The 1976-1989 BMW 6-Series deserves to be considered a new classic — one of the most elegant designs of the 1970s-80s, it is an increasingly coveted collectible and qualifies for antique status in all of its model years as of 2014. If you live in New York, where better to drive your new classic BMW than to New York’s outstanding neoclassic building, The Cloisters? This branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, built largely from donations by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and J. Pierpont Morgan and opened to the public in 1938, is devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe and incorporates elements of several medieval European cloisters into the structure of the building. Several of its rooms have 20th Century stained glass windows that incorporate medieval stained glass roundels with the coats of arms of German noble houses, making the presence of this BMW’s roundels especially appropriate. Like the medieval roundels set in modern windows, this red 635CSi rides on larger wheels from a recent BMW instead of its original 1980s alloys but otherwise appeared to be in good original condition with only normal wear around its edges — a new classic comparable to the neoclassic behind it.
More: CC: 1985 BMW 635CSi
From the days when BMW made real driver’s cars. Unlike today’s “I can afford the lease, so I can show off” BMW’s. A truly beautiful automobile.
+1 the best looking BMW of them all
+2 Always loved it.
I don’t know Syke, I consider the folks leasing the BMW to be the smartest BMW customers. They get to say they owned a BMW for a time but get to dump it after the lease ends before all the fun of crap breaking out of warranty begins.
Did you ever wonder how BMW seems to have tons of off lease used cars for sale? Thats because folks have wised up that these high dollar German cars have a shelf life and are simply junk after 50,000 miles
A beautiful design, indeed. I was head over heels in love with these in the 80s. They were out of my price range then, too. 🙂
Robert – I agree with your observation about these BMWs, but Jeez, ya couldn’t keep it our secret? Now every seller who sees this will tack on 10 – 20% to their ask and every potential buyer (me!) will have to suffer. Ach!
A kid in my high school got a brand new M635 CSi back in 1986 in black. His dad probably imported it to Puerto Rico directly from Germany. What a great looking car! Especially with the small European bumpers and the more powerful engine Europeans got (286 hp if I’m not mistaken). He had it for a while until it was stolen, sadly.
I had a 1981 628 CSi in zypressengrünmetallic paint for almost 7 years.
Out of those 7 years it was my daily driver for almost 5 years. Loved the car to bits, but mostly for its looks.
With it 185 horse power and three speed automatic it wiggled around curves much more like a Chevy Caprice Classic than a sports coupé.
But beautiful it was. No gas station stop without people coming over and complementing me on the car.
While I like most of the years these 6 series cars were produced, the BMW I first laid eyes on was a 1971 CSL. As a young teenage boy something about the look of that car captivated me and suddenly there was a foreign automaker that’s got my attention.
This body style evolved nicely over the years since the early seventies and BMW is to be commended for doing so. If and when my mother wins the lottery a nice 6 Series coupe or an early CSL will be on my car shopping list.
Love the outside of this generation. The sleek low body and the light greenhouse are so much more attractive than the high beltline that is fashionable now.
Didn’t care for the interior though. Chrome had been banned from instrument panels, but they didn’t do anything else to brighten the place up. Nothing but acres of black plastic. Just too sterile.
Wonderful company policy at the time. “You’re here to drive, not listen to the stereo, drink coffee, or receive messages. Drive, and nothing else.” And it showed in the interior. Had an E30 325is, consider BMW’s of that era to have the finest interiors in the business.
This is what a car interior should be. Drive. Three pedals. You wanna play infotainment, go buy some lesser brand, built for people who don’t drive.
Well when lesser brands copied BMW’s plain interiors they were immediately called cheap. And as I recall from most of the E24s I’ve seen they’re fairly loaded with gizmos in the plastic dash.
Good take.
The driver’s car yanks helped build and finance the German’s great welfare system and might…
Beautiful cars–in looks, perhaps not *quite* the equal of the E9 coupes that preceded it, but these are first in my heart as a child of the 80’s. Very, very high on the list of cars that would be in my fantasy garage.
When I was in high school in the late 90’s, the art teacher purchased a pristine ’87 L6, perhaps the rarest variant of the E24 coupes. It was only produced in ’87 and only for the US market; basically a 635CSi with the M6 front air dam and a special deluxe interior with leather everywhere (leather headliner, leather door panels, leather on the dash…). Very unusual version of the platform and very much a beautiful car. I’d always look longingly at it as I passed by!
Nice shot. Have always wanted to get to the Cloisters, but not yet.
635s are the ‘cheap’ classic these days, got the looks and performance for $10k or less.
The “SHARK”!
Interesting looking place. I’ve always preferred the 3.0CSi/CSL coupes but the 6-series is growing on me in the right colour.
I too fell in love with a neighbor’s 74 CSL and then transferred that desire to the 635 as I grew up. It seemed like a logical step then to take that affection into the 840 which continued for me as BMW’s lustwagen, moreso than the 850 which was too complicated and bow-heavy while the 840 was infinitely tossable.
These are a curious thing to me. I like a wide spectrum of cars, but these have never held even slightest attraction. Technically very good, I’m sure, ticking all the desirable boxes. And potentially with every malady old cars of the period developed, but that’s not the deal breaker on a theoretical level. I like the E9 and the E21, and of course the 02s, but these E24s evoke no response, positive or negative. No engagement at any level. Nil. It’s the only car I feel this way about, I know I should like it but can’t. I often wonder why.
Generally speaking, classics are reserved for the 1960s and 1970s, but with the passing of time, it is safe to include the 1980s. Hence the new classic, the 1976 to 1989 BMW 6 Series executive luxury sedan.
A manual transmission 635 that was pampered would be a great car to own, and it appears for now still somewhat affordable. One of these could be a great summer/hobby car. They really are beautiful cars. Parts costs could be reduced by the internet, but for sure would still be pricy. These are the best looking BMW’s of the 70/80’s excepting for the 3.0 CS coupes, especially the earlier small bumper cars. The thing that would hold me back is the fact people seems to hate BMW drivers and love to vandalize the cars. These really are ‘real’ BMW’s. Would always take a moment to check out one on the street back in the day, and still would do the same today but I can’t remember the last time I saw parked on the streets a 6 series around here. Real driver’s cars for sure and a great find. Also really like the 840 cars, I worked long enough at a BMW dealership to see what a breakdown nightmare the 850 was. A nice stick shift 840 would also be great to have, but if I was to try to do most of the repairs myself a 6 series would probably be the way to go. In most states the cars are old enough the engines could be updated to run as strong as the euro spec engines ran back in the day. Nice find.
There’s one that parks on the street in my neighborhood, one of the many interesting vehicles around here. Not in perfect shape but maybe that’s why it can be safely street parked! Other than some fading and non-factory wheels (maybe it was originally TRX?) it looks quite solid.