Press "Enter" to skip to content
Warning!
We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.

Tag: BMW

This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

1995 BMW 850CSi

With Goodwood celebrating 50 years of BMW’s M division, it seems fitting to check out one of the cars that has the closest ties to the division – but isn’t actually an M. I came of driving age during the reign of the E31, and I still remember magazines taunting that the M8 would soon be with us. Of course, it never came – at least, not until today. But we still did get an E31 breathed upon by the Motorsports division in the spectacular 850CSi. Like most Ms, the heart of the CSi was a special “S” motor. In this case, BMW Motorsport GmbH took the M70 and beefed it up seriously. Bored out to 5.6 liters and with compression bumped up and revised electronic programing, the resulting S70 took BMW’s V12 from 296 horsepower to 372 with 420 lb.ft of torque. But there were a host of other changes; offered only with a manual 6-speed gearbox, the CSi also got a quicker steering rack, Euro M5 brakes, shorter and stiffer springs, and M System II “Throwing Star” 17″ staggered wheels. A new body kit made the elegant E31 look much more menacing, too. Europeans even had the option of 18″ M Parallels and, amazingly, 4-wheel steering.

In 1994, this car cost almost $110,000. Today that’s nothing, as you can spec a special-order M3 up to that amount. But back then? That was nearly the price of three M3s. These super coupes have never really come down in price, as with the contemporary 928GTS, they have maintained an aura of unobtainium and sacredness to a generation of motoring enthusiasts. Just 225 made it to the U.S., and this one is extra-mean looking in all black:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW 850CSi on eBay

3 Comments

1989 BMW 325i M-Tech II

Back in August 2021, I took a look at one of the two variations of M Technic II options offered in the US – the Appearance Package:

1991 BMW 325i M-Tech II Convertible

A third kit – the M Technic Sport Package – was also available abroad on coupes, and so that’s what we’re looking at today – an ’89 coupe imported from Japan. It’s equipped with the exterior body kit, with front and rear bumper covers, sill covers, and a unique rear spoiler. You also got front sport seats, a limited-slip differential, Shadowline trim, and M sport suspension. This one is also claimed to have only 21k miles, and it’s a fan-favorite “slicktop” model that was ordered without a sunroof. The price? Well, let’s just say “to be expected”….even though it’s an automatic.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 BMW 325i M-Tech II on eBay

Comments closed

1985 BMW M635CSi

The M635CSi somehow gets lost among the other greats of the period from BMW. Perhaps, for U.S. fans, it’s the nomenclature that’s confusing. After all, there was a M1, an M3, and a M5, but when it came to the M version of the E24, BMW stuck with the moniker M635CSi in all markets but the United States and Japan. Confounding that decision was the launch of the E28 M535i. Like the M635CSi, it had additional body pieces, special interior trim and wheels from M-Technic. But while the M535i had a fairly normal M30 under the hood, the E24 received the full-fat M88/3 that was shared with the M5. Like the European M5 production started in 1984, well before they were available to U.S. customers. But while the M5 only sold in very sparse numbers over its short production cycle (about 775 sold in Europe between 1984 and 1987), the M635i was a relative hit, with just over 3,900 selling overall – far more than made it the U.S. market. Additionally, the European models were a slightly more pure form of the design; smaller bumpers, less weight, and about 30 more horsepower on tap without catalyst.

These European spec models were offered with some color combinations and interiors that never came to the U.S. market. This one is quite rare to find in Bahama Beige Metallic with Buffalo leather:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 BMW M635CSi on eBay

5 Comments

1988 BMW 535iS

While the first-generation M6 and M5 co-existed in the United States market, they did not in Europe. This left the M635CSi to be the equivalent of the M6. But the same was not true of the M535i. That model was sold as a more affordable alternative to the M5; most of the look of the Motorsports model but without the bigger bills associated with the more exotic double-overhead-cam 24-valve M88/3. Instead, you got a 3.4-liter M30 under the hood just like the rest of the E28 .35 models. The recipe was a success, selling around 10,000 examples in several different markets – but never in the U.S.

Instead, the U.S. market received the 535iS model. The iS model was specific to the North American market and gave you the look of the U.S.-bound M5, with deeper front and rear spoilers, M-crafted sport suspension, an M Technic steering wheel, and sport seats. It, too, was quite popular – between 1987 and 1988, just over 6,000 examples sold in the United States alone, and of those, a little more than half were the preferred manual variant. One of the nice aspects of the 535iS was that if you enjoyed colors other than black you were able to order the lesser model in any shade you wanted, unlike the M5.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW 535iS on eBay

3 Comments

2016 BMW M6 Coupe Competition Edition

The third-generation M6 is an interesting beast. Like prior M6s, they were effective mechanical twins of their M5 counterparts. However, the F-Series M6 introduced a new concept – the F06 M6 Gran Coupe – which seemed to follow the marketplace and was reasonably successful. Of course, like the prior E6x generation, there was also the F12 M6 convertible that proved to be popular as well. In total BMW sold the best part of 6,000 examples of them in North America – not a huge market share compared to the M3/4, but still a decent number for a high-end car.

The outsider – and slowest seller – was the M6 coupe. The F13 packed a wallop with a twin-turbocharged V8, and in LCI Competition form it kicked out 600 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. But these are some of the rarest models BMW has sold here – 1,619 pre-LCI coupes were sold in North America, and just 474 late examples were imported. Today we’re looking at one of the last brought here, but to add to the rarity it’s not just a Competition model, but it’s a Competition Edition coupe. These were produced to celebrate the end of F13 production as well as BMW’s racing success with the GT3 variant of the car. Production was limited to 100 models, which got special trim in one of two colors – Alpine White or Austin Yellow Metallic, the latter of which we see here. Just 40 were made in this color for the North American market, but despite that, they won’t destroy your bank account:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2016 BMW M6 Coupe Competition Edition on eBay

2 Comments