BMW appears to be engaged in the social media equivalent of burning its heritage in a trash can. In what could pass as scene from a future Cars 4 film, a 760Li with a voice like Doc Hudson tells an iX electric SUV it is “marketing b******t.” The iX responds in kind by telling the 7 Series it’s history.
However, as this ex-Sean Connery BMW 635CSi proves, diamonds are forever. Some cars from BMW’s past are untouchable. The E24 is one such car.
It enjoyed a remarkably long innings, arriving in 1976, then not dying out until the 1980s said hello to the 90s. BMW tried and failed to replace the 6er with the 8 Series, but its successor had lost some of the magic.
It speaks volumes that the 8 Series could manage just a decade before going into a near two-decade hiatus.
‘Epitome of BMW zestfulness’
The 635CSi was second only to the M635CSi in the BMW 6 Series range. It arrived in 1978 with power sourced from a 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine derived from BMW’s Group 5 racing 24-valve unit. A top speed of 140mph made it Germany’s fastest four-seat coupe.
In 1979, Autocar described the 635CSi as “the epitome of BMW zestfulness – that glorious smooth eagerness of a BMW six, which is such a hallmark of the breed”. It cost, as near as makes no difference, £16,500 – the equivalent of £84,000 in today’s money. More expensive than a Jaguar XJ-S, but significantly cheaper than a Porsche 928 or Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC.
For the early part of the 1980s, the 635CSi was the flagship of the 6 Series range. The fact that it was upstaged by the BMW Motorsport-bred, 150mph M635CSi shouldn’t dilute the appeal of this elegant and smooth operator.
As Autocar summarised, it should appeal to a “man who ranks style as important as performance, and who prefers a vestige of sporting sound to total refinement’’. Somebody who prefers to be stirred, not shaken.
There can be only one
A man like Sean Connery. He bought the left-hand drive 635CSi in 1989/1990 and kept it until 1998. During that time, the car was used on the roads around the former Bond’s home in Marbella, Spain. Mr Connery sold the car to a BMW main dealer in Lancashire.
The 635CSi was placed in dry storage in the UK until 2007 before taking up residence in Luxembourg, where it remained in storage. It made a brief public appearance in 2016 to celebrate 100 years of BMW, but essentially the car is as it was when the Highlander star sold it in 1998. If you’re looking for an ex-Connery 635CSi, there can be only one.
At the time of writing, bidding for the Luxembourg-registered BMW 635CSi has reached £17,250 with no reserve, which is hardly a bridge too far. It’s worth noting that it was registered in 1986, before being delivered in January 1989 and registered to Sean Connery in 1990. There are just 61,841km (38,426 miles) on the clock.
The ex-Sean Connery BMW 635CSi is for sale via The Market. Click here for more details.
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