting up shop in a modest facility in Brixworth, Northamptonshire.
At first it seemed just another small British motorsport company, but inside those walls, a quiet revolution was beginning!
From IndyCar to F1
They were known in IndyCar racing, the Ilmor company built engines under Chevrolet banner, and they became popular for their good performance in American-open wheel racing by winning races and championships.
By the dawn of the ’90s, Ilmor’s tech achievements had caught the attention of F1 insiders.
The company’s founders wanted to challenge themselves on motorsport’s biggest stage, so in 1991, they took the leap, supplying their first Ilmor 2175A V10 engine to the Leyton House F1 team, the former March, it was a humble start, but the small British outfit had officially entered the world’s most competitive racing series.
Let’s not forget that Britain had already produced legendary engine builders like Cosworth, whose DFV power units had dominated Formula 1 for decades before Ilmor arrived.
Entering F1 to fight the giants
The early days were difficult for Ilmor, competing against engine titans like Honda, Ferrari or Renault, Ilmor’s V10 engines punched above their weight.
In 1992, after promising results other team needed solid and affordable engines, now with two teams, Tyrrell and March.
It was impossible for them to fight for podiums, but reliability and consistency of Ilmor’s engines was there.
Then came a crucial partnership that would change everything.
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Mercedes Benz and Sauber alliance with Ilmor
Finally in 1993 Ilmor partnered with Sauber, a team making its debut in F1 after years of sportscar success, a name that is still in F1.
Behind the scenes, Mercedes-Benz was quietly observing, supporting the project in a limited way while evaluating a full-sclae return to F1.
The Sauber C12 ran an engine officially described as ‘Concept by Mercedes-Benz’, though it was entirely designed and built by Ilmor.
By the following year Mercedes dropped the ‘concept’ tag and entered F1 officially, with Ilmor now building a new generation of Mercedes-Benz V10 engines.
It was a turning point, the small workshop in Brixworth had suddenly become the heart of Mercedes’ F1 return.
Mika Hakkinen’s F1 dominance in 1998 and 1999!
By 1995, Ilmor’s expertise was in full demand, Mercedes had signed a deal with McLaren, one of F1’s most historic and respected teams, from this point onward, Ilmor became Mercedes’ exclusive F1 engine builder, and together they began a journey that would reshape the late 1990s racing landscape.
After a few transitional seasons, the partnership truly came alive, the McLaren-Mercedes combination, powered by Ilmor-designed engines, went on a tear, winning multiple races and ultimately delivering back-to-back drivers’ title for Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999.
At that time, Ferrari already signed Michael Schumacher, they did everything to compete at the front, but McLaren combined with that engine, was just unbeatable in those two years.
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For a company that started as a two-man operation in a small British workshop, it was a breathtaking achievement.
Ilmor’s engines had powered some of the most iconic F1 cars of the decade, defeating Ferrari and Renault at their own game.
The transition moment
However, success often comes with a change, in 2001, Paul Morgan lost his life in a plane crash, leaving co-founder Illien to navigate a period of transformation, Mercedes Benz, recognizing the importance of Ilmor’s contribution, began increasing its investment in the company.
By 2005, Mercedes had acquired full ownership, integrating Ilmor’s F1 division into its motorsport program.
Mercedes became the owner of F1 engine factory in Brixworth and it was renamed later to Mercedes-Benz high performance engines, which is still in use for F1 hybrid engines today.
IT;s DNA still lives on!
After that, in 2005 the co-founder Illien, together with Roger Penske, bought back Ilmor’s US based special projects group, an independent company was once again named Ilmor Engineering.
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Why We still remember it?
Ilmor’s story is not one of failure or disappearance, it’s one of transformation.
To start as small workshop? And to end up forming the foundation of one of the most dominant engine programs in F1 history.
Their creation won 44 GP races, multiple championships and that DNA still carry Mercedes to an era of hybrid engines.
