1982 BMW 635CSi

This is a very fine 635CSi indeed. There, we’ve said it. And it’s not just exceedingly fine, it’s also very rare. This is a manual and there aren’t many of those doing the rounds any more.

There are very few visible faults with this car and we will, of course, describe them for you in a moment. We’re of the opinion that it would take someone with a magnifying glass, a deerstalker hat and a briar pipe to find any we’ve missed.

If, after reading this and looking at the photographs, you’re still prepared to hold out in the hope of finding a finer example, then you’d better be prepared to play a very long game.

The vendor, a man who owns more classic cars than most of us could possibly shake a stick at (and who also owns a car repair/restoration business as a sideline), has spent around £4000 on it.

Most of that expenditure was focused on sorting out the few things the previous owner hadn’t addressed. That owner spent £17,500 on restoration work.

Aside from one or two minor quibbles, we’re confident that this is one of the best 635CSis available. It has been restored from top to bottom, inside and out, mechanically and aesthetically.

In our humble opinion, it’s just fabulous.

The car’s largely flawless Henna Red paintwork is the result of a recent, full, bare metal respray. The finish is very good indeed and the paintwork has a vivid freshness and shine to it.

All panels and shut lines are at least as crisp and even as anything Good King Wenceslas ever looked out upon. There are no creases, dents, ripples, folds, buckles, nicks or scratches anywhere that we could see.

The chrome work is shiny. The bumpers are unblemished and straight, as they should be – they’re brand new. The sunroof is in top condition and works as it should.

The wheels have no nicks or scuffs that we can see and are shod in matching Falken rubber that’s less than 2 years old.

Unsurprisingly, there is no rust visible anywhere.

The good news continues on the inside.

The black leather seats are in very good condition and have been re-Connollised. There is some light creasing to the front seats but, in our opinion, it’s entirely within the bounds of acceptable patina.

We noticed that one rogue stitch has come loose on the passenger seat. Also, the levers to push the front seats forward are present on the inside edges of the seats, but not on the outside. Why? No idea, but it might be to prevent the seatbelt from catching (?).

The rear buckets look as if they’ve never been sat on, or in, although there is a small hole on the o/s seat.

The carpets are in fine fettle, as are the door cards, mats and headlining.

The dashboard and centre console are crack and blemish-free. There is no in car entertainment at present and the vendor is less than confident that the trip computer is working.

All other electrics work just fine though, which is indicative of the fact that the whole electrical system has been refurbished.

The keen-eyed among you will have noticed that the gear lever is from an E30 M3 dogleg 5-speed manual. That’s because the original gearbox has been replaced by an E30 M3 dogleg 5-speed manual box. Which makes sense, really.

The car boasts new door seals all round.

Other issues? Well, some of the rubber trim on the inside of the A pillar is worn and there’s some scuffing and wear to the trim around the door closure on the driver’s side. But that’s it. Everything else seems to be pretty much without fault.

The boot is clean and tidy. Lifting the carpets reveals…the Henna Red paint used for the rest of the respray. It’s always a good sign when the restorers see fit to paint the bits you can’t see as well as the bits you can.

The BMW toolkit is present and correct.

The undersides of this vehicle look as if they belong to a brand new car. Much of what’s visible - suspension, braking and exhaust systems - is, in fact, either new or refurbished.

Again, there is no rust to speak of anywhere and the floor trays and pans have a good coating of bitumen.

The engine bay is as clean and tidy (and authentic) as the rest of this remarkable car.

Needless to say, the engine has been completely rebuilt.

This car had covered 163,560 miles at its MOT 2006. In the 14 years since, it still hasn’t cracked the 164,000 mark. So, it’s not had much use in the last few years. Besides, with a rebuilt engine and a new pretty much everything else, the mileage here is, we think, rather less important that it might be with lesser examples.

This car has had a frankly mind-boggling (and wallet-spanking) amount of work done.

A bare metal respray, a full engine rebuild, a new gearbox, and new braking, suspension and exhaust systems. Also, all electrics refurbished.

Take a look at the photographs and documents. There are countless bills and invoices from Messrs Albrecht Walloth und Alexander Nesch (“New spare parts for classic BMW cars”) in, you’ve guessed it, Germany. There are photographs of the respray and engine rebuild. There are old MOTs.

It doesn’t currently have an MOT and is stored in a purpose-built, car showroom/museum on a private estate. UPDATE: The seller informs us the car will have its MoT early next week, so should come with 12 months MoT.

A good BMW 635CSi has always been a safe place to put your money, especially when they’re as fastidiously restored and presented as this. When the market dips, it looks to the very best cars of their type and this is certainly one of the best, if not the best, manual, right-hand-drive, shark-nosed 635CSis on offer today.

There are also plenty of specialists out there who can keep your 6-Series running beautifully and looking wonderful for a relatively modest sum, making it one of the better ways to ease your way into the world of the high-performance modern-classic.

Luckily for the next owner, the previous incumbents have done all the heavy lifting. All you have to do is look after it, service it and have a great deal of fun owning and driving it.

We have the confidence to offer this exceptional car for auction with an estimate of between £13,750 - £16,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller near Faringdon, Oxfordshire; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.