This BMW E39 540i got a hefty engine swap

Posted on 26-12-2014 at 19:11 by sir_smokalot – 87 Comments”

Who in the late ’90s, early ’00 no M5 wanted, but it is a V8, which went for the 540i. This exemmplaar has a 4.4 liter achtpitter (code: M62), however, traded in for something much bigger, which at the same time is smaller. Huh?

The 540i is for lovers, perhaps still known as the heavy scheurijzer that Clive Owen this short film full of chases was (he threw Madonna over his back seat in an M5). The model was not particularly sold well, and an original copy is hard to find.

This E39 from 2001 qualifies, in any case not as original as its a 4.4 liter was replaced by a V8 6-liter large….out of a truck. Blasphemy! The maker opted for a LQ4 block, a source of power from GM’s Vortec series that, oddly enough, a lot more compact dimensions than the BMW’s M62. Watching you for a while?

Incidentally, it is not what you’re thinking: the engine is running just on petrol, and not diesel.

The maker combined its new engine with the diff out of an M5, and managed to get 427 hp at the wheels and 542 Nm of torque to produce, more than in the M5. The price that you pay for? A lot of time to tinker, but the result is stunning, and the enthusiast will be the 20 page posting on LS1Tech with fun reading.