--- title: "Nissan Skylines With Mercedes Diesel Swaps Are a Thing and They Make All the Smoke" description: "The Nissan Skyline R32 and R33 have both gotten powerful, smoky Mercedes diesel engines in place of their stock sixes." date: "2023-09-11" modified: "2023-09-11" authors: - name: "James Gilboy" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/nissan-skylines-with-mercedes-diesel-swaps-are-a-thing-and-they-make-all-the-smoke" categories: - "Mercedes-Benz News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Nissan News" tags: - "Coupe" - "Mercedes-Benz" - "Nissan" - "Skyline" --- # Nissan Skylines With Mercedes Diesel Swaps Are a Thing and They Make All the Smoke ![Nissan Skylines emit clouds of soot form their Mercedes diesel engines]() *\@marcuslfoto on Instagram (left), Kanpeki Style on Facebook (right), \* As long as your [Nissan Skyline]() has six cylinders and a turbo, its spirit remains unchanged. That even goes for when you change out for a different *flavor* of horsepower. Such as diesel, which might be why multiple Skyline owners have swapped their cars to [Mercedes]() diesel engines, of all things. I first learned of these diesel Skylines when one popped up on Instagram, showing a video of creeping into a Norwegian car meet in a self-explanatory cloud of soot. A panning shot under the hood revealed a Mercedes OM606, the 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline six used in 1990s E-, S-, and G 300 Benzes. Today, it's a reasonably popular swap due to the engine's ubiquity and performance potential. You can find them in everything from [Ford F-350s]() to a [Jeep]() and [even an escaped Grumman LLV mail truck](). And of course, [Nissans]() too. > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by Marcus Lundell (@marcuslfoto)]() Multiple of them, I should say, because while looking for info on the car above I found other examples. One's a clip of [an OM606-powered R33]() (also in Norway), while [another R32]() popped up on [*Engine Swap Depot*](). Listed on eBay UK in 2021, the latter was a GTS-T with GT-R bodywork, and a Godzilla-sourced rear axle too. That's because it was built for somewhere between 500 and 600 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque, which apparently a Mercedes C270 CDI transmission was good to hold. Fat Hoosier slicks on the rear make clear that it's a drag car, though its cut-out fenders suggest it may have also been used for drift. (The brown car was cut up similarly, but it has more of its original frame.) I dunno if three cars are enough to be called a trend, but it's a heck of a swap for three people to come up with independently. And as much of a stickler as I can be about swapping in *wrong* engines to cars (K-swaps are *ew*), an OM606 in a Skyline makes all the sense in the world. If you have a good Skyline shell and some neglected diesels just lying around, the solution is obvious. The only thing these cars need now is [a half-decent tune to get rid of that soot](). You've come too far to cheap out like that. *Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com* ## Author James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids." ### Author social links [Instagram]()