- The engine is an M120 V12 taken from a Mercedes-Benz SL600.
- The owners have raced the car in a hill-climb competition.
- A future upgrade will swap the running gear onto a cleaner 240Z chassis.
There’s something special about an engine-swapped 240Z. The lines of those old Datsuns still look cool to this day, and there’s plenty of room in the engine bay for creative choices. Plus, you can find relatively inexpensive donors to kick off your project.
One car in particular remains an early stand-out to me personally. I remember the early days of “Car YouTube,” where a wicked Datsun 240Z appeared in a handful of videos. Dubbed Darius240Z, the uploader showed off what an engine-swapped Z was capable of in terms of raw power and speed.
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Source: Michael Tung and Jordan Easter
The noise that car made in its flyby video ingrained itself in my brain. To this day, an engine-swapped 240Z triggers something deep in my soul. The latest bit of engineering excellence to uncork that feeling is this awesome V12-swapped Datsun 240Z.
Owners Jordan Easter and Michael Tung have spent years honing the car to get it where it is today. Initially, it was built to compete in the Empire Hill Climb event. The V12 wasn’t slated for the car, as the mill was going to be a part of an FX RX-7 project car. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough space for the Mazda and M120 engine to play nice together.
Plans changed, and the pair figured the Z car had more than enough space to accommodate the Mercedes-Benz motor. Still, you can’t simply bolt a V12 into a 240Z and then start driving. According to Michael and Jordan, the Datsun uses an S600 bellhousing with an adapter plate, which is bolted up to a T56 six-speed gearbox.
The electronics run off a Megasquirt MS3 Pro ECU. Meanwhile, the rest of the chassis has been upgraded to comply with the tech rules of the hill climb event. This car has upgraded suspension, brakes, and safety components. It also, quite clearly, has one hell of an exhaust system on it.
“Overall, the Z and Datsun purists love it or are at least intrigued,” says Jordan. “I think there are already so many swaps in the community with such an affordable chassis with so much engine space.”
While the car is in a good spot, as far as project cars go, the long-term goal is to find a cleaner 240Z chassis and swap over the running gear. After that, Jordan and Michael want to drive the car, put on the miles, and enjoy their creation.
Motor1’s Take: Datsun 240Z engine swaps range from simple stuff to wild choices, and this one lands towards the more thrilling end of the spectrum. It’s impressive to see just how well the engine fits in the long nose of the 240Z. Yet, it’s even more impressive to hear the noises that Michael and Jordan have gotten out of this car. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this truly awesome build.