As Fast As A Ferrari, Cheaper Than M5 - Why You Need A BMW M635CSI

Hello everyone, welcome to number 27. I'm Jack and I'm here today to talk to you about a car that is hugely significant for BMW. It's this fantastic m635 CSI. It is a car that began to signal BMW's dominance in the high-end sector. It is a car that had a racing engine that made it as

fast

as the Ferraris of the time. It's also a car that was once 25 percent more expensive than the legendary E28 M5, yet you can now get it for 20 to 25 percent less. I'm going to tell you more about all of those things, but before that I just want to point out some of the design elements that make this a legend, and first of all, let's talk about the front part of the shark nose, the kidney.

The grille with the two round lights are part of the type of design language that BMW had started with the new Acrase in the 1960s, I think it was the late 60s and early 70s, but on this car designed in the mid of the 70s, for me it really peaks. It's great, it's sloped, sorry, kidney grille, it's elegant, it's menacing, it's everything, it's absolute perfection, then we go back to the rear, to the Hofmeister curvature, this was pioneered by BMW in the years 70 so that the rear window, instead of just going back to a single point goes back to two points, because on those original '70s cars they had the BMW badge there, but it's something that's quite elegant for the silhouette of the car and which carried over into later BMWs for years to come I believe.

Perhaps the only element of this car that is a little dated to me is the rear of the car. It doesn't look bad by any means, but the rest is still so iconic that the rear end maybe looks a little dated, but let's take it for granted and I'll tell you a lot more about it, so without a doubt the standout piece of the 635 is that incredible engine. . I wouldn't say it is derived, it comes from the engine used in the M1, it is known as the m88. and there was that one, this is the slash three, the main difference is that it's not a dry sump, but it actually produces eight additional horsepower, but it's a completely racing derived engine in Turbo form, they produced about 800 horsepower The powerful engine is also quite unknown at the time, they have individual throttle bodies, so the inline six has six throttle bodies, which gives it absolutely incredible throttle response, so we'll see that in a foreign second up to 7,000, but the maximum power is at six and a half, at which point it's 286 horsepower, it's a very, very smooth engine, it's incredibly responsive and it sounds absolutely glorious, it's quite a car. strange in some ways the 635 because it has that race car engine and yet it absolutely is. very far from being a racing car on this quite bumpy road, it's actually very very comfortable, the suspension works very well, the kind of speeds you'd reach on a day like this, it's a bit wet, it's a bit slippery so I won't be generating the kind of G-forces that you might generate in summer, but it feels quite safe so in terms of riding position I actually find it a bit strange, my legs are quite wrinkled and I still managed to reach the gear lever. it's quite stretched, the steering wheel is adjustable for reach, um, but not rake, and I find it a little high and I love this BMW interior that faces you at the time they were available, BMW was taking great advantage of the loss of some of the traditional players in this type of market, namely the Italians, so cars like this used to really be things like the GTS produced by Maserati by Ferrari.

Maserati disappeared from this type of market at that time, they had the quattroportes in the 80s, but they were not very good cars in terms of quality, in terms of fit and finish, they were not an everyday proposition, so the market was left empty. for these big and powerful luxury GTS. BMW made the most of it. Ferrari was still there, but again, they weren't everyday usable cars and the amazing thing about it is that even though everything is good quality, everything still works on these cars, the buttons. Everything feels like it's built to last, but it's not flashy and that's what sets it apart.

BMW at that time 0 to 60 6.1 seconds 158 miles per hour top speed was as

fast

as the Ferrari V8 of the time, which was the 308 QV, which was the 16 valve, not the 16 valve, the four valve version of the Ferrari 8. cylinder which was a few tenths faster 5.7 seconds 0 to 60, so it was almost negligible and the top speed was exactly the same for a car from a standard Mass manufacturer like this, it was quite incredible that they could produce a car that could rival a Ferrari, come on. Overseas there seems to be a small pitch around five and it's actually quieter than you'd expect for an engine of this type, but then this was designed to be a GT car so there's a bit of noise. , but it is elegant.

It's muted, it's not a hooligan and that makes sense because it's suspended quite gently, the steering is quite slow and it's actually quite progressive when the rear end moves away a little, especially when it's as slippery as it is today, but that's the engine. makes it easy because it's very predictable, so when it was sold the E28 sold for around 33,000. This car weighed 45,000 pounds and was in 1986 so it was significantly more expensive, this really was the peak of the range , the M5, if you look. in Harry's video, Harry's Garage, he knows what he's talking about and he's been told that the body of the M5 is actually a little bit stiffer, the car is a little bit lighter, so I think it's going to be a Drive a little sportier than this one.

I don't think I remember ever driving an E28 M5. I'd be very interested to see how it compares, but I'm sure the bodywork would probably be a little more under control than this. No, this is a car that is iconic in terms of shape, it is a car that was as fast as a Ferrari of the time, it is a car that helped propel BMW into the big leagues and it is a car that today It really has aged very little. in terms of the exterior design and it's only the rear end that doesn't quite match the Excellence of the rest of the car and that's simply because the rest is absolute perfection, the rear end is okay but not quite. it's up to par, it handles quite predictably, it has enough grip, it has the original Michelin TRX tires which aren't very good but when you let go it has a limited slip differential so it's quite predictable, it really is a big old road and that engine. it's just a special thing that completes the whole package that can still be used today and as a final bonus the m635 is

cheaper

than the equivalent E28 M5 and if you're not totally into it you know that if you're not a incredible pilot, you are not. takes the cars to 10 10.

So I think you'll probably end up enjoying this more, it's a more relaxed car. Thank you so much for watching, please subscribe if you haven't already because that really helps the channel and lastly if you have a car. What would you like me to review please get in touch Instagram is the best way thank you very much Happy New Year and see you soon