Japanese tuner inks deal with Nissan to build new SR20DETs

Brand-new SR20DETs, anyone?

If you ask a car enthusiast what's the greatest engine Nissan has produced, the most likely answer is the Skyline GT-R's RB26DETT. But ask about the second greatest, and the SR20DET is right there in the conversation.

You see, the SR20 is just as revered as Mitsubishi's 4G63, Toyota's 4AGE, and Honda's B16 inline-fours. The SR20 is a crowd favorite for Nissan enthusiasts who use the S-chassis for drifting or simply as an instant power upgrade to Sentras. It's been proven to handle more than double its factory horsepower output, much like its bigger RB26 brother.

So if you're out to make your next Nissan engine swap to your project car, the folks at the Japanese motorsports shop Mercury have signed a deal with Nissan to produce, in limited numbers, brand-spanking new SR20DET crate engines.

The continuation project was shared by Japanese D1 driver Sayaka Shimoda in a YouTube video. In addition, the number of new SR20s is limited to around 30, with Mercury set to produce about 3 to 4 units per month. However, not many details were revealed regarding the state of tune, or whether Mercury possesses the original molds of the SR20DET from Nissan.

What we do know is the SR20 still pulls a premium even though there are no upcoming Race Wars. The brand-new SR20DET will set you back USD 9,300 or PHP 540,000 when converted to current exchange rates. Also, motorsport outfits and race teams may also get priority over normal JDM enthusiasts. So unless you have Bunta Fujiwara's connections, it could be hard to actually get your hands on one.

But still, at this time when automakers are moving away from internal combustion engines, the thought of making aftermarket shops do production reruns could keep the greatest JDM engines alive for the next generation. Would you agree? Let us know in the comments.