This Polish Jaguar XJ Runs on a 1.8-liter Ford Diesel

I don't know how many of you agree, but I find Jaguar's XJ40 series (built from 1986 to 1994) as one of the brand's better styling moments in the segment. Of course, that has nothing to do with what the previous owner of this 1990 Jaguar XJ did to his/her car.

Watch Greek Lada 2104 Wagon Beat the Snot Out of a Porsche 911 GT2 RS (?)!

Ever heard of the saying a wolf in sheep's clothing? It’s a phrase used all too frequently in the auto industry to describe timid-looking cars that pack a knockout punch. If you haven't, here's a real-life example: Sergio's Lada 2014 Station Wagon.

You can't really get more humble than an old Soviet-era Lada that traces its roots all the way back to the original Fiat 124. That is the sheep's clothing part of the equation, because under the boring shell, this Lada from Greece hides the platform, interior and a heavily modded SR20DET 2.0-liter turbo from a Nissan Silvia/200SX/240SX.

In some of the videos we found, the Lada Wagon 240SX is said to deliver somewhere in the range of 400 wheel-horsepower, but could that be enough to humiliate what appears to be the famed Porsche 911 GT2 RS?

Remember, this Porsche came with a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six twisting out a massive 612hp (620PS) with a claimed 0-100km/h (62mph) time of just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 330km/h (205mph).

Understandably, without questioning the ferociousness and speed of the Lada, we do have some reservations about the Porsche – was the driver giving everything it had and was it a real 911 GT2 RS or a replica?

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO

This 2001 BMW M5 E39 Runs on a Twin-Turbo Toyota Supra Engine

If you've ever owned or been around BMWs and especially the M performance models, you should know that they're not the best cars for fiddling around with in your garage. But once you go down that tuning route, it's hard to go back, which is what happened to the owner of this 2002 BMW M5 E39 sedan, which in factory trim, gained its power from a naturally-aspirated 4.9-liter V8 twisting out 400PS (395hp).

Even though there was nothing wrong with the motor, owner Ed Mui wanted more at a lower cost, so he swapped the Bavarian V8 for a…twin-turbo unit from a Toyota Supra.

In an interview with Eurotuner magazine in 2010, Mui explained the reasoning behind his decision:

"I purchased the car in 11/07 as a daily driver in Manhattan and vowed to keep it stock," he said, pointing out that he soon changed his mind and started adding a number of parts. The problem, however, was the constant and expensive maintenance.

"Being around E-shift and all the 1JZ- and 2JZ-powered cars, I figured I could've spent all the maintenance dollars on mods if it were a Japanese import," he added. "After spending several grand on the car, I didn't even have any performance mods. So I started looking at prices and while everything would cost over $10k, I was disappointed to discover they wouldn't increase the M5's power by even 100whp. And with E-shift already doing several successful swaps, I thought why not the M5?"

Now, two years after that interview, Mui has decided to part ways with the Supra-powered M5.

"I really don't want to give up this car, but I plan to move to Asia next year and will start the sale process for the car now," he said on the Bimmerforums, where he has listed the car for sale at $22,000 or best offer.

Currently, the M5 has 98,000 miles (close to 160,000 kilometers) on the chassis and unknown on the engine.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO

What Would You do with a Ferrari 550 Maranello V12 Engine?

We've already established that buying a used exotic sports car can turn out to be a bottomless money pit.
But for the sake of conversation, let's say that you had the opportunity to buy a supercar's engine alone, like this 5.5-liter V12 from a 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello coupe that we discovered on eBay with 9,000 miles and a 'Buy it Now' price of $16,999; what would you do with it?
If it the engine turned out to be in good condition, would you try to fitting it in another Ferrari or would you attempt a crazy engine swap in the likes of the F360-powered 1960 Nash Rambler Wagon or the Lamborghini-powered Ford Mustang, and if so, which donor car would you prefer?
Then again, maybe you'd like to create one of the world's most expensive coffee tables. Whatever your choice, we'd like to hear about it in our comments section after the break.

Ford Mustang Exotica Hides an Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Under its Hood [with Video]

We’re pretty sure that, during the time Aston Martin was under the ownership of Ford, the thought of stuffing an exotic V12 powerplant under the bonnet of a Mustang must have crossed the mind of a few company engineers.
And while we never saw something of the sort officially from Ford, an independent custom shop actually realized the idea with the 2005 Ford Mustang 'Vanquishd' show car that was presented at the 2006 SEMA aftermarket gathering.
Built by Western Motorsports, this one-of-a-kind Mustang gets a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 600 ponies from a 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish. Power is sent to the chunky rear wheels through a 6 speed manual Tremec T-56 transmission.

It Came From eBay Hell: Triumph TR3 with an Italian Body and an American Heart

Much like Christine in the Stephen King novel of the same name, this 1957 Triumph TR3 Special began life as nothing more than a…car. Since then it’s mutated into this thing that sports a faux-Ferrari body and a Chevy 350 V8 under the hood.

BMW 357Ci: E46 Coupe gets Pontiac GTO 5.7-liter LS1 V8

Two observations: one, there’s nothing cooler than a LS1-engined BMW that is externally indistinguishable from its bread-and-butter cousins and two, the Apple iPhone is probably the worst thing for filming a movie ever. A little less of number two and a little more number one, if you please.
This BMW E46 3-Series coupe, or as its UK owner has appropriately named it, the 357Ci, started its life as a 2001 325Ci with an M Sport Package.
In the hands of its current owner, it received the same 5.7-liter LS1 V8 engine as the rather forlorn looking Porsche 911 we wrote about last week, making this the second American-powered German automobile we’ve featured in as many days.

A Mazda MX-5 On Steroids: Australia’s V8 Engined Bullet Roadster

In the late ‘90s, Australian John Bettini unleashed onto the word the Bullet Roadster. What begin life as a heavily modified Mazda MX-5 with an RX-7 13B powerplant gradually evolved into a V8-engined monster like the one you see here that we found for sale in Queensland, Australia.
According to the seller, this was the fifth Bullet Roadster built and the first V8-engined one to roll out of the company’s then new Chinderah, NSW factory. It’s all hearsay, of course, but I’m willing to believe the words of a 62yo motoring enthusiast with arthritic knees. So here goes...
Bullet No. 5 was a special order from a man named George Covacic who supplied a 4.6-liter all-alloy, fuel injected V8 crate motor along with a Tremac 5-speed manual transmission and the differential from a Holden Commodore SS. Like all Bullet supercars, the brakes and suspension came from the Mazda RX-7.

Yes Please: Porsche 911 with GM LS1 V8 Power [Videos]

By taking a kitbashed GM-sourced LS1 V8 engine and slotting it into an AWD Porsche 996, LS1tech forum member “1dirtyZ” has set out to create something truly unique. Sure, it’s unconventional and perhaps a little sacrilegious...but just look at the Porsche donor car.
It’s a wreck, the victim of a catastrophic engine fire. It has a ruined interior and a body that’s been damaged both by fire and rust. It would have spent the rest its days rotting away in a car wreckers yard if 1dirtyZ had not rescued it.
And even though this confabulation of All-American grunt and German precision engineering is not yet finished (it doesn’t have a rear bumper, for one), it certainly runs and can even be driven around a dirt race track. You can check out our gallery of in-progress images below and a handful of videos showing the V8-powered Porsche 911 running.

Pontiac Solstice gets an Engine Transplant from a Toyota Supra

In the world of engine swaps, anything goes but it’s always nice to see people experimenting with different kind of builds. For Car Lounge forum member ‘Phlow’, the patient was a Pontiac Solstice roadster with a weak heart - or so to say.
While most physicians would prescribe a local LS V8 transplant, this doctor went for something more exotic, to be precise a 2JZ, which is a code name for the Toyota Supra’s twin-turbocharged inline-six.

Viper V10-Powered Chrysler PT 10 Cruiser Pickup Truck for Sale on eBay

Whether you love it or loathe it, Chrysler’s PT Cruiser was a running success for the Detroit automaker and over its ten-year lifespan, we saw countless projects cars and tunes based on the retro-styled compact model. However, ask any true Mopar fan what the ultimate modification is for any Chrysler Group model, and you’ll most likely get the answer an engine swap with the Dodge Viper’s ferocious V10 powerplant.
Here at Carscoop, we’ve shown you plenty of Viper-powered cars ranging from a Chrysler 300 and a Dodge Challenger to a Saab 9-3 and a Jeep Wrangler. Now it’s time to add the Chrysler PT Cruiser to our list of venomous engine swaps with this eBay find.
The PT/10 Cruiser Pickup Truck is said to have been built in 2000. It is based on a custom chassis with power coming from the Viper’s V10 engine churning out 500 ponies. Other goods sourced from the Dodge sports car include the 6-speed transmission, rear suspension, steering rack and seats.

Insane! Swedes Turn a Dodge Viper into the Saab 9-3 SRT10 MegaPower

Proving once again that there is no limit to what one can build when you let your imagination take over, a team of Swedes transformed a Dodge Viper into the menacing Saab 9-3 SRT10 MegaPower you see in these pictures.
It all started when a man bought a wrecked Dodge Viper SRT-10 with the intention of rebuilding it. However, it soon became obvious that task was far more difficult than he originally thought due to the extent of the damages and the lack of parts. It didn’t take long to come up with a fresh idea: strip the Viper’s body clean and use the mechanical hardware and parts of the chassis on a Saab 9-3 Sport Combi.

Fox Body Mustang Gets an Injection of Coyote V8 Power

There was a lot to like about Ford’s “Fox Body” Mustang of the 1980’s. Though lacking the attractive lines or brutish character of the first generation, it was a substantial aesthetic improvement over the Pinto-derived second generation ‘stang. It was also somewhat unique in pony car history for offering a 2.3 L turbo four alongside the usual assortment of V6’s and V8’s, purporting to offer the right combination of performance and economy.
So it’s no wonder the Ol’ Fox is popular with pony car enthusiasts. Now, Kurgan Motorsports of Atlanta has taken one of these semi-classics and retrofitted it with the barnstorming 5.0 L “Coyote” V8 and drivetrain from a wrecked 2011 Ford Mustang GT.
Kurgan Motorsports owner Bob Kurgan explains:
“The engine just dropped right in. It was everything else that was difficult. With this engine only being out for just a little while, everything had to be custom built for it to swap over. Getting the engine running was easy. We had to custom make the motor mounts, air conditioning brackets, power steering brackets ourselves. But it’s a friggin’ animal on the streets.”

VIDEO: A MINI Cooper S Powered by a Helicopter Jet Engine

Rolls-Royce and MINI may have the same owner, but the two iconic British brands have never been intended to cross paths. That was until a Texas-based firm called BMP Design decided to squeeze a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C20B jet engine sourced from a helicopter in the back of a MINI Cooper S. Yes, that's right, just behind the front seats.
The consequences of this action are easy to imagine: the 420-horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque RR engine drives the rear wheels, turning the MINI into a 4WD monster. Managing to drive the car is a major achievement, since the driver needs to balance the conventional controls with the separate levers that command the jet engine.
As you are about to see, the speed and the acceleration of this little rocket are mind-blowing. As is the noise coming from the turbine engine. Watch the videos after the break.