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.

According to the eBay seller, "with 13 inch tires it only goes about 65 [we'll assume he's talking about mph here] at 4000 rpms, but it gets there in about 4 seconds" and while driveable, the car needs some TLC to be road-worthy. The current bid on eBay is $3,251 but the reserve has not been met yet.

Source: eBay via Autoholics

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VIDEO: Kawasaki ZX10 takes on Mazda RX-7 with Corvette V8 in Drift Challenge

Now here's something you don't see every day. Sent in by Carscoop reader Łukasz Ż, this enjoyable time-waster of the day pits a motorcycle against a rear-wheel drive sports car in an out of the ordinary drift challenge. In one corner we have Nick "Apex" Brocha of Icon Motorsports piloting a 2005 Kawasaki ZX10 with 175HP and an extended swingarm. In the other corner is professional racecar driver Jim Guthrie in a 1993 Mazda RX-7 powered by a 375HP Corvette V8 engine. The result? Follow the jump to find out.

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Classic MINI gets a 78-liter V18 Diesel Engine with 12 Turbochargers and 3,500HP... [Take That Veyron]

If you visit this week's Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, make sure you stop by Cummins' stand to check out this one-of-a-kind Austin Mini with a unique engine-swap. In case you didn't notice, there's a colossal engine sitting just behind the passenger compartment on the classic Mini's stretched platform.

Cummins, an independent maker of diesel engines, fitted its biggest powerplant on one of the smallest cars around. The QSK78 diesel engine, which is used to power mining industry dump trucks capable of carrying 360 tonnes, is a 78-liter, 18-cylinder monster with 12 turbochargers producing 3,500HP (take that Veyron) at 1,900 rpm and 10,157 lb-ft / 13,771Nm of peak torque at 1,500 rpm.

Weighing in at over 11 tonnes (24,912 lbs), the V18 unit measures an astonishing 3,327mm (131-in.) in length, 1,633mm (65.5-in.) in width and 2,429mm (95.6-in) in height.

"We never like to let a challenge go by unanswered so we got to thinking maybe we could fit the QSK78 into an original Austin Mini," said Steve Nendick, Cummins' Communications Director. " It proved to be a bit tricky to fit under the bonnet but our engineers came up with a more creative solution. We're certain that the Goodwood crowd will have difficulty believing what they are seeing", he added.

No word from Cummins on whether or not the V18 diesel actually motivates the Mini, but we wouldn't bet on it.

Ferrari 308 GTSi Owner Swaps Maranello's V8 for Pontiac Fierro's V6! [with Video]

We never cease to be amazed by the things some people do to their cars. But while we may turn a blind eye to creations such this Acura/Honda NSX turned into a Ferrari 360-lookalike or this Mazda RX-7-powered BMW E30, there's something fundamentally wrong with swapping the original 214HP 3.0-liter V8 powerhouse of a Ferrari 308 GTSi with the... Pontiac Fiero's, Chevrolet-sourced 140HP 2.8-liter V6 unit.

Even though the seller of the car may have a point or two about the GM engine being easier and significantly less pricey to service and/or fix, if maintenance is an issue, then you probably shouldn't be shopping for a Ferrari in the first place...

Nevertheless, if you're interested in this Magnum PI-made-famous Ferrari model with the Fiero-heart, it's up for sale on eBay, with the highest bid currently set at US$14,901.

Link: eBay

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