Engine Swaps
A fairly recent but already somewhat accepted practice of car modding is engine swapping. This has already been going on for years with proper race cars, but as technology and capabilities improve and become more accessible, even normal tuners are trying it out.
While most people choose to swap engines from cars from the same brand, there are others who are willing (or brave enough) to dabble in experimentation. We’ve seen some wild engine swaps in our time, but this one has to be up there.
Datsun x Mercedes-Benz
The project is based on a Datsun 280Z, a highly sought-after model among enthusiasts. This 280Z, though, comes with a German beating heart; under the hood is an engine from Mercedes-Benz. While a V6 would be enough, given the original 280Z engine was the inline-six, this car goes for the crème de la crème: the 6.0-liter V12.
The car belongs to Jordan Easter, who originally envisioned the build as a race car for hillclimbing. Apart from the notable engine, it also has a T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission. There’s a full walk-around and interview video with the car, courtesy of Michael Tung on his channel Tungtied. During the first hillclimb event, the car had some overheating issues, which led to another V12 swap, sourcing the engine from a ’90s era Mercedes-SL.
To address the cooling issues, the second engine swap now features a Megasquirt MS3 Pro ECU, coupled with a heavy-duty custom-built Griffin radiator. An engine this big also meant that the car’s wiring needed to be completely redone, and the battery was also moved to a different spot.
Other mods were done to really ensure better engine temperature management. The coolest mod, though are the headers and exhaust system, making this 280Z sound like a screaming Pagani Zonda.
The V12 M120 Lore
For those who don’t know, the M120 V12 was built by Mercedes-Benz in the ’90s in response to BMW‘s V12. The M120 saw multiple usage in the S-Class and the top-spec SL models, too. This 6.0-liter V12 was smooth and powerful, putting out around 394 hp stock, which for the time was a lot.
The most notable M120 application, though, was its use by Pagani as the original engine for the Zonda. Pagani loved the engine so much that they pretty much used it for all their models from 1999 through the final Zonda in 2014. So while it sounds crazy to have a Mercedes V12 in a Datsun, if it was good for Pagani, it should be good for anyone.
Â
