1984 BMW 635CSi

With just two previous keepers, ‘B949 FJH’ used to belong to a friend of the seller. He’d long admired it and when his mate tired of it 20 years ago, he offered to take it off his hands and bring it back to its former glory.

However, as is so often the case life got in the way and it’s been sitting in his barn for the past two decades. He drove it in but sensibly hasn’t tried to start it recently, so you’ll need a trailer to get it home.

But, once home what a winter project you’ll have!

We all dream of restoring a genuine barn find and when the car in question is one of the most desirable of its generation AND is being offered with no reserve, Christmas will be coming early for one of you…

Finished in Arctic Blue, the state of the actual paintwork is a bit of a mystery as it’s covered in a few years of muck. It’s the same story with the glazing – it’s an unknown.

But, the fact the dust and dirt has been left in place would make for a fabulous AMMO NYC-style first-detail-in-20-years video, wouldn’t it? Besides, this way you get to be the one to control how the paintwork is cleaned, ensuring the removal is done to your standards rather than anyone else’s.

As for the condition of the underlying metalwork, as you can see there is some rust and rot that’ll need taking care of. The bumpers are rotted through in places as well.

There’s a sliding metal sunroof plus the usual spoilers. Again, like everything else, it’s hard to give an accurate description at the moment, so it would be worth your while making an appointment to take a look in person.

That said, the metric alloy wheels look okay. Sure, they’ll need restoring like the rest of the car but they look like they don’t need anything more than the standard refurbishment.

After this long, the tyres will be junk so a prudent bidder would budget for five replacements. But, they’re matching Avon Turbospeeds, so someone loved it properly in its past life and wasn’t afraid to spend the right money to keep it in tip-top shape.

At least one of the rear light lenses is cracked too, so you can add sourcing a replacement to your To Do list.

NB: A couple of the photos are arty enough to be blown up and framed to remind you in years to come have far you’ve travelled. You can imagine the moment, can’t you? Swiveling your head between the photo and the finished car with a glass of something celebratory in your hand and the mates who helped you standing by your side…

Like the exterior, the cabin looks to have seen better days but is largely, if not completely, whole.

The dark blue leather seat facings are dry and cracked, especially on the outside of the driver’s seat. The rest doesn’t look too bad, so you may get away with nothing more intrusive than an intensive feeding and cleaning regime and watching re-runs of The Repair Shop’s Suzie Goodall should give you all the tips you need.

The headlining looks whole and it isn’t drooping, so if you can clean the mildew and muck off that might be another easy win.

As for the instruments and controls, we simply can’t answer because they haven’t been tested. The instrument markings look bright still though, and the controls have worn their 175,000 miles surprisingly lightly.

All-in-all, we think stripping the interior out and then meticulously cleaning and replacing each piece might be both therapeutic and unexpectedly cost-effective.

Funnily enough, the engine bay is grubby and has some surface corrosion. That’s okay though because you’re going to strip it all out and rebuild it before reassembling it anyway, aren’t you?

Oh, and the seller tells us the wooden bonnet prop comes with the car.

The condition of the underside is hard to gauge. From what we can see from the photos it looks better under there than we were expecting.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and the BMW comes with an old V5 (still in the name of his friend) plus its wallet and handbooks.

As a restoration project it has a lot going for it, if for no other reason than it’s a BMW 635CSi that’s in a better condition than first impressions suggest.

Yes, you’re probably going to need to refresh your recommissioning skills before starting work but things like the underside and interior look surprisingly good - and that’s before you factor in the romance of your very own barn find project….

As for what we think it’s going to fetch, we estimate between £4,000 and £6,000 but as it’s being offered with no reserve it will sell from the very first bid.

So, if you were wondering how to occupy yourself this winter, here’s your answer.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Dumfries, Scotland. 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’.