Highlights
- Has been in long term ownership
- Stored in a dry barn under a cover
- Beautiful condition
- Original BBS 1’s fitted
- Lots of spares
- Only 69,274 miles
The Appeal
The 1st generation E24 6 Series has aged beautifully over time and are now among some of the most desirable classic BMWs on the market. This 635 CSI has a lovely story on the sunny islands of Guernsey and Jersey, it has only just come into the UK and is raring to go on its next adventure.
This example is highly original and has been relatively untouched for the past couple of decades as it has been stored in a large barn under a cover, so some may refer to it as a barn find.
The History and Paperwork
- The story of this 635 CSI starts when it is ordered by Jacksons of Guernsey, who are effectively the main dealer for the Island
- It stays on this small island until 1982 where it is sent to Jersey, once again through Jackson’s
- The car goes through 2 more owners between 1982 and 1984
- It is when the 4th owner acquires the car in 1984 that the story gets interesting
- They would ultimately have the car for the next 38 years until it was bought by the current owner and shipped to the UK
- From the previous ownership, we have a lot of spare parts
- The majority of these parts are all dated stamped from BMW, there are some gaskets dated 1998, an emblem also dated 1998, and another gasket dated 1995
- Within the spares, you will find two spotlights, some assorted parts, and even service parts
- As the previous owner had their own garage a lot of work was done inhouse
- We have mentioned that this car has been in the same ownership for the past 38 years but for around 20 years of that it has been sitting in a barn under a cover
- Due to a move the previous owner had to let it go
- This is where the current owner steps in and purchases the car
- The process of registering it for the UK roads starts and on the 1st of July 2022 the first UK logbook is issued
- You can see from the paperwork that all the appropriate duties and fees have been paid
- Within the paperwork, you will also find a Jersey registration document, and correspondence with BMW that this car was manufactured in June of 1979
- There is also an invoice from May 2022 that shows the most recent service, a new water pump, an MOT, and 4 new tyres
- It is now your chance to add to this car's amazing history, wherever you go people always admire this type of car
The Interior
- Clean interior – well preserved under cover
- Electrically operated sunroof
- Original looking blue carpets
Doesn’t the interior of this classic BMW just look perfect, with its dark blue leather seats and corresponding blue carpets? It looks like a wonderful place to sit and watch the miles roll by on one of your classic car outings.
If we start by looking at these seats, we can see that they are in lovely condition. The leather on all four seats is presented beautifully with only some minor marks. They probably look so good because of the fact it hasn’t been used in the past two decades. It is lovely to see that this blue colour is also used throughout the interior, with items like the door cards and pillar trims. A nice piece of design that ties the whole interior together.
There are a few small, isolated, areas of the interior that aren’t ‘like new’ these can be found in the form of a slight crack in the plastic in front of the rev counter and a non-functioning blower motor.
This car is fitted with an electric sunroof which is said to still work. But a slight nudge may be needed from time to time to get it to go. Don’t forget that it has been sitting still for a few years so to still operate without any work is wonderful.
When you get round to the boot the condition continues to be very good. The carpet looks nice and clean and under this, you will find the spare wheel, which matches the ones currently fitted to the car. A couple of extras in the boot include the CD multi-changer for the stereo and of course, the BMW toolkit fitted under the boot lid. The tool kit appears to have the majority of the original tools still in place with only a couple of empty slots.
Overall, the interior of this classic BMW is in very good condition. It is now your chance to look after it as you create many happy memories at the helm of this beautiful and rare classic.
The Exterior
- Genuine BMW rear lip spoiler
- Original BBS 1’s – including the spare
- Lovely colour
- Low spotlights and headlight wipers
BMWs of this era just look great, the iconic kidney grilles are nice and small (unlike today's monstrosities) and when this is twinned with the quad headlights and additional spotlights in the lower lip it looks purposeful. If you’re bombing it down the Autobahn, then people should jump out of your way.
The exterior of this 635 is in lovely condition, much like the interior, it has probably been preserved by sitting in its barn for the past few years. The silver paint with black pinstriping is a wonderful livery and this will look great sitting in your collection.
The current owner was very honest and pointed out a few areas that are not quite up to their exacting standards. These include a small 5p sized piece of damage around the aerial, and some slight bubbling to the chrome on the rear bumper and wing mirror stalks. However, for a car known to rot quicker than you can say BMW 635 CSI, this is very minor indeed. It was said that the underside and arches appear to be in good condition on a quick visual inspection.
It currently sits on its original BBS 1’s, which look stunning and really set the look off. Should you want something a bit sportier it will also come with a good set of replica Alpina rims. When the current owner get the car, it was the Alpina’s that were on it, so they fitted a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4’s which have only done a few hundred miles since.
It was also mentioned that this car is fitted with headlight wipers, apparently this is a rare feature, but it is unknown whether these work or not.
The overall condition of this 635 CSI is very good indeed, there are a few areas that you may wish to get tarted up a bit but on the whole, it is truly glorious. It should also be hard to find another 1979 in this condition as they are rather rare these days.
The Mechanics
- Recently serviced
- Always looked after
- Drives well
- 5-speed dog-leg gearbox
- rev counter has stopped working
- fuel gage works but sometime fluctuates like most old gages
BMW’s slogan today is ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ and when you get behind the wheel of this classic BMW you will understand where this journey started some 50 years ago.
The 3.5l M90 engine fitted to this 635 is both smooth and powerful. It was mentioned that when the car was awoken from its long sleep it just needed a new battery and some new fuel, what a testament to German engineering. It has recently had a full service to make sure that it is in perfect running condition for you to get in and go for a proper blast.
To make this car even rarer and fun to drive, it has the dog leg 5-speed manual box fitted. This racing style gearbox shifts through all of its gears with no issues. You just remember that first is away and down!
The current owner did say that the engine bay could do with a bit of a clean up, but it doesn’t look that bad in the photos. But it depends on what you think is presentable.
Although the car doesn’t come with too much paperwork about work completed on it, we can be sure that the correct work was completed by the previous mechanic owner.
Overall, the mechanical elements of this BMW are in great condition. You should have no issue hopping in and taking it away on the day of collection.
Summary
What a car this is. It looks beautiful from all angles, it drives well, and it will be great to sit in and go for a bit of a b-road bash in the late summer sun. This car is admired amongst the BMW community and with this car's lovely history you will have great stories to tell about it when you’re at your next car show.
It is rare, sort after, and presented well. This has all the hallmarks of a true classic.
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