1989 BMW 635CSi

This BMW 635CSi was first registered on 8 March 1990 by Paragon BMW in Hull. That makes it one of the very last 635s, therefore benefiting from all the developments and advancements that went on during the seven year production run.

The car spent the whole of the 1990s with successive owners in Yorkshire before going west to Birkenhead on the Wirral. In the mid-noughties ownership passed to an architect in Kent who had extensive work done to the car by Munich Legends in East Sussex who claim to be “The World’s Leading Independent BMW Specialist”.

Many thousands of pounds were spent going through the car inside and out to sort any and all issues. Around this time the car changed its registration from G183 FTW to PIB 7116.

The car was bought by our vendor in early 2015 and he decided to keep it in the warm and dry garage at his holiday home in France. It was re-registered in Cannes, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (PACA) region in September of that year. Interestingly enough - the car is also still on register with the DVLA under its previous number PIB7116, so it may be quite straightforward to change the ownership with the UK V5C still being present and valid.

The BMW 635CSi was the current owner’s teenage dream, and he was looking for a late model one that would have the best of the line’s evolution. He’s used it sparingly down in the south of France but has kept it maintained by a local mechanic - aside from jobs requiring specialist heritage parts, for which it was taken to BMW in Paris.

The car is finished in BMW’s Diamond Black metallic paint, which is looking a little tired and subject to a number of scuffs, scratches and lacquer peel - most notably on and around the front bumper, rear deck and boot lid spoiler and some light bubbling on the sunroof - all probably the result of the Cannes heat (wasn’t that a song by Jamiroquai?).

These age and climate-related blemishes don’t detract much from what is still a hugely impressive-looking car, from its raked shark nose to the tapering boot. The elongated side profile looks just fabulous.

The original-fit 15-inch BBS TRX alloys were replaced with 17-inch Alpina wheels in the mid-noughties - over £400 each back then - which still look in good order, although the front nearside wheel is missing the hub cap. All are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres fitted in June 2021 and showing good tread.

For a 33 year old car that’s had over 130,000 miles pass beneath its wheels, the interior looks incredibly good. It is likely that it was one of the things addressed by Munich Legends but even so, there is very little appreciable wear or damage across the grey leather upholstery of the seats and dash.

The steering wheel rim, gear selector lever and handbrake handle look a little shiny and worn but very little else would give away the car’s age or usage. Mounting holes for a mobile phone cradle in the side of the centre console are perhaps the only other dating factor.

The original Blaupunkt cassette radio has been retained with the car but replaced with a retro-look but modernised Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB, which includes Bluetooth connectivity.

The carpets are clean and appear undamaged and have overmats in the footwells for additional protection. Up above, the headlining appears unmarked and taut, with just a few wrinkles in the sunroof liner.

Open the front-hinged bonnet and you may be surprised at the amount of space in the engine bay to be able to carry out maintenance. This car’s modern day descendants present you with little more than an expanse of plastic covers. The engine has been serviced regularly throughout its life and it still starts well and runs smoothly and powerfully.

The undersides of the car look in decent order with no damage that we could see, but with a good deal of surface rust across the running gear. The floor pans and structural elements have an older coating of underseal, which appears to have done a good job of protecting against more serious corrosion. The seam weld where the sills meet the underbody are a little flaky - particularly in the area of the jacking points - but there appears to be nothing to be concerned by at present.

The boot is spacious and the carpets and linings are generally clean, although the boot lid lining has become detached in places. The boot lid houses the flip down toolkit, which has a few items missing. Stowed into the side of the boot space is the original first aid kit and under the floor is a spare wheel - of the 15-inch BBS kind.

The boot also contains various spares and parts removed from the car including Blaupunkt radio, light lenses, mud flaps and hub caps - although we’re not sure why the missing one hasn’t been refitted.

The history file is quite extensive and contains copies of the French Certificat d’immatriculation - registration documents and title and the latest Visites Techniques (MOT), which expires in December 2023 as well as the UK V5C.

The car comes with a period model brochure and price list and with its original owner’s book pack including the service booklet which includes the following service and inspection entries:

• Mar 1990 - PDI - Paragon BMW, Hull
• Mar 1990 - 1,371 - Wheatley Hall BMW, Doncaster
• Jun 1990 - 8,030 - Altwood BMW, Slough
• Aug 1990 - 14,496 - Wheatley Hall BMW, Doncaster
• Oct 1990 - 22,250 - a/a
• Jan 1991 - 29,921 - a/a
• Jul 1991 - 42,955 - a/a
• Unknown - 49,198 - Paragon BMW, Hull
• Jul 1992 - 52,823 - a/a
• Dec 1992 - 55,225 - a/a
• Oct 1993 - 67,775 - Naylors Garage, Leeds
• Mar 1994 - 74,440 - a/a
• May 1994 - 76,649 - a/a
• Mar 1996 - 83,070 - Bates Motors BMW, Birmingham
• Feb 1997 - 85,541 - Autotecnic BMW Specialists, Sheffield
• Nov 1997 - 92,122 - a/a
• Sep 1999 - 98,368 - A&J Motors
• Sep 2000 - 104,599 - Ian Barclay Motor Repairs, Birkenhead
• Nov 2001 - 110,324 - a/a
• Nov 2002 - 114,669 - a/a
• May 2005 - 120,135 - Munich Legends, Haywards Heath
• Mar 2006 - 122,586 - Medway BM Centre, Rochester
• Feb 2007 - 123,035 - H&C BMW Specialists, Maidstone
• May 2008 - 123,683 - Cooper BMW, Sevenoaks
• Jul 2009 - 124,241 - Classic Workshop, Staplehurst Kent
• Sep 2010 - 124,339 - a/a
• Jul 2011 - 124,602 - a/a
• Jul 2012 - 124,818 - a/a
• Jul 2013 - 124,890 - a/a

Additional paperwork from France gives more recent servicing and garage work as follows:

• Jul 2016 - 129,679 - BMW Mini, Paris
• Feb 2020 - ?? - Lemoine Auto Services, Mougins nr Cannes
• Jun 2021 - ?? - a/a (tyres and a/c regas)
• Aug 2021 - 132,602 - BMW Mini Paris
• Dec 2021 - 132,602 - BMW Mini Paris €3086
• Fen 2022 - 132,602 - BMW Mini Paris €920

This 635CSi is generally a very good car which is only let down by the condition of the paint finish. But let’s face it the interior is amazing and the car runs and drives extremely well, so there’s not a lot to be done before you can count this car amongst the best-looking of its type.

1990 is something of a sweet spot in the classic car market at the moment, because it is the era when many of us were teenagers and lusted after unattainable halo cars like the big, powerful BMW coupés. Fuelled by nostalgia, the demand for cars like this is on the rise as we dip into our larger disposable incomes to recreate those teenage dreams.

For this one, we think it’ll take between £12,000 and £18,000 to become its next owner. That should still give you the headroom you need to sort out the paint and have a cracking Bahnstormer on your hands.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.