Some would argue today’s BMW designs are a hit and miss, but there was a time when the cars were universally appreciated not just by fans of the brand, but by car enthusiasts in general. The original 6 Series comes from that golden era, and to this day, it remains one of the most attractive cars to come from Bavaria. While this E24 is not Europe’s M635CSi nor America’s M6, it’s still a bit more special than a regular first-gen 6er.
Finished in Macau Blue, it’s a rare Motorsport Edition built for the UK market during the final days of the coupe and assembled in just 180 examples. Only three colors were available to customers, with the other two being Misano Red and Nogaro Silver. Essentially, it was a high-spec version with lots of standard equipment varying from a sunroof and headlight wipers to electric seats with memory function and a trunk lid spoiler.
The interior finish depended on the body color, and Macau Blue was combined on the inside with a lovely Nappa leather upholstery in Lotus White. As the video shows, the 635CSi is in mint condition following a thorough restoration that included stripping it down to repaint the body and doing “a fair amount of welding” to take care of known rust issues. In case you haven’t noticed yet, the car features what is likely the most suitable license plate – “BMW 635M.”
Power comes from a straight-six 3.4-liter engine, and legend has it that BMW made some changes to extract a few more horses specifically for the Motorsport Edition to compensate for the added weight commanded by the long list of standard equipment. Equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission to reflect its grand touring character, the car goes from 0 to 60 mph in about seven and a half seconds and tops out at 145 mph (233 km/h).
It didn’t take too long for the new owner to install an air suspension and bring the 635CSi closer to the road to give it a bit more attitude. Interestingly, the controller was mounted on an old Motorola car phone kit. The air suspension hardware has been installed where you’d normally find the spare wheel in the trunk, thus making it invisible unless you take out the trunk mat.
A period-correct Blaupunkt radio looks as if it’s OEM since the stock setup came from the same German car audio equipment manufacturer, which almost went bust a few years ago. The owner feels like the steering wheel is a bit too big for his liking and therefore he will probably change it at one point.
Overall, the 635CSi Motorsport Edition has been tastefully restored and modified while keeping the timeless body lines and classy interior of the original.
[Source: CAS TV / YouTube]
