Recommendations for R53 replacement tuner engines?

[VehiGAZ]

Hi all!

I am not a regular here but I need some recos from the regs...

My R53 engine is toast - the short and pithy story is that I have apparently started to burn a goodly amount of oil after 88k hard miles, and my oil level sensor was not being honest and open with me about how it was really feeling, and I didn't want to make it think that I didn't trust it anymore by checking the dipstick (yes, I fully accept my role and responsibility in what's happened between us), and so it didn't give me any indication that something might be wrong until it was down 3.5 qts, and even then it only flickered the light in a turn... Ok, enough of the marriage counselling theme. Bottom line is I topped off the oil the day I saw the light, and while everything seemed to be fine, a few days later, the engine just cold SHUT OFF while going 80 on the highway, without so much as a CEL. Ouch. Towed it to my garage, all seemed fine (running smooth, no big fault codes) so I said lets just do the big service and see what happens. He didn't get any further than draining the oil when the call came in - LOTS of metal shavings in the oil & filter! I had him drop the pan so we could understand the cause of death - the crank is a little scratched but there was a chunk of plastic from an unknown part in the pan, the connecting rods are trashed, and of course all the bearings would need to be replaced, and who knows what else is hiding up in there.

Thank you in advance for the otherwise excellent suggestions of rebuilding this engine or installing a used engine from a salvaged car, or a rebuilt engine from anyone - but I have already decided NOT to take any of these routes.

I want to install a tuner engine, the more complete the better, with no other substantial mods required (exhaust, transmission, etc), giving me a nice bump in low- and mid-range torque (don't care about bumping top end power at all). It has to be durable since it is my DD and I had been planning to autoX the car this year - so I want to get a leg up over stock. This engine has to be readily available and on the shelf right now too - I have other vehicles to drive, but I need to get this car back on the road in the next 2-3 weeks.

So what I'm asking is - which companies should I look at to achieve that goal?

Thank you!!