1989 BMW M635 CSi Highline

This car has had just two owners and has always been on the Isle of Wight, where it was the only M635CSi to be sold new.

The vendor has owned the car from 1995, at which time it had covered 100,000 miles of the total of 126,532 showing on the odometer today. 

The first thing he did was have the engine rebuilt, and he’s been equally uncompromising in his care and expenditure ever since.

It has one of the best collated and most comprehensive history files we’ve ever seen, and every pound and penny spent on it is accounted for, annotated and documented in forensic detail.

We have driven the car and can attest that, even today, with quite a few years and miles under its belt, this car still has the feel of a high-quality pedigree performance car about it.

There’s no mistaking the fact that you’re behind the wheel of one of the finest models ever to bear the Bavarian manufacturer’s famous propeller logo.

It starts on the button and presses on with all the urgency, poise, balance and grip you’d hope for. 

It is reassuringly devoid of any extraneous rattles, sighs, whistles, clunks or groans.

The only creaks we could hear were coming from the leather upholstery and the whole car feels very well screwed-together and solid.

All in all, it’s really very good

The car’s svelte and elegant lines are untroubled by any dinks, dents, creases, ripples or folds that aren’t meant to be there.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are crisp and even, and the doors close with all the Teutonic weight and heft you’d hope for.

For the most part, the car’s ‘Cirrus Blue’ paintwork is in equally fine fettle, although the years have left the odd scratch here, scuff there, and paint chip elsewhere. 

The wheels are in excellent order and the matching Falken tyres look to be practically brand-new. 

The car’s chrome work is very decent and has successfully resisted foxing, pitting or tarnishing.

The lights, lenses, badging, trim and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in very good order, as is the fully functional electric sunroof.

There is some delamination to be seen on the windscreen, and the louvred plastic inserts on the ‘B’ pillars have somewhat faded in colour.

All in all, it looks very fine indeed.

It’s a similar story of excellent preservation and obvious care on the inside.

The grey leather upholstery appears to be largely untroubled by use or abuse, both front and back. 

There are barely any creases in evidence, let alone any ingrained patina, and the only signs of wear are a couple of repairs and touch-ups to the squab on the passenger seat.

The grey carpets and mats are pretty good, too, apart from some wear to the carpet in the passenger footwell.

The headlining is in good order, too.

The door cards have survived the vicissitudes of time with commendable stoicism and look to be in very reasonable condition

The instruments and controls are free of any significant blemishes and, as far as we’re aware, all buttons, toggles, switches, dials and knobs do what they’re asked to do without complaining.

Some of the leather surround to the gear knob has worn away.

The boot is following the same script as the rest of the car and contains a few spare parts (filters, belts, etc), plus the original BMW toolkit. 

The engine bay is dry and tidy, and everything seems to be in its right and proper place. 

The undersides look to be possessed of plenty of structural integrity throughout.

This car comes with more history than the Parthenon, and all of it is properly collated and presented. 

It comes with a V5C, all sorts of manuals, books, letters, photographs and other stuff, and has an MoT that’s valid until 13.9.24.

This seems to us to be a particularly solid and well cared-for example of one of BMW’s most revered and coveted cars.

It has had just two owners from new, has been with the current owner since 1995, and has covered fewer than 30,000 miles since then.

It is in very good, original condition and its exhaustive history means that there’s nowhere for any bad news to hide.

We like it a great deal.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £30,000 - £40,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, 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, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.