Diamondschwarz Over Black Leather, Euro Import c.1986 and Under Long Term Ownership, Showing 31,030 Miles and in Exceptional Condition.
The 1980s are looked back on today as a golden era for performance cars - and in many ways, that’s true. But when enthusiasts in this period looked at the cars European manufacturers were offering stateside and compared them to the vehicles they were selling in Europe, many cars left quite a bit to be desired. Due to tightening safety and emissions regulations, American market cars were saddled with large, unsightly bumpers and less powerful engines. At the same time, the Europeans got to enjoy the cars as they were designed. One of the hardest hit cars was the E24 6-Series - the stunning, delicate design that was a true successor to the E9 3.0 CS was then fitted with protruding 5 MPH impact bumpers - accurately nicknamed “diving boards”- that did not do the design justice. In 1984, a high-performance variant of the 6-series went on sale in Europe. Where the US market had to make do with the 635CSi, the Europeans now had the ability to specify the M635CSi, powered by the DOHC inline-6, that could draw its roots back to the M1 supercar. Although these cars are now fully importable to the United States, a few made it into the country through the automotive gray market in the 1980s, before the manufacturers closed that door for good.
This 1985 BMW M635CSi is one of those cars that has been in the country since it was essentially new. Records show that this car was imported into Texas, where is lived until 2017. Finished in Diamondschwarz, this M635CSi shows just 31,030 miles at the time of cataloging and is in absolutely exceptional condition throughout. Accenting the Diamondschwarz paint is a pair of silver pinstripes that run the length of the car and were a frequent addition on these Euro M635s. The American market did get it’s own version of the M635CSi - the M6- in 1986, but there are a few obvious ways to distinguish a European market car, from its less powerful American counterpart. The most obvious differentiator is the bumpers- the svelte Euro bumpers allow the outstanding sharknose design to speak for itself, and both the front and rear air dams have some unique detailing. This example sits on a stunning set of 16” BBS multi-piece basket weave wheels with polished lips and painted centers, wrapped in Pirelli P7 tires - just like you would have seen on the car in period.
In 2021, this M635CSi came to us at EAG for a comprehensive rejuvenation and to ensure that it was performing like a new car. We did a comprehensive checkover of the car and had to do remarkably little to bring it up to par. This is a true testament to how the previous owners had truly cherished this car over the past 35 years, and although we found some things that needed to be addressed, they were nearly all items that perished over time rather than pieces that were broken or wrong due to neglect.
The interior is classic 1980s BMW, with a set of Recaro sport seats wrapped in black leather situated up front and two nicely sculpted rear buckets, creating a fantastic 2+2 cockpit. The US market M6 came absolutely loaded from the factory, making it significantly heavier than most European market cars, with most M6s featuring leather-wrapped dashboards, rear seat air conditioning, and other features that added significant weight. In contrast, the M635CSi could be ordered to the individual’s specification and were more frequently outfitted like this car - sport seats and M-Tech steering wheel, but no leather on the dashboard and no rear air conditioning. That being said, this car still feels extremely luxurious inside and is a wonderful place to command your 150 mph sport coupe from.
Powering the M635CSi is the M88/3 3.5-liter dual overhead cam inline-6. This engine can draw its roots back to the Group 4 and 5 3.0CSL endurance race cars of the 1970s, and in its first road-going form was fitted in the rear of the BMW M1 supercar. For use in the M635CSi, the M88 received a number of changes to ensure reliability, including a new Bosch Motronic fuel injection and a slightly lower compression ratio to allow running on pump gas. Even still, this engine produces 282 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque, making this one of the most powerful BMW road cars produced at the time. This engine sends power through a 5-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels and was timed by BMW as running from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds and capable of nearly 160 mph on the top end.
At EAG we love this era of BMW - when the Motorsport division was still coming into its own, and these luxurious coupes and sedans were powered by thinly veiled race car engines. A great E24 is a car that drives like nothing else, and it is safe to say this M635CSi is one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. Contact us to learn more about this special example and all of preservation work performed to make this a truly turn-key example.
11608 Reading Road Cincinnati, OH 45241
Mon - Fri: 8 AM - 6 PM Sat: By Appointment
(513) 554-1BMW (1269)
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1985 BMW E24 M635CSi 
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