It took Mercury Marine 24 years to sell its first million sterndrive units, but only 10 years to reach the second million — quite a testament for a product that was reluctantly brought to market and met with a cool reception by boat dealers, boat builders and the boating public at large.

Outboard power was king in 1961. Even though the new-fangled “inboard-outboard” (sterndrive) technology offered increased horsepower, it initially did not entice outboard loyalists. Mercury field product engineer John Bakos helped turn the tide, literally selling the first MerCruiser to dealers door to door from the back of a pickup truck. But it was his first-place finish in the renowned Miami-to-Nassau offshore boat race the same year that proved the reliability, speed and performance of the new power package. After that, boat builders took it from there.