On March 32st, I wrote a piece that claimed that the Cummins 4BT is the LS engine swap of the diesel world. While countless Cummins 4BTs have been fitted to countless vehicles, there’s one more diesel swap out there that might be even more impressive. People are putting Mercedes-Benz diesel engines in everything from Nissan Skylines and Ford F-150s to even classic Dodge Chargers. Here’s why enthusiasts are obsessed with putting a 3.0-liter German diesel six in their daily drivers.
The world of engine swaps is honestly so fascinating, and I bet we haven’t even broken past the surface just yet. In the past, we’ve written about times when people put Ford Fusion engines in Mazda Miatas, when people put minivan engines into Honda coupes, and even the folks who put Toyota Prius engines into their track cars. Smarts alone have been the recipients of all kinds of swaps, from an engine from a Toyota Paseo, a GM Ecotec, a small-block V8, and too many motorcycle engines to count. I’ve even seen people souping up scooters by swapping in engines from motorcycles.
It seems that diesel engines might not be as common subject for swaps. Some folks have dropped Volkswagen TDI engines into Ford Rangers and recently, I covered the phenomenon of people putting the Cummins 4BT into darn nearly anything with wheels. However, something I noticed is that a lot of those Cummins 4BT swaps went into larger vehicles. But that’s not all too surprising given that the Cummins 4BT is comparable to a V8 in dimensions.
Sadly, the 4BT isn’t the grail of diesel swaps for many. The cost of the Cummins 4BT has gone up over the years, making swaps more of a burden to complete. But even then, not everyone thinks driving around with paint shaker-like vibrations up front is charming. Some others think the 4BT is also overhyped, and that you can actually do better.
That’s why it’s exciting to see a popular alternative out there. For some folks, going with a Mercedes-Benz OM606 diesel is the superior option compared to the Cummins 4BT. These engines can be had for cheaper, still make big power, runs with fewer vibrations, and can still fit into tons of cars. It also helps that the OM606 is a legend in its own right, known for the kind of longevity that makes diesel fans like me perk up.
Enthusiasts are dropping the Mercedes-Benz OM606 into an arguably even more interesting set of vehicles than 4BTs get into. There have been OM606 engines put into Chevrolet Silverados, more than one Nissan Skyline, a Dodge Charger, an Audi C4, a Volkswagen Golf, and, of course, also into other Mercedes-Benz models. That’s just a slice of what people have put these engines into. They’ve also gone into countless Jeeps and Toyota off-road builds as well. I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but someone even managed to put an OM606 into a slammed Grumman LLV mail truck. Seriously!
A Big Part Of Mercedes-Benz History
Mercedes-Benz traces its diesel car lineage back to its first real success in putting diesel power in passenger cars, the 1935 Mercedes-Benz 260 D.
Mercedes had been working on diesel engines long before then. One of the predecessor companies to Daimler-Benz AG, Benz & Cie., claimed to have built the first-ever diesel truck in 1923. That five-ton truck was powered by the OB 2 four-cylinder, which made 45 HP at just 1,000 RPM. Meanwhile, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft had been messing around with diesel since 1911.
DMG and Benz & Cie. would merge to become Daimler-Benz in 1926, and the new firm was dedicated to improving vehicle performance. But more than that, Daimler-Benz also decided to experiment further with diesel technology. Daimler would end up going with the prechamber design developed by Benz. In 1927, this resulted in the launch of the OM 5 engine, an 8.6-liter plant that made 75 HP. In case you’re curious, “OM” is an abbreviation of “oil engine” in English, and it became the standard Mercedes designation for a diesel engine.
The Mercedes diesel story even involves one famed engineer, Robert Bosch, who first bought a Benz truck in 1924 and was convinced that diesel was the future. By 1928, Mercedes diesel engines began featuring Bosch injection pumps, and Daimler says that Bosch’s improved pumps were crucial in aiding diesel adoption.
Throughout these early days, Mercedes-Benz was also experimenting with placing diesel engines in cars. However, early passenger car diesel engines were far too shaky and unrefined for the standards Mercedes set for its cars. Then, the company had a breakthrough, from Mercedes-Benz:
[I]n November 1934, after experimenting with various diesel engines in Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, the engineers opted for a modified version of the well-proven six-cylinder in-line engine from the commercial vehicle sector. The result was a four-cylinder unit with a displacement of 2.6 litres (bore x stroke 90 x 100 millimetres). The new engine adopted the truck engine’s smooth pre-chamber combustion process. The technical specifications included overhead valves and a five-bearing crankshaft.
Series production of the model 260 D commenced at the end of 1935, and the world’s first regular production diesel car was premiered in February 1936, at the International Motorcycle and Automobile Exhibition in Berlin. At an average diesel fuel consumption of 9.5 litres, a tank filling was initially sufficient for 400 kilometres, and this increased to no less than 500 kilometres or more after a model upgrade in 1937. This was not without significance considering the relative scarcity of filling stations at the time.
Even in 1936 the diesel engine in the model 260 D delivered impressive fuel economy: average consumption was slightly above 9 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, considerably bettering the 13 litres consumed by the petrol-powered model 200. Moreover, diesel fuel cost only 17 Pfennigs per litre for holders of a passenger transport licence in 1936: at the time that was less than half the normal cost of petrol. Taxi-drivers in particular immediately opted for this car, which was available in a spacious Pullman version with six seats right from the start.
Mercedes notes that at first, the 260 D was scooped up by taxi drivers, who wanted to benefit from the lower operating costs of diesel. Eventually, the public took notice and the vehicle took off as an option for regular car buyers, too. Mercedes diesel engines would become known for their longevity early on, too. The brand notes that lots of Mercedes-Benz 260 D-based taxis were still piling on tons of miles deep into the 1950s, two decades after they were first produced.
Mercedes-Benz has kept up with regular development of diesel engines ever since, and marks important highlights in its history with diesel, including the 1974 launch of the 240 D 3.0, a vehicle Mercedes claims is the first car with a five-cylinder diesel, and being a pioneer of common rail diesel technology in the C 220 CDI.
Noted elsewhere was the Mercedes‑Benz C 111, above, which didn’t even start as a diesel project:
The C 111 was an experimental vehicle intended to test technologies that were groundbreaking in their combination. It was not only about the Wankel rotary engine and the mid-engine concept, but also about advanced chassis designs and plastic bodies. And on top of all that, there was the simply breathtaking design.
The Mercedes-Benz C 111 was not always just a C 111, however. There were two different generations of this design in Mercedes-Benz weissherbst livery, whereby the better known one was actually variant II, which celebrated its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring of 1970. Compared to the IAA debut, it had a completely different front end and a whole series of detailed improvements. However, the C 111 made a name for itself not only due to its unique styling and spectacular paint finish, but more importantly due to the Wankel rotary engine which powered this hand-built dream sports car.
Mercedes built two generations and 11 examples of experimental Wankel C 111 cars, and when the whole rotary deal didn’t work out, a 12th car was fitted with a turbodiesel engine. That car went on to break records, from Mercedes:
After serial production of the C 111, which had been requested by the public again and again, was finally shelved for a variety of reasons, the second life of this spectacular sports car began. From 1975, the Mercedes-Benz C 111 was to demonstrate the capabilities of diesel engines. To this end, a 3-litre OM 617 turbo-diesel, which was being prepared for series production and was to be used in the US models of the 116 and 123 series from 1977 onwards, was installed as a mid-engine. Whilst the production version had a naturally aspirated engine with an output of 59 kW/80 PS, the turbocharged engine in the C 111 developed 140 kW/190 PS and 363 Nm maximum torque, thanks to a Garrett exhaust turbocharger and charge-air cooler.
On the high-speed Nardò circuit, the C 111, almost unchanged in its outward appearance, broke almost all the records for diesel engines valid at that time in June 1976. Over a distance of 16,000 kilometres, the orange-coloured wedge drove at an average speed of 252 km/h in a 64-hour record drive with four alternating pilots.
Later, another C111 was built featuring a slicker body and a 230 HP turbodiesel five-cylinder engine. That car was taken out to Nardò, and in the span of 12 hours, the car took home nine world speed records and eleven international class records with average speeds of around 198 mph.
This history was important because it helped Mercedes prove two important points. The first is that diesel engines could be made to drive practically forever. The second is that with the correct tuning, a diesel car can be really quick and desirable from a performance standpoint.
The 2JZ Swap Of The Diesel World
The Mercedes-Benz OM606 has an interesting lineage. It was the replacement for the OM603, which was the inline six-cylinder relative of the OM602 inline five-cylinder. The Mercedes diesel nuts among us might be smiling right now because the OM602 is a famous engine. This engine, which made its debut in 1985, is iconic as being the engine that has driven several MB products to over a million miles. The OM602 has ended up in so many vehicles from the Mercedes-Benz Unimog and the W201 190 2.5 D, to the 300D 2.5 Turbo, and even the SsangYong Korando.
The OM606 development in Mercedes diesel tech launched in 1993, and it has that perfect mix of modern technology and old-school techniques. It’s an iron block design but with an aluminum head. The engine has a dual overhead cam design and four valves per cylinder. The engine is timed through chains and uses bucket-style hydraulic lifters. The OM606 is known for being ridiculously stout. However, there are some factors that make it great for swaps.
One big point is that the OM606 weighs just 463 pounds, which is a huge chunk of weight savings compared to the around 800-pound Cummins 4BT. Another huge plus is the fact that a stock OM606 can rev as high as 5,250 RPM, which is great for car applications. Finally, a stock turbocharged OM606 makes as much as 174 HP and 243 lb-ft of torque, so you may not even bother with piling on extra power.
Because of this, diesel experts and enthusiasts like Rich from Deboss Garage sometimes call the OM606 the 2JZ swap of the diesel world, and I get it. This thing has three liters of displacement and is an inline-six. But also pretty neat is that these engines have 69 more horses in the stable than the average stock Cummins 4BT, nice! Watch Rich tear one of these engines down, finding out the OM606’s weak points along the way:
Rich notes that there’s not a lot wrong with these engines. He notes that you’ll find some plastic hoses and couplings that won’t age well, and some versions of the OM606 also have an electronic injection pump that isn’t easy to tune, but these are easy issues to get around. He notes that if you get an OM606 with a mechanical injection pump, a Holset 35 turbo, and tune it right, you could maybe get 450 to 500 horses out of this little Mercedes diesel.
Earlier, I mentioned that there’s a Dodge Charger out there with an OM606 in it. That car made a whopping 680 HP and 928 lb-ft of torque on the dyno using a big turbo, a mechanical pump, and other believed smaller mods. Rich recommends buying a running turbocharged OM606 and going from there. If you do, you should have a great, stout engine from the jump for your project.
The good news is that these engines can sort of be had for cheap. The OM606A, the turbo variant, was fitted to 1998 and 1999 W210 Mercedes-Benz E300TD sedans. E300D models from 1996 to 1997 also had the OM606, but naturally aspirated.
Here’s one non-turbo OM606 for $1,499. You could probably make much of your money back by parting out and scrapping the rest of the car.
Getting one with a factory turbo might be tricky. A running and driving E300TD can cost you $4,000, which is about what you’d pay for a used stock Cummins 4BT. Some people on Facebook try to charge more than that for a running OM606 that’s been removed from a car.
Some Assembly Required
The great thing is that, like the Cummins 4BT, there is an aftermarket out there for adapters to get the OM606 to work in other vehicles. You can get adaptor plates to fit the OM606 to various Land Rover, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Jeep, BMW, and more transmissions. Depending on the exact vehicle you are converting, you may need to do some custom fabrication for motor mounts, but there are even some of those available out there, too.
As for getting an OM606 to run, well, you technically don’t need much to get an all-mechanical OM606 to run. Check this video out:
Sadly, that doesn’t mean that your swap will be easy. While there have been a lot of OM606 swaps out there, the resources for these engines appear to be different. By that, I mean you might have to do some custom fabrication to get things to work, be it custom motor mounts, a custom driveshaft, or cutting up your engine bay to get things to fit properly. Of course, you’re going to want your turbodiesel daily to have working gauges, so now you might have to get creative in that regard. Again, this will vary between vehicles and your creativity.
Thankfully, you’re not totally screwed if you get an OM606 with an electronic pump as you can get an aftermarket ECU to get that to work.
To give you an example of the work involved here, someone who turned a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado into a cool OM606-powered rig wrote about their experience:
BACKGROUND:
I first found a complete engine with transmission. The seller said the motor had a knock (most likely an injector). Turned out the motor was toast. He helped me with parts so I decided to rebuild it. I actually destroyed the original turbo head and ended up using a non-turbo I found. I kept the non-turbo cams and springs. I may replace those with the turbo ones. But the motor started and idled fine after I completed the rebuild. I replaced two pistons, two rods, crankshaft, etc. Then it took me several months to find a truck. The one I found was in excellent condition so I got it for a great price.MOTOR & TRANSMISSION:
The transmission adapter plate I found online was made for the 99 4L60E so I picked one up from the salvage yard and rebuilt it (I could not use the exact 2002 4L60e that came with the truck). To control the transmission I bought an EZ-TCU controller. I should have spent a bit more. The unit has been throwing a code although the transmission continues to shift normally. The EZ-TCU needs a TPS. There are standalone TPS kits online. I made my own one. The TCU also needs an RPM signal. Dakota Digital sells a small unit that generates an rpm signal, those rpm units are great. They allow a few options to generate the rpm signal, I used my alternator with the “W” terminal. I actually had to find one at the junk yard. Many diesel alternators already come with that terminal. You can also use the om606 sensor picking up with flywheel to generate an rpm signal. And finally (besides voltage and ground), the TCU needs a signal from the speed sensor at the tail of the 4L60E. The TCU is customizable (I think just made that word up) which is really cool. Look it up.
That’s just a piece of it. The person, who published their OM606 swap experience to the 4BTSwaps forum, also wrote about time, costs, and results. They say that it took them two months to complete the project. Here’s more:
General Elements and ($):
• 2002 Chevy Silverado 2WD short (stepside) bed. I wanted white but after many months looking for the truck this is what I found
• OM606 stock engine with stock turbo, alternator, PS pump, AC unit, etc. (approx. $1500)
• DIY OM603 (M) pump with 6mm plungers delivering approx. 75cc, I have a spare 6mm pump that delivers 90cc (approx. $1700).
• Chevy 4L60E transmission (model 1999) with stock cooling hoses.
• EZ-TCU standalone transmission controller ($500)
• Adapter plate (purchased from Bendtsen for under $1K)
• Dakota Digital unit for rpm signal ($50)
• 2.5” intake ($200)RESULTS:
The truck glides real nice on the freeway and has plenty of acceleration, maybe comparable or better than the Chevy 4.3L V6, or comparable to the 99 E300. My Silverado is actually slightly lighter than the donor E300. I’ve put about 1500 miles on the motor and is returning 30mpg hwy. I hope to get it near 35mpg with a few things I still have to tweak. Sometime later I’ll test it for top speed, but it feels like I should do 120mph easy. We’ll see. I still have to make hoses for my AC, but I got to fine tune a few other things first.
I found photos of what appears to be the subject Silverado on an archived classifieds listing. The photos are above.
Enthusiasts Love These Swaps
It seems others who have done these swaps use their vehicles as a cool diesel daily that they could not buy from the original manufacturer. That’s great! Others have turned their vehicles into high-powered beasts. Check out the Nissan Skyline R32 with an OM606 above
The description is crazy, from Engine Swap Depot:
The car is no longer powered by a factory turbocharged 2.0 L RB20DET inline-six. Instead it’s now powered by a Mercedes 3.0 L OM606 diesel inline-six making 500-600 horsepower and 1000 lb-ft of torque. The motor features an 8.5 mm injector pump, Holset HX52 turbocharger, Turbosmart wastegate, and custom intake. A Mercedes C 270 CDI transmission with a Dieselpump UK clutch sends power through a custom driveshaft to a GTR differential and axles. The car rides on Nissan S13 front coilovers with R32 front brakes and S14 rear brakes. The body features GTR front bumper, grill, side skirts, and rear quarters.
Here’s Marius Bekkevold’s OM606-powered drift car:
Some surprising drift cars have also been powered by an OM606, including this BMW E28:
A Volvo 240 drift car has also been fitted with an OM606:
As I noted earlier, while you’ll find that plenty of people have put OM606 engines into trucks and SUVs, there have been a lot of OM606 engines put into regular cars, too. As Rich from Deboss Garage noted earlier, this engine’s weight is similar to the fabled 2JZ, revs high for a diesel, and can make mountains of power, which makes this engine quite the weird choice for a drag build, a drift build, or just a street car.
Those using their OM606-swapped rides for daily driving seem to report good results.
One person with a 1990s Ford F-350 fitted with an OM606 swap claims 24 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg in the city. This person has a HE221 turbo in their truck and a 125cc injection pump and reports that the truck even accelerates faster than a gasoline-powered equivalent F-350, which is great! Meanwhile, another person with an OM606 in a Land Rover Defender 110 reports 20 mpg overall and 27 mpg at a steady speed.
That being said, it also appears that an OM606 is not going to be a towing beast. Some folks do report great results in towing, but it’s also said that you shouldn’t expect the little engine to pull like an International 7.3-liter diesel V8. But that makes sense. These engines seem to be great as economical and relatively bulletproof daily drivers, and a silly way to make a drift or drag car.
As time rolls on, I hope to see more of this. Enthusiasts are doing things with their cars that their original manufacturers never expected them to do. A Mercedes diesel Nissan Skyline is totally hilarious! So, if you have the means and the skills to make an engine swap happen and a GM LS is just too common for you, maybe you might want to rip one of these straight-sixes out of an old Mercedes.
How would you OM606 swap a Smart? Have a longitudinal engine stick out the back or the front, or go full send with an extra wide car with a transverse engine, 3 abreast seating and center steering Ala McLaren F1
OMG. That picture of the 1923 Daimler diesel truck!!! The wheels and the interesting stuff going on in the semi-open engine compartment! Thank you for this article.
I owned a 2001 Jetta TDI up until 2017. I miss it.
When I was in my early teens, the neighbor across the street had a Mercedes 220D. And I SOOO wanted a 300 SEL 6.3 back then. My peers were into GTOs, Camaros, Mustangs and 442s. And we were all too young to legally drive them and too under-earning to actually afford them.
He let me drive it one day, out in the sticks. I knew how to drive a manual transmission car, thanks to my Dad letting me abuse the clutch in his ’63 Chevy pickup truck. It had a three on the tree.
15 years later, I found myself driving a Fiat Ducato van, the size of a Ford Econoline, from one end of Italy to the other, with a 5 on the tree shifter.
That was a long time ago. I’ve since ridden in diesel Mercedes taxis from Thailand to France. Mercedes somehow marketed themselves as something special in the US and for the rest of the world, they’re like, meh. Just another car company.
(Flashbacks over) I came into a corner a little hot, but the Mercedes handled it with aplomb. And the 4-speed manual felt really good in the hand.
And now I’m wondering if there’s going to be a way to find out if that transmission was related to the 4-speed in a Peugeot 504 I owned. That also felt good. The 5 M in my ’01 Jetta TDI was pretty notchy. I have only driven one once, but Honda has a reputation for nice manuals. Oh… pretty soon it’s just going to be electrons and motors moving us around.
A Triumph TR250 or TR6 would be perfect with one of these. Mildly tuned to 200 hp, and it’s not like the old Triumph I6 was much of a revver.
“being a pioneer of common rail diesel technology in the C 220 CDI”…
Sorry, no, it was Alfa Romeo 156 with 2.4-litre JTD engine introduced much earlier than Mercedes-Benz W202 C 220 CDI. The common rail diesel technology for the passenger car was first developed by Magneti Marelli under Fiat Research Centre. However, the financial strain forced Fiat to transfer the research and technology to Bosch who worked with Mercedes-Benz in refining the technology.
I also wonder about the BMW 3-litre straight six B57D30S0 engine with four turbochargers. Will this also be an excellent swap, too?
This is great. 606 all the things! How bout an XJS? Or a Corvette? Bonus troll points if someone somehow manages to do it to a 911.
Ahh making me pine for my old OM606-powered 1998 E300 TD. What a car. What an engine. What did I sell it for???
This article is an excellent example of the value of routine emission testing.
Because catching one or two (or even hundreds or thousands of) cars is going to outweigh the damage done by the likes of Dow Chemical, BP, Shell, and everyone that uses ocean going ships to get around. Not to mention the people that are smart enough to change their tune before they get it tested, then revert when it’s done.
So you fell for that old myth that ocean going ships are the major cause of air pollution in our urban centers? Those claims are misleading for 2 reasons. 1. They are talking about SOx. 2. They are using data from before lower sulfur fuel was required globally – and even then it has been required in US territorial waters for years.
The biggest contributor to urban smog in the USA is transportation. Ships aren’t causing smog in Salt Lake City.
Very few people are going to do an engine swap twice a year to meet emission testing.
You can make a non-compliant engine compliant with very easy tuning (see: Cobb accessport, flathead screwdriver, etc. etc.). Urban smog in the US hasn’t been solved by the mandatory emissions testing in the cities where it’s been enacted (it has *helped*, but it has not *fixed* the problem). I like clean air, and I should know what bad air is like because I work in a chemical plant. Industrial pollutants are a way bigger problem than the very limited number of people that like cars enough to tune them, have the means to do so, and bother to follow through with it.
You will never make a old Mercedes diesel compliant with modern emission regulations without adding DEF and a DPF.
You have no way of knowing any engine is compliant without access to an emissions lab.
We have a whole host of EPA and CARB certified parts and make lots of HP. There simply is no reason to do illegal tuning and giving all your neighbors the middle finger.
Besides catching old diesel conversions rolling coal – regular emission testing also take lots of simply old and tired cars off the road that no longer are emission compliant. They also force people to actually maintain their vehicle instead of driving around for years with the check engine light on and failed or removed components.
Someone woke up on the wrong foot this morning!
Everything we human do is bad for the planet. Driving cars, buying cheap Chinese crap, eating meat, making babies… Any little action when applied to a population of 8 billions is problematic. We even emit CO2 while breathing!
Now, we can yuck everyone’s yum until we go back to be hunter gatherers as a species (not gonna happen) or we can try and find happiness in the little things, like a good engine swap.
I for one need that happiness in those trying times.
There is a huge difference between choosing to drive a car to get around and purposely removing the emission controls on that car to make it produce many times more pollution.
That is my position every morning.
I don’t think the point of the article was to show how to remove EGR valves and cats.
I’m not sure swapping a 1970 Charger with a ’90s diesel is much of an environnemental issue.
Basically every car mentioned in this article is older than the car the OM606 came out of. It’s also in a more strict emissions class than whatever that Silverado came equipped with, so what’s the issue? CARB legal stuff is cool but have fun trying to find smog legal stuff (read: parts made by a company big enough to justify paying for a sticker) on anything more niche than a WRX or an American muscle car
For a long time, there was a mid-90s S350 diesel on Craigslist around here with over 500,000 miles on it, said to run and drive just fine. If it had fit in my garage, I’d probably have bought it.
That Silverado is so freaking cool. Shame it wouldn’t pass emissions where I am from (engine has to be newer than the chassis).
That’s a pretty reasonable rule, I must say
I am currently having a shop do an OM605 (same engine, one less cylinder) swap into my old family camper van. I will more than double the HP and torque. My fuel will go from Premium with Lead additive to cheap diesel. Other people have done this swap and they typically triple the MPG. I will save $.50 PER MILE! If I drive it 100k miles, I will save $50k in fuel costs!
And by van, I mean a 1975 Volvo C304 that I recently brought to the US. Its the same length and width as a Chevy Tahoe but taller. Since it is forward control (engine is behind/between the driver and passenger making it a mid engine van!) it seats 7 and has a queen sized bed behind the third row. Also, it has a transfer case with a true low range so I can lock in the front wheels. The axles are solid, have vacuum actuated lockers, they are portals, and I have 3 of them; yes, it is a true 6×6. It will fit 38.5 inch tires without a lift; it just needs a stronger engine!
Holy heck that’ll be the perfect rig!
This is the best case anyone made so far to require pictures in the comments!
Yay, all the posts where I talk about the DieselPump.co.uk swaps channel finally made it into an article!
Interesting idea, Ill stick with my RB as parts are still available, If I did decide to build another engine it would be an RB30 which I believe does use a diesel block (It’s been a while since I looked)
I don’t do enough mileage to care too much about MPG. I bet the torque is nice though as the RB isn’t the most torquey engine.
Here’s a video of a 40+ mpg capable Datsun 240Z with an OM606, ripping off 12s in the 1/4 mile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RghY0For0Q
A Triumph GT6 converted with a OM606 engine, modified with a LeMans front end like the ADU1B race car, would be amazing. The ADU1B could reach 137 mph on the Mulsanne Straight with only 111 brake horsepower, and weighed under 1,800 lbs. With this engine swap, it wouldn’t gain any appreciable weight. The 4-cylinder cast-iron gasoline ICE that would come out of it was already 400 lbs. You’d certainly want to stiffen the frame given the torque output possible. Imagine a 600 bhp car weighing under 2,000 ls, that would also be a competent hypermiler, AND a drop dead gorgeous looker. You could have a 60+ mpg car ripping off 11s or even 10s in the 1/4 mile with some tuning, and its cornering prowess would be nearly unmatched by anything else.
That’s the sort of crazy that makes sense to me.
I saw a VW TDI dropped into a Miata last time I was at the JDM show in Long Beach. It had a crowd of excited geeks all around it (myself included).
The entire OM lineage is awesome. My w126 has an OM603, and with 317k miles, it still runs like a dream and got me 29.7mpg in a road trip last summer.
Not bad for a 4000lb sedan with no overdrive or lockup converter.
I plan to swap a ZF 8HP trans into it, as well as upgrade the turbo/injection pump, and see if I can push the fuel economy deep into the 30s while adding more power.
I used to own a 300 SDL. It would get 30 mpg all day long at 70 mph. Although at 120 mph, it was in the low teens. It had well over 200k miles on it when I ought it, and withstood lots of abuse with the throttle over the years I used it.
Its mediocre aerodynamic drag is what is holding its fuel economy back.
I do better than most on the highway, as I have the rear out of a 560SEL in all it’s 2.47 limited-slip glory. I’m also sitting a good 4″ lower than stock, so I’m out of the wind more. But I lose some efficiency with 17×9 rolling stock and 235 wide tires vs. stock 205.
I rev about 300RPM less at any speed vs stock. The hit on acceleration is worth the fuel savings. I’m currently averaging about 3mpg better overall vs. other SDL owners (we’re all nerds that track our mileage).
As a note: Yes, we’re working on turning “Some Geniuses” into a sort of Autopian series branding (like how Holy Grails is) but for now it’s still a headline thing.
Weirdly enough, we discovered that David Tracy has been using this headline construction for about 9 years now.
Some Geniuses are using consistent headline constructions as shorthand for stories about popular aftermarket modifications!
I love that you brought up the C111. The C111-III is the ultimate iteration of this, which you also mentioned(albeit not by name), but it has to be seen to be believed:
https://i.imgur.com/9VQJT6j.jpg
0.195 drag coefficient. I bet this could get 50+ mpg @ 70 mph with that engine.
All of the drag has been relegated to parking. It would be perfect for my end to end I-80 drives. Still parking in NYC or San Francisco would be a drag.
I would bet its footprint is still significantly smaller than that of most SUVs and trucks.
Yeah, those people who park near the store in their full size crew cabs are a real pain, sticking out in traffic. Or insisting on parking in diagonal street parking. WTF?
And now the real men of genius song is playing in my head. Thanks Mercedes! lol
Good choice for 4×4 builds. Also, I love the noises smaller i-6 diesels make.