diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 1aa60fadd3db34ea5cc114e25377fe77a8f28aa3..66adadf61ca0314492efcb9511ec67a67c5fa872 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -681,6 +681,11 @@
 
  Changes between 0.9.8g and 0.9.8h  [xx XXX xxxx]
 
+  *) Update the GMP engine glue to do direct copies between BIGNUM and
+     mpz_t when openssl and GMP use the same limb size. Otherwise the
+     existing "conversion via a text string export" trick is still used.
+     [Paul Sheer <paulsheer@gmail.com>, Geoff Thorpe]
+
   *) Zlib compression BIO. This is a filter BIO which compressed and
      uncompresses any data passed through it.
      [Steve Henson]
diff --git a/engines/e_gmp.c b/engines/e_gmp.c
index 3b1f4b9cb9fb2e822bcedcd30a54cbb2ddaab98a..97bc2142a112c8e61b28b64a8f0b1d23315dd050 100644
--- a/engines/e_gmp.c
+++ b/engines/e_gmp.c
@@ -85,6 +85,8 @@
 #include <openssl/crypto.h>
 #include <openssl/buffer.h>
 #include <openssl/engine.h>
+#include <openssl/rsa.h>
+#include <openssl/bn.h>
 
 #ifndef OPENSSL_NO_HW
 #ifndef OPENSSL_NO_GMP
@@ -251,27 +253,61 @@ static int e_gmp_ctrl(ENGINE *e, int cmd, long i, void *p, void (*f)(void))
 	return to_return;
 	}
 
-/* HACK - use text I/O functions in openssl and GMP to handle conversions. This
- * is vile. */
+
+/* Most often limb sizes will be the same. If not, we use hex conversion
+ * which is neat, but extremely inefficient. */
 static int bn2gmp(const BIGNUM *bn, mpz_t g)
 	{
-	int toret;
-	char *tmpchar = BN_bn2hex(bn);
-	if(!tmpchar) return 0;
-	toret = (mpz_set_str(g, tmpchar, 16) == 0 ? 1 : 0);
-	OPENSSL_free(tmpchar);
-	return toret;
+	bn_check_top(bn);
+	if(((sizeof(bn->d[0]) * 8) == GMP_NUMB_BITS) &&
+			(BN_BITS2 == GMP_NUMB_BITS)) 
+		{
+		/* The common case */
+		if(!_mpz_realloc (g, bn->top))
+			return 0;
+		memcpy(&g->_mp_d[0], &bn->d[0], bn->top * sizeof(bn->d[0]));
+		g->_mp_size = bn->top;
+		if(bn->neg)
+			g->_mp_size = -g->_mp_size;
+		return 1;
+		}
+	else
+		{
+		int toret;
+		char *tmpchar = BN_bn2hex(bn);
+		if(!tmpchar) return 0;
+		toret = (mpz_set_str(g, tmpchar, 16) == 0 ? 1 : 0);
+		OPENSSL_free(tmpchar);
+		return toret;
+		}
 	}
 
 static int gmp2bn(mpz_t g, BIGNUM *bn)
 	{
-	int toret;
-	char *tmpchar = OPENSSL_malloc(mpz_sizeinbase(g, 16) + 10);
-	if(!tmpchar) return 0;
-	mpz_get_str(tmpchar, 16, g);
-	toret = BN_hex2bn(&bn, tmpchar);
-	OPENSSL_free(tmpchar);
-	return toret;
+	if(((sizeof(bn->d[0]) * 8) == GMP_NUMB_BITS) &&
+			(BN_BITS2 == GMP_NUMB_BITS))
+		{
+		/* The common case */
+		int s = (g->_mp_size >= 0) ? g->_mp_size : -g->_mp_size;
+		BN_zero(bn);
+		if(bn_expand2 (bn, s) == NULL)
+			return 0;
+		bn->top = s;
+		memcpy(&bn->d[0], &g->_mp_d[0], s * sizeof(bn->d[0]));
+		bn_correct_top(bn);
+		bn->neg = g->_mp_size >= 0 ? 0 : 1;
+		return 1;
+		}
+	else
+		{
+		int toret;
+		char *tmpchar = OPENSSL_malloc(mpz_sizeinbase(g, 16) + 10);
+		if(!tmpchar) return 0;
+		mpz_get_str(tmpchar, 16, g);
+		toret = BN_hex2bn(&bn, tmpchar);
+		OPENSSL_free(tmpchar);
+		return toret;
+		}
 	}
 
 #ifndef OPENSSL_NO_RSA