Different car brands appeal to different people. For Chevy owners, the power and sound of a V8 Camaro or Corvette is what gets them going. For other people who place comfort and image over performance, there are European luxury marques like Mercedes Benz. For a blend of luxury and performance though, many car enthusiasts can’t help but turn to BMW, the German brand that makes fast, comfortable, and expensive cars for the “refined” gearhead.

So how does one make BMW’s flagship, the 3-series sedan, better? Why drop an LS-engine under the hood, that’s how. Or just buy this LS2-swapped ‘94 BMW 325i sedan right off of eBay for less than $12,000.

Now we’re not saying a stock BMW 325i sedan is underpowered; as far as European luxury sedans go, it’s actually pretty peppy. But not half as peppy as a 2006 Pontiac GTO, which donated its 400 horsepower LS2 engine and six-speed manual transmission to the V8 BMW cause. Fitting this engine into this Bimmer required custom motor mounts, headers, exhaust system, so on and so forth. This wasn’t just a swap-and-go project.

But it also isn’t the only modification either. A limited-slip differential, lowering springs, battery, and other mods really help bring this Bimmer to life, and it looks to be in decent shape for an almost two-decade old car too. Imagine pulling up at a stoplight next to the smug bastard in his Bimmer at the light… and hearing the roar of an LS2 V8. From Euro-trash to Euro-treasure, all with a simple engine swap.