1985 BMW M635 CSi

Registered in 1985 as an EU market car finished in Blue/grey over a grey cloth interior with blue accents, this M635 CSI has a somewhat interesting ownership history, allegedly having been owned at one time by the then-Viscount Portman.

Whilst the rest of its time with its four registered keepers seems a little on the mysterious side, it does appear the car was extensively used and maintained during the 80s and 90s, before seemingly being put into storage or taken out of use, judging by the lack of paperwork and servicing during this period.

Our vendor states that whilst it was in the care of the current registered keeper (who has owned the car since 2015, judging by the V5) it has rarely - if ever - been used, as it has spent most of this time having been worked over by a well-known East London specialist garage.

Recently, this M88-powered E24 has been subject to an extensive recommissioning costing over £21,000 by Motor Masters of Essex, including an engine rebuild, electrical work and other miscellaneous maintenance, bringing this M635CSI back to roadworthy condition, with the owner insisting the car was delivered in an MoT’d, ready-to-use state, before it was driven to our vendor’s address.

Penned during what many would regard as being BMW’s golden era of car design, the silhouette of the E24 still commands an impressive level of attention to this day, and this example is no exception.

On the whole, the bodywork is lovely and straight throughout, with no sign of any impact damage, notable dents or mis-aligned panels, though we did note the driver’s door catch requires adjustment as it is tricky to close correctly, but forms a tight seal when it does. The offside of the front bumper also appears to have dropped very slightly, though this is most likely simply due to an old clip or fixing.

The good news keeps coming, as all of the side windows retain their BMW engraving, though the windscreen looks to be a replacement item as it does not retain its mark. All of the trim pieces are present and correct - including the genuine ducktail boot lip - and are in good condition on the whole, though the front nearside trim requires re-seating and the offside trim would likely benefit from refurbishment by a fastidious owner.

Looking closer, the chrome window surround trims have seen better days and would likely benefit from replacement, whilst up above the sunroof panel is not correctly seated and requires attention, as it rattles and moves noticeably when the doors are opened and shut.

The blue/grey paintwork presents very well indeed, with only some light commensurate marks such as stone chips visible, along with a couple of slightly larger scuffs on the front ‘air dam’ as is common on these cars.

At the front, the iconic quad-headlights are all in good condition with no damage, though the front offside fog light lens has cracked, and at the rear the story is the same with the nearside lamp, though neither of these items were considered enough of an issue to be an MoT advisory, so could be left as-is quite happily by the next owner.

Finally, all four period-correct wheels were recently refurbished at a cost of £260 in September 2021 and wrapped in matching Michelin period-look rubber, and remain in unmarked condition throughout.

On the inside, the cloth seats, dashboard and cabin as a whole have been remarkably well-preserved on this example, which is testament not only to BMW’s build quality, but also the level of care this M635 CSi has enjoyed throughout its lifetime.

The seats show virtually no signs of notable wear-and-tear, with the usual bolster scuffs, foam collapses and deep creases being largely absent, and the seats still providing impressive support and comfort.

Up above, the headliner is in good order with no sagging that we noted, though the sunroof panel is missing on the inside, and the area above the passenger seat shows some damp/storage marks, though a thorough valet would likely rectify this.

In the rear, the luggage compartment shows only some light commensurate wear, whilst the spare is present and correct. The tool kit, however, is largely incomplete and the boot trim shows signs of damp, though we could find no signs of water ingress during our photo shoot.

Whilst the speedometer appears to be in working order, the tachometer is inoperable, the OBC computer display is damaged and unreadable and we did not test the sunroof due to the panel being improperly secured.

Under the front-hinged bonnet, the M88 six-cylinder block looks to be in good visual order, with its trademark individual throttle bodies on full show.

Starting with ease, we noted that the idle on this M635 CSI is hunting fairly significantly, but more importantly there is some smoke being emitted around the forward-most exhaust manifold branch, which meant that the car was only shuffled around for the photos on safety grounds, rather than being subject to a full test drive. This could simply be a cracked manifold or some fluid dripping down onto the hot pipework, but as always we’d welcome a full inspection at our Abingdon HQ for any interested bidders.

That said, the clutch and gearbox engagement was reassuringly direct, though the shift itself would likely benefit from being ‘tightened up’ with some new bushes or linkage adjustment in our opinion.

Other than the smoke issue mentioned above, we saw no sign of any oil leaks in the engine bay, though there was some liquid gasket visible seeping out around the manifold, as a result of the recent engine work.

It should be noted that the car was driven as-is by the owner’s son to the vendor, suggesting that this smoking issue is likely superficial, rather than anything of great concern, but we welcome independent assessments and inspections at our HQ.

Underneath the bodywork, the chassis is in good order from what we can see, having seemingly been treated with a corrosion-inhibitor at some stage in its lifetime.

There is, naturally, a few areas of flaking paint and general ‘crust’ but nothing that sets any alarm bells ringing as far as we’re concerned, nor any obvious signs of worn bushes, fluid leaks or damage.

The most recent MoT exam would also back this up, with a pass on 27 September 2021 with the only advisory items being for worn brake discs all round - a simple job that any competent home mechanic could attend to in an afternoon or two.

As always, we’ve photographed the full extent of the history and paperwork included with the vehicle, and this is available for your viewing in the gallery below.

Highlights of the documentation include the V5 showing four former keepers, the recent MoT certificate which is valid until 26 September 2022, the invoice for over £21,000 worth of recommissioning works in September 2021, and the invoice for the alloy wheel refurbishment in September.

There are also several invoices from the 80’s and 90’s - including several from BMW main dealers - along with the full complement of BMW handbooks and a partially-stamped service history and two sets of keys.

Always regarded as ‘the one to have’ from the E24 family - and with good reason - the M635 boasts performance, comfort and rarity - all traits we love to see here at The Market.

This particular 1985-registered example has undergone extensive works in recent years, with a well-documented recent history and presents in generally very good order, with only a couple of minor mechanical issues to attend to and plenty of potential for further improvement and investment, should the next owner wish to take this particular ‘shark nose’ to the next level.

As for what it’s worth, we reckon this E24 M635 CSi will fetch in the region of £23,000 to £28,000, and will no doubt make a truly fantastic weekend toy for one lucky enthusiast.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, 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’.