E60 525D Turns into a 600+ HP Beast
Putting a 2JZ into a 5-series 525D sedan? Check out this ridiculous sleeper build.
It seems in today’s world you can put a Toyota engine into a BMW and a BMW engine into a Toyota. We aren’t necessarily opposed to this idea. At the end of the day, it’s your car, your build. However, we can’t help but admit that this one is a bit quirky. We present to you the world’s first (potentially) 2JZ-powered E60 525D. We aren’t exactly sure why or how this build came to be, but we do have the owner to talk about it a bit.
Thanks to LivingLifeFast on YouTube, we get to check out this unique build. The owner of this car is Lewis Little, who purchased the car initially as a project. According to him, the car already had the 2JZ in when he purchased it. However, the car had been plagued with electrical issues and other bugs so at this point it had never run right. Little wanted to get this project going and did the necessary adjustments and fixes to get it solid. The engine powering this E60 is actually not a GTE, but rather the naturally aspirated GE block with a turbo kit attached.
Little ran the 2JZ like this at around 500 HP for 6 to 8 months before he blew a bearing and the 2JZ was toast. However, this wasn’t stopping Little, who then pulled the motor. He then built the 2JZ, now it has fully forged internals top to bottom. With this setup, the car now makes around 600 HP and 600 ft/lbs of torque. With the internals forged, that power level is easy to keep reliable. If a couple of other minor modifications, this 2JZ could support up to 1000 HP no problem.
Little says his long-term goal is to have the 525D making a reliable 800 or so horses. However, he is happy with how it is currently at 20 psi. Believe it or not, this engine is connected via an adapter plate to an E39 530D transmission. The car also features an E60 M5 differential and front and rear brakes. All in, Little says he’s spent around 14 to 15 thousand pounds to get this swap to where it is today. We have to say after listening to that 2Jz sing, we can’t blame him. It definitely beats the stock 177 HP, doesn’t it?
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