1986 BMW 6 SERIES

Such a long production run gave BMW a long time to get the car absolutely right, and this example from 1986 is rightly seen as the pinnacle of the range’s development.

Fuel-injection ensures easy cold starting and a rock-steady idle, while the four-speed automatic gearbox makes waffling around the place as easy as, well, one, two, three, four…

As a result, this is a modern classic that demands nothing of its owner other than fuel and regular servicing; too many iconic cars are, frankly, dogs to drive but this is not one of them. You could jump straight into it and cross a continent without having to worry about driving more carefully or compensating for old-fashioned suspension, steering or brakes.

The metallic Cosmos Blue paintwork is in fine fettle, although a couple of the panels including the passenger door are a slightly different shade to the rest of the car. This is very hard to notice but it is there if you squint hard in the right light and we’ve tried to show this on the photographs.

Other than that this is a good example of an increasingly rare car and can be enjoyed ‘as is’ or slowly brought up to concours condition without too much effort or expenditure.

It has been retro-fitted with M-Tech front and rear spoilers.

No, the seat covering isn’t leather but then dead cow is an overstated luxury item in our opinion, originally used only for the chauffeur’s seat where a high level of weatherproofing was required as the poor sod generally didn’t have the benefit of a roof over his head.

And anyway, the late Alan Clark, a woefully inadequate man but a motoring enthusiast of the highest order, always specified cloth upholstery on his new Bentleys, so you’ll be in good company here. 

And if you still aren’t convinced - and there are no rips and tears and the seats are as supportive as ever - replacing it with the more ubiquitous black leather would be a matter of a day invested and about £500.

The car still sports its original toolkit and benefits from an upgraded Sony stereo complete with wireless remote control, Alpine speakers and M-Tech steering wheel and gear knob. The car is protected by a Clifford G4 alarm system.

The 2.8-litre engine isn’t the last word is power, but it is hugely refined and very reliable. The straight-six has a distinctive beat to it, and remains a very visible – and audible – symbol of old-school luxury engineering. We’ll never see its like again, which is, perhaps, reason enough to buy one now while you still can.

An automatic gearbox might not be a racing driver’s weapon of choice, for the rest of us it gives a lovely balance between performance and waftibility. This is, remember, a long distance touring car that happens to be far more agile than you’ve got any right to expect; with your expectation appropriately set there is real fun to be had from this finely balanced, rear-wheel-drive chassis.

This example has been further enhanced with lowered suspension, Brembo brakes, split-rim alloy wheels, and a Pipercross air filter. It is, as a result, more sporting than when it came out of the factory, yet retains its confident, relaxed demeanour.

The car dispatched last week’s MOT without a single advisory, which is no doubt due to the care that appears to have been lavished on it. 

This is backed up by a comprehensive portfolio of old bills, invoices and MOTs, a lot of which has been scanned in and is available for viewing online (see below to view the 15 documents and 68, yes 68 invoices that are available to view).

Of course the model that everyone wants is the 635, but to do so you’ll be looking to pay considerably more than the price set on this 628 – and we think this is a sum worth saving.

Because this is not a slow car: that lovely straight-six engine develops 181bhp and 173 lb/ft of torque, enough to hit 60mph in well under ten seconds on its way to a top speed of almost 130mph. 

If it were ours then we’d be tempted to gently refresh it as the opportunity arose and just get on and enjoy using it without the worry of owning something that is too rarer and too perfect to regularly drive. That it should provide a depreciation-proof cushion is the icing on what is already a very attractive cake.

The car can be viewed in Essex, to arrange to view use the 'Contact Seller' at the top, or to find out more about The Market take a look here.