BMW 635CSi

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BMW added a new coupe model to its range in 1976, the 6-Series E24. Long, low and rakish with distinctive ‘shark nose’ frontal styling and an elegant thin pillared cabin, it was a natural rival to the Porsche 928 and the Jaguar XJS. 

The chassis platform was shared with the outstanding E12 5-Series, widely considered to be the best handling saloon in the world at the time. A range of straight-six engines were available from a 180bhp 2.8 to a fabulously smooth and potent fuel-injected 215bhp 3.5-litre which gave the car a top speed of 140mph.

All were beautifully built in the finest BMW tradition with superb performance and handling characteristics and luxuriously trimmed interiors. One of the most desirable cars of the 80s, the E24 remained in production until 1989 with over 86,000 sold in total (the vast majority in left-hand drive), and it is interesting to note that the DVLA records only 991examples of the 635CSi still registered in the UK today.

This particular car is a desirable post-82 facelift model with improved E28 5-Series chassis dynamics, a more efficient engine and subtly updated interior and exterior styling. The owner had always lusted after one of these cars as a teenager in the Eighties and by 2003 he was finally in a position to buy one – the car you see today.

Supplied new by Holland Park BMW of London in June 1987, it came with an excellent service history which comprises no fewer than 18 service stamps up to 87,505 miles in July 2011 (giving an average service interval of just 4,800 miles) and has now only covered 88,800 miles.

However, it was beginning to show its age slightly and the owner determined to restore it to as close to showroom condition as possible. He has lost track of exactly how much he has invested in the car to date, but he states that it is certainly in excess of £30,000 and possibly nearer to £40,000 with many bills on file.

This has included a high quality respray in Dove Blue Metallic and a full interior retrim in blue leather, including the doorcards. A host of other minor trim parts have also been replaced, including new alloy wheels shod with the correct Michelin TRX tyres. Any mechanical issues were also attended to and the automatic gearbox was reconditioned just in case. The engine itself was found to be in fine fettle, as you might expect with such an impeccable service history.

Taxed until the end of September and MOTd until October with no advisories recorded, the car is said to drive beautifully and certainly performed well when we were treated to a test drive on the occasion of our visit. Supplied with all its original handbooks and with an agreed insurance value of £15,000 this wonderful car looks mighty tempting at the sensible guide price suggested today. It is only reluctantly being sold due to a recent house move and consequent loss of garaging.

These excellent Eighties sportscars have just begun to achieve classic status and one wonders how long it will be before values catch up with the preceding 3.0 CSi model, now comfortably in the £20k+ bracket for a good one. The Germans have already cottoned on to them and your cataloguer was at the Stuttgart classic car show a few months back and watched a German dealer sell a 635 that was not as smart as this one for 20,000 Euros (£16,500). With less than 1,000 still registered in the UK today, is this another one to buy now while you can still afford to?

Please note the private number plate shown is not included and will be replaced by an age-related 'D' plate prior to the sale, assuming the DVLA paperwork comes through in time.