This 1980 Toyota Corolla TE71 Packs a Big-Block 454 / 7.4-liter Chevy V8

Let us introduce you to our find of the day; a 1980 Toyota Corolla TE71 Coupe retrofitted with a big brawny classic American V8 powerplant. This wolf in sheep's clothing was once powered by a small four-cylinder engine but now comes with a 454 cubic inch (equal to 7.4-liters) big block Chevrolet V8 powerhouse that drives the wheels through GM's Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission.

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eBay Sleeper: 1979 Chevrolet Malibu with Pontiac GTO 5.7-liter LS1 V8

Now that Pontiac is officially gone, one way of keeping the heritage alive is to salvage whatever parts you can find. We don’t know if that’s what the owner of this 1979 Chevrolet Malibu thought, but, nevertheless, he did swap the original engine with a modern 5.7-liter LS1 V8, sourced from a wrecked GTO, while keeping the styling of the car pretty much stock.

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1985 BMW 557i with Corvette V8 Heart Transplant

Owning a mint condition E28 BMW 5 Series would be a dream come true for most bimmer fans. However, the owner of this Euro-spec 1985 528i was probably not impressed by the stock 2.8-liter powerplant’s 184-ponies, so he performed an engine swap.

If it was up to me and money wasn't an object, I would've probably tried to fit a V12, but the 1999 Chevy LS1 V8 isn’t a bad fit either - that is, if you really feel the need to hear an American V8 burbling under the hood of a vintage German sedan.

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Video: Dacia Logan with Volkswagen 2.8-liter VR6 Engine!

I don’t know if the word Dacia gives James May that fizzing sensation he often talks about, but the Top Gear host seems pretty fond of the Romanian brand. Same goes for low-budget European buyers who see the Renault-era Dacias as well priced models with affordable maintenance costs. One of the Romanian firm's latest cars, the Duster was even nominated for the 2011 COTY award.

However, the brand's models aren't exactly exciting, even more so when it comes to sheer performance with their mundane, small displacement petrol and diesel engines. But as always, for every problem there's a fix. This man's answer was to ditch the Logan sedan's four-cylinder and throw in a 2.8-liter VR6 Volkswagen engine.

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