Seller Submission: 1986 BMW 635CSi

This next seller submitted BMW 635CSi is not your average garage queen — it’s a Cinnabar Red E24 coupe with a story to tell and a spicy S38-powered past. Now sporting a well-sorted M30B32 drivetrain paired with a Getrag 265 5-speed, this low-mileage shark (just under 74k) has seen a thoughtful blend of OEM+ upgrades and period-correct mods over its decade-plus with the current owner. From Bilstein suspension and M6 brakes to a Zender trunk spoiler and genuine Hella halogens, the car mixes vintage Bavarian flair with driver-focused enhancements. It’s got the right bones, a near-complete Lama interior, a clean structure with very limited rust, and even the famously hypnotic working Hirschmann antenna. Find this 1986 BMW 635CSi offered for $10,000 near Pittsburgh, PA via craigslist. Seller submission from Dave.

From the seller:

condition: good
make / manufacturer: BMW
model name / number: 635CSi
cryptocurrency ok
delivery available
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Low mileage project car for sale. This is a 1986 635CSi with a lot of tasty upgrades. It is not totally original. Like all fun cars, it has a history. I’ll provide full records to the buyer, along with technical notes/reasons for the work I’ve done. The car has almost no rust and less than 74K original miles. It’s a time capsule, for sure.

I’ve owned this car for over ten years, I believe I’m the third owner. It came to me as a plain rolling chassis we pulled out of a garage. Here’s the back story, as far as I recall it: The car has lived much of its life in Florida. A previous owner swapped in an S38 powertrain from an E28 M5, along with all the other spicy M5 parts. He then sold it to the 2nd owner (?), a flight school student, down in Florida. He drove it for years but then spun a rod bearing on the way up north for summer break. He parked the car up here and pulled the motor for machine work. Eventually, he reached out to me and we worked out a deal. I bought the chassis and he held onto the Motorsport parts. Over the years I’ve replaced the missing M5 bits with somewhat more standard E24 parts.

I’m proud to report that everything on this car works, including the power options: seats, windows, sunroof, mirrors, even the 80s-tastic telescoping power antenna. Yep, the original OEM chrome Hirschman antenna. It’s majestic to see one working (and a little hypnotic). Gauge cluster is original to the car, and totally functional, even the trip odometer. OBC will likely need the date & time reset, but it’s fully functional. I do not have the original glovebox flashlight, but I do have a power outlet adapter plug installed to give you another 12V power source.

This car was loaded from the factory but to be honest there were not many options in 1986. It’s Cinnabar Red (zinnoberot) lacquer over Lama (caramel) sport memory power leather interior. BMW Premium Stereo system is still installed. The speakers are all original, and working, but I’m unsure about the bypassed Blaupunkt trunk amp. Happily, the original harness all appears to exist (except for some minor aftermarket trimming up front). It does have the rear sunshade. The toolkit is nearly complete and there’s an OEM European first aid kit in the trunk. Spare tire is not original, originally sourced from an E34, but you’ll need a skinny 16″ to clear the front brake calipers. Dashboard does have a few cracks, but it’s better than most I’ve seen. I’ve replaced the original TRX alloys with later BMW wheels to improve the handling.

It does start & run, but the idle is pretty rough. Definitely needs the cobwebs blown out. It’ll drive fairly well but I’d go over the brakes and hydraulics before putting if back on the road again. I’d strongly suggest towing due to the dry-rotted tires, uncertain front suspension balljoints, sloppy steering linkage, rusted-out exhaust and other odds and ends.

Upgrades I’ve added:
M30B32 with a full Motronic 1.3 upgrade and a wideband O2 sensor.
Getrag 265/6 overdrive 5-speed gearbox,
M6 single-mass 240mm flywheel, resurfaced, with a new clutch kit,
Rebuilt driveshaft (upgraded u-joints & grease fittings),
OEM BMW Torsen limited-slip differential (3.46 sourced from an ’02 Z3)
Full Bilstein Sport suspension (B8), slight 15mm drop with uprated springs,
E32 740i F&R complete brake upgrade with 300mm E24 M6 front rotors & E34 540i rear rotors. Parking brake works perfectly.
E39 540i Style 66 sport wheels, 17×8″ with proper offset and hub-centric rings. Very bad tires.
European H4 halogen headlight upgrade, OEM BMW Hella e-code capsules.

Other fun parts:
PA Antique plate
Zender trunk spoiler. It’s a nice piece, period-correct modification. I’m not a huge fan but it’s too much work to remove, bolted through the trunk lid. I can likely set you up with a replacement trunk lid if you’d like it gone.
Upgraded anti-roll bars, unknown manufacturer. Might be BMW M5 bars, I’m not sure.
Momo Sport steering wheel with original wheel pad and the proper Momo adapter for BMW that maintains the steering wheel lock and control stalk offset. This one is a foam/alcantara blend, I think it’s a TYP D35 “Momo Race” wheel, but I’m not sure what specific model it is. It’s a period-correct option.
BMW leather wrapped “mushroom” shift knob. I prefer the vintage mushroom over the later ergonomic versions.
Slight aftermarket window tint, professionally done, really helps with the summer sun.
The compressor has had an r134 upgrade, apparently performed by BMW with factory BEHR parts. The compressor is an original Bosch ‘wingcell’ unit. It’s not functional at this time, and will need recharged at a minimum. A new receiver dryer and seal kit would likely be a fine idea.

Problems I’ve fixed (so you won’t have to):
BMW NA front spoiler and genuine Hella halogen fog lights are in excellent condition.
Sunroof is fully functional and the drains are clear.
Taillights are totally original and also in excellent shape.
I’ve chased down EVERY original Lama interior trim piece, right down to the little plastic screw plugs for the seat covers. Back in the day, BMW replaced original matching parts with black ones, I had to undo all that. These parts are not easy to find these days.
This car has never been driven in the winter – no exposure to road salt, whatsoever. It lived in Florida until it was brought up here, and it shows.

Problems you’ll need to address:
I have discovered some rust while going over the car with a fine-toothed comb. There is a slight bit of surface corrosion on the battery tray, an odd random spot on the passenger firewall inside the cowl, a spot near the sunroof passenger drain, and a little flaking next to the driver’s rear turn signal. Happily, none of this rust exists is in the typical E24 weak spots: frame rails & doglegs looks factory-new; rear wheel arches are flawless, front fender tops have literally no corrosion, and the trunk lip, license plate lights and turn signal shelf is perfect. This car was treated with a rust proofing at some point in it’s life, it was a professional job.
The exhaust is a pretty rough OEM 535i system. I tossed it on the car just to get it back on the road but it’ll need repaired or replaced. OEM catalyst section is original and still good. A good bit of welding could save the pricey OEM stock rear section.
The upgraded Motronic 1.3 installation is functional but also a bit informal, I’m sure you’ll want to tidy it up a bit. I did use some very hard to find late E24 M30B35 parts to keep it as stock as possible. I also used some dicey hacks to get it working ‘well enough’…I can provide details along with my full spreadsheet of maintenance records.
Paint is in good shape overall, but it is noticeably oxidized. I’ve resisted the temptation to correct it myself. It’ll need some detailing to bring back that glossy shine. There is also the usual wear & tear; small chips & scrapes that will need some attention.
The only bodywork it’ll need is on the front fascia. The car lost a garage disagreement prior to my ownership. I replaced the cracked left grille but the dent is quite noticeable. Check the pictures for details, let me know if you wanted some closeups. I personally think it lends the car a little attitude, like it’s raising an eyebrow at you.
Heater fan is pretty noisy, it can’t be turned off completely, and it is an ear-piercing sound. A/C fan is OK. I do have a brand-new Bosch heater fan motor ready to drop in. Heater and A/C are both present & connected but I have not tested them recently.
Some of the windows are a bit dodgy, motors are fine but the buttons tend to ignore commands.
Cruise control system is installed but not working.
Temperature sensor and fuel level gauges are working but can be moody, I’m not sure I would trust them for a cross-country trip.
Original BMW stereo cassette deck is included, not installed, not 100% functional. I replaced it with a mech-less unit (BT/USB/AM/FM) that doesn’t really match, but it works OK. The original BMW stereo wiring harness has been modified but it seems mostly intact.
The driver’s seat upholstery does have minimal wear & tear along with an obviously mismatched vinyl repair panel. It’s the lower left side inner bolster. I left it as-is, but I do have some matching original leather if you wanted to attempt a repair. I’ve unplugged the headrest buttons because the cable jackets have swelled, and also the (functional) seat memory unit to preserve it for the future. They’re unavailable and quite costly used.

As is customary on CL, this chassis and all parts are sold AS-IS, WHERE-IS. Details in this listing are advice only, just my non-professional opinion. I can take this to a BMW tech for a proper checkup if you’d prefer. I’m OK with meeting a vehicle transport and can assist with loading. I’m also OK with driving this car a few hours’ out of Pittsburgh to meet a transport, but I’d prefer not to meet for test drives. My collector’s insurance policy is fairly restrictive, please accept my apologies. I’m willing to accept a cashier’s bank check at your institution, and I can accept many other forms of payment. I’m not looking for trades at this time.

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