ssbmw

Hi Chris, Congrats on the car! Hugh was a fine man. I met him at Concours at Ellerslie when he displayed this car around 3-4 years ago, and we spoke about E24's for quite awhile that day. I like the red leather interior. Seriously cool - and very period. Are these the same set of wheels? I seem to recall larger gaps between the wheels and arches and I seem to remember different wheels, possibly 16"'s. Are these Style 5's with the centre's painted gold? They look like 17"s in the photo. There aren't too many post face-lift manual 635csi's in NZ either, which makes this car even more special. I kept in touch with Hugh by phone regularly after that day, and felt terrible the day I called and heard his wife say he passed away. Seemed like a very nice man. Fantastic car. I suspect it is worth a few more $'s over the Tasman, like all E24's. Regards.

I concur; it is a superb magazine. What I found fascinating was the wheels; from old photos I always assumed they were throwing stars without the covers on - who would have thought they are the same design but carbon kevlar? Isn't it fascinating too that this thing is still 'alive and kicking?' With so much conjecture that the M8 was destroyed after being in storage for many years, it is great to hear that the prototype is still around. I have seen photos of a 850csi individual that had a purple /black interior. It looks like BMW used some spare bits of purple trim on the M8. I love the front spoiler and air scoops on the sides. Tres' cool.

Hi there, you will find that over the last 20 odd years, most BMW's had different options with seats. Most M power cars came with 'BMW sports seats' as standard, but there was the option to order what BMW called 'Comfort seats.' The comfort seats tend not to have the functionality to have the front of the seat extended to provide further support. Most of the E39 540i Motorsports seem to have the comfort seat option. They may be comfortable but IMHO they fall short in the aesthetics department!

I see the ex Singapore 850i that has the contentious plate V12 CSi has re-surfaced in the BOP/Waikato area. It was for sale until fairly recently in Palmerston North. Looks like there were some lovely cars.

Hi there, I think I know your 635csi. This was the car that was owned of a director of Dynatron? He bought this car 6-7 years ago and was automatic. Being a handy mechanic, he converted it to a manual. If it is the same car, I know it well. AS much as I am a die-hard shark fan, I probably prefer the E34 because it is more original. Sort of in a dilemma - sharks are very rare in a 635csi manual format, even if this is not original. I like this car as it is in a nice colour (arctic blue / blue leather?) However, originality wins the day for me - I prefer the E34.

PS - Please disregard my spelling - what I meant was 'breaks' - not brakes- I have the flu and I am having a shocker!

Sorry, what I meant was budget $3-4k to get on replaced. If the chain brakes- you are looking at a rebuild here; I know one guy who spent $12k to repair his engine. REgards, SS

Hi Ari, Would this car have the complete M-tech body-kit including side-skirts? If so, this is the only luxor beige m635csi that I know of. It also has brown leather interior. If it is the same car, the owner has the original metrics but replaced them with standard E34 16" weaves. All the NZ new cars have the M88/3 engine which is the same as the UK spec cars. It is one of the lower k cars in the country- should have around 130-140 kms these days. The owner has owned it for the last 9 years or so. Completely original car. From my perspective, not the best looking colour. Completely original though. This car broke a timing chain at only 100 kms - showing that chains do break before 100 k miles / 160,000 kms. That is the only major issue with these cars, unlike the E30's, the chains on the M88's actually do go. Not a cheap job either - budget $3-4k. REgards, SS

1989 - auto; hence why the car once needed a gear-box re-build. The manuals are virtually bullet proof. Very few manual Highlines.

Sure mate, in a nutshell, BMW 'up-graded' the appearance of the E24's in late 1987. So for the final 2 years (they ceased production of the E24 in April 89 with the E31 being released) for the UK market they revised the bumpers which in essence had very little chrome unlike the pre-Highlines. The bumpers were similar to US 635csi's. The Highlines as they were called also had leather everywhere - headlining, dashboards, around the fascia, centre consoles, and doors. All of a sudden, the car looked alot more regal, even if some thought they looked more conservative. In countries where the summers are hot, BMW revised the spec- they retained the plastic dashboards from the previous pre Highlines. From what I know there are only 5 true ex- UK Highlines in NZ. From what I know there are a similar number of 1988 /1989 NZ new vehicles without the full leather. Seriously, the car above is a fantastic car if someone wants one of the best 635csi's around. It had a re-spray even the paint was very tidy, has new suspension, new gear-box, has been chipped to put out 250 BHP, had 1/2 of the leather replaced (even though it was in mint condition when I had it) and like new Style 5's.

Brent is abolutely right- the most important thing is the structure - is the body-work ok, devoid of rust. The unfortunate thing is that even the NZ ones are prone to some tin worm. Check the body out and ideally try and source one of the later ones. M30 Engine is pretty strong; can keep going up to 400-500kms sometimes without major issues. I would check this out though by one of the BMW independents. Most are autos - especially in the later ones. Ensure that the transmission doesn't jerk too much. Mine was sold at 140 kms on clock and I know the next owner had a re-build at like 160 kms. In todays terms, their handling is a tad 'boaty.' If you can change the shocks to Bilsteins and get new springs like Eibach etc that will provide immeasurable improvement. Some interiors are a little rough now - may need some TLC with leather conditioning etc. Still a beautiful looking car if they are looked after. What is your budget because my old car is possibly going to be on the market again. Loved by me for 3 years, and loved by the latest owner for 8 years. He has spent around $2ok on that car. 1989 Highline - Burgundy and cream leather - one of the last and one of approx 5 Highlines in NZ (ex UK- but this car is beautiful. Style 5 wheels + he has the original metric wheels too. I think he wants like high teens to $20k for it. One of the best in the country.

Good luck Boris- stunning car - and the photos are beautiful. Looking forward to seeing photos of the 535is again. No doubt that will look beautiful too. I wonder if the freak low mileage hell red 540is that is somewhere around NZ is as good as yours looks. Regards, SS E: Removed quoted pics etc

Hey mate, as Golfboy mentioned, it was on the 14th of Feb. I too was disappointed with the BMW turn-out. The high-light was Gerry Hodges's new acquisition - a super rare Alpina B7s (E24) which he has just given a re-spray. A very special find that he sourced from Japan. Un-believable to see one like that in the flesh. Rare as hens teeth any-way, to see one in that condition was wonderful. There was also a E39 Alpina and Mr E34's fantastic 540is. Great looking original car. Stunning in that colour. In terms of M's- there were was a far better field 3-4 years ago when there was a E24 M6, E30 M3, E28 M5, etc. I found it disappointing that Porsche had such a massive field of cars on show and the BMW stand had such a small number. We must rectify this situation next year!

Hi there, my mother has a E36 328i Motorsport coupe. Before we purchased this car 4 years ago, somone has obviously tried to break in to the car, making a few garish holes in the rubber seal that fits around the door (driver side). By chance, as anybody got a second hand one that is in good condition. Please contact me if you do. REgards, SS

I agree Phil - nice car; a very good friend of mine bought that car 5 years ago- it was a ex Japanese, Sth African build car. So has the full m-tech kit that many of the brit car's don't have. My mate spent $7k re-spraying it and sold if for $35k toa guy in Orewa. It was in mint condition when he sold it. There were only like 187 RHD made (UK) so even with the Sth African cars, rare as hens teeth. Niche market- so much fun, goes like stink but isn't 'pretty' enough for some people for a classic car. I am figuring that car needs a new chain. BTW- the owner in Orewa re-built the suspension. It is a nice car.

Hi mate, if you are interested in one of these, please contact me directly and I can go through the ins and outs of owning one of these. These M6's are my all-time favourite car and I have owned one for 5 years and have over the years have driven 13 different M6's. In reality, the only real potential serious issue with owning ones of these is the timing chain. Apart from that and the possible problems with rust if they have been neglected, pretty solid cars and will provide ridiculous amounts of fun. They are more than reasonably quick (as quick as a standard E36 M3 (give or take) and the twin-cam sound-track from the M88/3 is beautiful. Contact me if you are interested and I will provide a better insight. Regards.

Hi yes your are right. My 8 is one of only three manual 840 ci Sport's with the M62 engine (4.4) out of 1473 total made in RHD, and was the last one ever built (the other 2 M62 manuals live in the UK). Even with the M60 engine, the RHD manuals are rare (54 M60 manuals made out of 970 total). In NZ, there are two other manuals M60's that I know of. One is hell red with red/black individual leather (with red-head-lining too-this is Gerry Hodges's old car) and there is a Schnitzer in Estoril blue in Auckland. 4 odd years ago there was a Tobago blue Individual as well that sold in Hamilton for $24k. It was bought by an Aussie who shipped it back to Melbourne and sold it within a week for $40AUD (and it had like 225kms on the clock). How I would describe them is this - pretty effortless driving ; you feel comfortable in a ergonomic cockpit; everything feels solid and has effortless pick up. Even today it feels like a luxury cruiser which truly belies it's age. My car is completely original with 50 kms on the clock. It has full Motorsport spec's so has the body-kit /mirrors that first adorned the 850csi. Hell red, black leather with original style 5 wheels (which are my personal all-time fave wheel). Here is a pretty average pic.

The E31 8 series is an interesting one. I have always loved them since I was a teenager. These days I have a special one which I cherish very much. In their own way they are extremely beautiful and apart from having a snout similar to the iconic M1, they are totally unique for a BMW. 20 years have gone since the day they were launched and there hasn't been one car that BMW has launched showing distinct 8 series DNA. When I take my car on a nice day I get more scopes driving the 8 than any other BMW I have owned. Some people ask me whether it is a new car that BMW has just released! Bizarre. Problem is that they were given a bit of bad rap in the early days by the press because they are heavy cars which were not as chuckable as their M-powered predecessor, the M635csi, let alone any of the other M-power cars of their time. However, it was never meant to be. It is a coupe designed for long-distance cruising. In reality, they actually handle ok. Just not that nimble because of the heft. That coupled with the heavy costs of running them as parts are often bespoke and complex electronics (not to mention the costs of running a V12) has led to the earlier 850i and 850ci's to depreciate to next to nothing levels. This silver example has been on trademe for a long time and sadly seems to be priced off the mark. It appears to be a good example with nice colour and decent provenance. However in recent years there have been quite a few in the low ten to 20k mark territory. There have been some languishing around the low $20k mark for ever. Nice cars, but comparatively, the demand is just not there. People want a quicker, more modern car. Period. In my case however, I am a sad arse who just loves the big old school coupes!

Hi Max, I actually don't think a Highline spec 6 series added as much as weight as people think. I owned a Highline 635 and had driven 1/2 a dozen chrome-bumper 635's and I found there was no difference at all. I like them both, but I do like the extra luxury and modern look the Highlines provide. What colour is your 635? In essence, I personally think the Motorsport body-kit that was an option on E24's was tasteful unlike some of these heinous creations.

Notice the photos of the red car with the bonnet open has a V12? I can't recall what they were doing here - trialling the V12 before it was dropped into the E31? I remember reading about the reasoning behind having a v12 E24 - I suspect it was some sort of prototype in designing the E31 which was a pseudo replacement for the E24 Being a sad- arse E24 fan -my favourite BMW of all time (showing my age) I love their classic shape and I find that these body-kitted babies dilute the style. Give me a Highline E24 with style 5's any day.

Hi there, I was pretty sure they only made one (could be wrong) and it was never ever presented officially (not just because they canned the project) because it was not road-worthy (no head-lights etc) and looked a tad shoddy in the flesh. Evidently the tough economic times made it un-viable. Absolute shame. The eventual 850csi may have had it's engine massaged by Motorsport GMBH and had enhanced suspension but it would have been brilliant if it was badged as a ///M and had 550 ponies to play with like this baby did have. That was Diablo territory- a true supercar. I like BMW car magazine - I buy it monthly simply because of the quality of the articles, writers, and the overall presentation of the mag (great article on 20 years of the E31 2 months ago). Total BMW was once a worthy competitor but has had changes with their publishers and the quality has deteroriated.

Hi Clinton, I just bought a x3 3.0 petrol off these guys. Never saw this X5; this is very nice indeed. I too like the colour and the interior is sweet considering it is 8 years old and has done 120kms. These guys seem to get a few BM's on trade. Enjoying your 3.0d?

lHi there, I think this would be a good buy based on the rarity factor, but that's just me. I have a very close friend who has a immaculate 3.6. If you are interested, I can give you his details to get a idea of running costs. BTW- Bruce Miller, fellow member here and ex owner of a mint NZN 3.6 tells me that he has been informed by a Swede with a international register that there are 2-3 ex UK 3.8's in NZ as well. We are near certain however that this is the solitary NZN 3.8 in the country.

Just scoped Carjam and it states that it is a 3800cc engine.

I tried, but can't quite see. Looks like Avus on my computer screen. Non-electric seats?????? Never seen that on a E34 M5 before.