800bhp 2JZ-powered BMW E60
Unassuming on the outside, absolutely chaotic on the inside, this sublime E60 sleeper is making a monstrous 800hp, but it’s doing it with a Japanese powerplant – purists look away now… Words: Elizabeth de Latour Photos: Adam Rous.
HEART OF DARKNESS
Monstrous 800hp 2JZ-powered E60 sleeper
Die-hard BM fans seem to act with utter horror and revulsion when someone dares to fit a non-BM engine into a BMW. It’s like one of the greatest sins that a BMW owner can commit – why on earth would you dare to sully your BM’s engine bay with something from a different German car manufacturer, or something American, or Japanese?! We are the first to admit that BM makes incredible engines, but we also have to be open-minded because the modding scene is so diverse. While we adore originality, we also love to celebrate individuality, and if someone is brave enough to do something mental, you can bet that we will be there, and we’ll be getting hyped over it. So while the sight of Lewis Little’s (@lew_lew_e60_2jz) 2JZ-swapped E60 might be enough to make many people shudder and turn away, we can’t wait to get under the skin of this insane saloon…
It goes without saying that Lewis is a BM fan, he wouldn’t have built this car if he wasn’t, but the reason he opted for this particular generation of Five becomes obvious when you start chatting to him. “I’ve always had a soft spot for E30s, but it’s E60s that hold my heart, they are by far the best all-rounder out there,” he smiles, so it’s no surprise that he ended up building one. In fact, he’s actually got a second E60 project on the go, which started out life as a 520d and is now a manual-swapped 535d with a big top-mounted single setup, which sounds pretty tasty. Clearly, Lewis is a man with a keen eye for modding, and past projects include a selection of Nova and Corsas, along with an E36 316i M3 rep, but it’s fair to say that nothing else has been quite as impressive as the car you see before you here.
That fat ol’ S369 SXE she be paired with is hands-down my favourite mod on the whole build. The lag gives them NA boys a false sense of confidence“As I said, I have a lot of love for the E60 chassis,” says Lewis as we chat about this 5 Series. “The 2JZ came up for sale first, so I bought it, and then I went to view the car. I’d found her for sale on Facebook; she had a weird grey wrap and an equally weird set of 20s on her and was a nonrunner and wanted a lot of love. I spent the best part of a Saturday with the ex-owner trying to sort it and ended up going back the following weekend with a lorry to bring it back,” he explains. So, while many people won’t be happy about the idea of this swap, not only was this E60 a nonrunner to begin with, it hadn’t exactly been treated right, so this was as much a rescue mission as it was a mad turbo build.
“The first thing I did was to remove the wrap and the 20s, bringing her back to a stock, as I much prefer a sleeper look,” says Lewis, and with that done, it was time to get the 2JZ fitted and have some fun. That didn’t last very long though… “I got 500hp out the stock 2JZ, but she was on borrowed time, and then she lost oil pressure on a bearing on a night out with my mate Dan,” shrugs Lewis. “I rattled her home, and she was knocking then,” he says. The new plan was to build a better 2JZ, and that’s exactly what Lewis has done, and the specs are mighty.
This E60 now runs a fully forged 2JZ with Arias pistons, Manley H Tuff rods, ARP bolts, uprated wrist pins, race bearings, ARP main studs, all the machine work has been skimmed and polished, and the crank and rods are balanced. There’s a GSC beehive valve spring kit with titanium retainers, Kelford D 272-278 cams, GTE head gasket, an ATI crank damper, there are Fidanza cam pulleys and R35 GT-R coil packs. Twin Bosch 044 fuel pumps and swirl pot mounted in the boot feed the 1000cc Bosch injectors in a twin-feed fuel rail, there’s a billet 90mm TB, Otaku inlet manifold and custom intercooler piping for the Supra triple-core intercooler. Lewis has fitted a Turbosmart 44mm external wastegate, a custom Walton Motorsport downpipe leads to a 3.5” turbo-back stainless exhaust with a single box and a discreet downturned tip, and the whole lot is overseen by a Link G4+ Storm ECU with 10” tablet display in the cabin. Phew. And we haven’t even got to the best bit…
“In the pics, it shows a Holset HE400 hybrid, and I was running stock cams with that and making 600hp, but now it runs a BorgWarner S369 SXE,” says Lewis, and that new turbo, along with the other revisions, means this E60 is now pushing 800hp along with 630lb ft of torque, and it’s an absolute monster. “That fat ol’ S369 SXE she be paired with is hands-down my favourite mod on the whole build. The lag gives them NA boys a false sense of confidence,” laughs Lewis, and we’re not surprised because that massive turbo is the cherry on the 2JZ-shaped cake, which is itself unquestionably the star of the show here.
This is another build in this issue that is absolutely dominated by its engine because aside from the necessary additions to go with the 2JZ, the rest of the car has been left almost entirely stock. And, while some people will gladly debate until they’re blue in the face over whether or not an E60 lowered on 19s could ever be truly considered a sleeper, no one’s going to be expecting it to be coming at you with 800hp. The 2JZ is mated to a sturdy ZF GS6-53DZ six-speed ’box on a PMC adaptor, with a twin-paddle clutch and a custom flywheel, and the rest of the drivetrain has been beefed-up with the addition of a modified M5 propshaft, diff, driveshafts and hubs.
The chassis, meanwhile, has also received a few tweaks. “I run Bilstein B8s on a 50/60mm drop, always like ’em low,” grins Lewis. “I did previously run coilovers, but I ditched them and prefer the shocks and springs personally,” he adds. He’s not lying when he says he likes them low, and this E60 is riding impressively close to the tarmac. The combo of B8s and springs is joined by a set of adjustable front and rear anti-roll bar drop links, Powerflex poly bushes, and PSB poly rear lower arm bushes, as well. The brake setup comes from an M5, and if you’re disappointed that this E60 isn’t wearing a more extravagant set of wheels, well, that wouldn’t fit Lewis’s sleeper vision. “The 19” spiders on these E60s suit them so well, there was no need to change,” he says, adding: “Less is more in my world.”
That philosophy has been applied to the rest of the car, and both the exterior and interior are virtually stock, with just some black grilles on the outside, and a B2D shifter, digital vent gauge and a trio of A-pillar-mounted gauges in the cabin. “There was no need to change the interior,” shrugs Lewis, “the M Sport interior is plush, it’s like skidding an armchair. I drive and all that is bliss,” he grins, and it offers a stark and relaxing contrast to the absolute chaos that this car is capable of unleashing.
Three years of work have seen this E60 go from non-runner to one of the most awesome 5 Series builds we’ve seen in a long time. Even if you’re not a fan of foreign engine swaps in BMs, you can’t argue with the work that’s gone into this 2JZ and the numbers it’s producing. Personally, we love this build – we love the stealthy looks, the insane performance, and just the sheer madness of running this much power in an unassuming 5 Series. And, this E60 isn’t just rare because it’s the only one of its kind in the UK – it’s also done, and that’s something we rarely get to say about a build. “I think that’s it for her,” muses Lewis as he casts a loving eye over the E60. “I’ve always said 800hp was the goal, so now it’s time to just enjoy,” he grins, and we get the feeling that’s something he does often and in a big way. Projects like these always divide opinion, but honestly, it’s hard not to like what Lewis has built, so why fight it?
“ I run Bilstein B8s on a 50/60mm drop, always like ’em low. I did previously run coilovers, but I ditched them and prefer the shocks and springs personally”
Trio of A-pillar gauges Born2Drift short-shift kit. Holset turbo has since been swapped for a BorgWarner S369 SXE Custom intake manifold and twin-feed fuel rail Interior has been left almost completely stock. Discreet single exhaust tip keeps things stealthy. Walton Motorsport custom equallength exhaust manifold. 2JZ makes a massive 800hp and 630lb ft of torque
Walton Motorsport custom equallength exhaust manifold
2JZ makes a massive 800hp and 630lb ft of torque