Did You See Anything Good Today? [Read First Post]

[Azuremen]

How rare is a 635CSi? Found one randomly in a parking lot at work, has a dent and some ugly wheels, but still neat to see...

 

[a6m5]

I was driving next to a Vanquish on the freeway this morning. I don't know how you guys drive and take pictures at the same time. Lord knows, I tried!

 

[Tommi]

So I'm sitting at a light, and I'm looking around.

What's that white thing there?

Oh right. Murcielago Roadster.

A very cool car. And admit it, you like that first picture.

Now thats what im talking about!

 

[TsLeng]

Seems like quite a few people saw Audi R8s ...

I seen mine some time ago but it was at a dealer.

But....but...yesterday night was different
around 8.30pm of all places, at TESCO kensington(yes, at a supermarket lol) as i came out with my shopping, a black R8 just whiz pass me thru the car park.

OMG...

👍 too bad i didn't get to hear the sound tho..since it was just going so slowly.

 

[TheCracker]

Seems like quite a few people saw Audi R8s ...

I seen mine some time ago but it was at a dealer.

But....but...yesterday night was different
around 8.30pm of all places, at TESCO kensington(yes, at a supermarket lol) as i came out with my shopping, a black R8 just whiz pass me thru the car park.

The only one i've seen was coming out of a supermarket car park too, about 3 weeks ago. I'd just popped down the road to get some lunch, probably travelling less than a mile but saw two A5's (my firsts) and the R8 - i think my local Audi dealer must have had a special open day that day for the A5, both cars looked like they were on test drives the way they were being driven.

The A5 looks great in the flesh, although it is a huge car - certainly more of an A6 coupe than A4.

 

[Alex.]

I saw those two on the back of the truck when I went on work experience

 

[opendriver]

How rare is a 635CSi? Found one randomly in a parking lot at work, has a dent and some ugly wheels, but still neat to see...

-snip-

From what ive read, its the L6's predecessor. Me and doug are the only ones that have seen them (an L6) but I think your the first to see a 635CSi.\

Not sure on production numbers though

 

[exigeracer]

I've seen several, usually every few weeks. I never thought they were DYSAGT worthy. There's a 6-series parked down my street right now, but all it has is one ///M badge, so I don't quite know what it is.

 

[bondy_1625]

635Csi's werent uncommon, ive seen loads, the rarest 6'ers are the L6 and the 633Csi

exigeracer, go back and get a picture of that, if its only got an M badge it might be a M 635Csi (euro denom) as those didnt have the 635Csi badge just the M badge..

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

I've seen and posted an M635Csi before in this thread, which Doug verified for me. I have never seen one since, maybe just the same car a handful of times.

 

[1X83Z]

From what ive read, its the L6's predecessor. Me and doug are the only ones that have seen them (an L6) but I think your the first to see a 635CSi.\

Not sure on production numbers though

635Csi's werent uncommon, ive seen loads, the rarest 6'ers are the L6 and the 633Csi

exigeracer, go back and get a picture of that, if its only got an M badge it might be a M 635Csi (euro denom) as those didnt have the 635Csi badge just the M badge..

I've seen several, usually every few weeks. I never thought they were DYSAGT worthy. There's a 6-series parked down my street right now, but all it has is one ///M badge, so I don't quite know what it is.

Notes on the E24 6-series to end confusion:

USDM...
- introduced 1977 as the 630CSi (3.0-liter 6-cylinder) and 633CSi (3.3-liter 6-cylinder).
- 630CSi died 1979, leaving 633CSi as the only model from 1980 to 1984.
- replaced by 635CSi in 1985 (182hp 3.4-liter 6-cylinder)
- 635CSi went 1985-1989.
- L6 sold only in 1987. 'L' stood for luxury just as 'M' now stands for motorsport and 'X' for SUV. There was also an L7 based on the E23 7-series from 1986 to 1987. The L6 used the 3.4-liter from the 635CSi, but it may have been detuned.
- M6 sold only in North America (in its place, Europe received the M635CSi) and only in 1987 and 1988. Used a 256-horsepower version of the 635's 3.4-liter 6-cylinder.

Thus...

1977-1979: 630CSi
1977-1984: 633CSi
1985-1989: 635CSi
1987: L6
1987-1988: M6

Approximate power ratings are:
- 630CSi: 130hp
- 633CSi: 181hp
- 635CSi: 182hp ('85-'87); 210hp ('88-'89)
- L6: ~182hp (probably less)
- M6: 256hp

Hope that answers questions. I can help with others. It's a very confusing model in BMW's history.

EDIT: just to make things clear, this refers to USDM models only. As performance models go, Europe received the M6 as the M635CSi though theirs had more power (supposedly 290hp vs. the M6's 256). Europe also received a 628CSi for nearly the entire run of the E24, but I don't know European market details as well as I know USDM details.

Of the E24 models the L6 is by far the rarest.

 

[bondy_1625]

heres a spanish board with a hell load of pics and some info, if you can read it it could be very handy indeed, some of it seems decipherable, like the production runs..

http://www.foro.pieldetoro.net/foros/showthread.php?t=48392

628Csi - 5,870
630Cs - 3,972
630Csi (america only?) - 1,794
633Csi - 16,678
635Csi (inc. L6 for USA, 1987 only?) - 36,843
M635Csi (inc. M6 for USA) - 5,855

 

[Matt R]

Recent sightings.

Two cute HHR's.


Old Porsche.


Cadillac XLR Convertible behind this car.

BMW M5.

Mustang GT500.

 

[Matt R]

Went through my files and found three more I haven't posted.

A not so bad looking 3000GT.

Went to Tybee beach and saw this monster lurking behind me.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Old Porsche.

Very nice find!

It's a 550 Spyder, made most famous by being the car that James Dean died in, but even without that infamous bit of notoriety, it would still likely be considered one of the all-time great Porsches.

Demand is so high for this car and so few originals exist that the replica market is full of 550 Spyder models... some of which are nearly exact copies of the original, but at a fraction of the cost. RS versions sell for around $1 million.

 

[Matt R]

Very nice find!

It's a 550 Spyder, made most famous by being the car that James Dean died in, but even without that infamous bit of notoriety, it would still likely be considered one of the all-time great Porsches.

Demand is so high for this car and so few originals exist that the replica market is full of 550 Spyder models... some of which are nearly exact copies of the original, but at a fraction of the cost. RS versions sell for around $1 million.

I just thought it was an old Porsche.

Here's the last shot I've got of it.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

I just thought it was an old Porsche.

Here's the last shot I've got of it.

Not only a great find, but you take excellent photos! 👍

BTW: A lot has been written about the 550 Spyder, and it's impact on Porsche and racing, but in case you might be interested, Thor Thorson wrote a nice piece on the 550 Spyder for Sports Car Market, a popular resource for car collectors and investors.

Here is some of what he had to say about the 550 Spyder:

Like Ferrari, early Porsches were all about the engine, with the cars themselves almost an afterthought. In 1952, Ferry Porsche and his engineer Fuhrmann designed and built one of the most complicated, labor-intensive small displacement engines in history, a DOHC, flat-four with a Hirth roller bearing crankshaft, dry sump lubrication, and twin ignition. If you’re thinking Volkswagen, think again. The factory figured on 120 man-hours by an experienced builder to create one of these units. The cam drives alone utilize nine shafts, 14 bevel gears, and two spur wheels. The factory acknowledged that just setting the cam timing took between eight and 15 hours.

It is a marvelous little jewel of an engine, originally making 120 hp at 6,400 from 1,500 cc and weighing something like 310 lbs. Now Porsche needed something in which to put it. Their first true racing car was their project number 550, which eventually became the formal designation of the car. These were based on a series of homebuilt racers built by Walter Glöckler in Hamburg. Within a few years, the 550 Spyder had become a near-legendary giant killer, utilizing light weight, low frontal area, and incredible balance to nip at the heels of and occasionally just flat beat much larger machinery. In the 1954 Carrera Panamericana, a 2,178-mile open-road race with everything from mountain passes to flat-out desert, the finishing order was as follows: a 4.9-liter Ferrari, a 4.5-liter Ferrari, and two 1.5-liter 550 Spyders.

The early 550s were not particularly sophisticated, with ladder frames and basically Volkswagen suspension front and rear, but they worked extremely well. For 1956, Porsche upped the ante. The new car was called the 550A (also 1500 RS) and had a proper tubular space frame and an “almost five-speed” transaxle, with the engine kicked up to an honest 130 hp. The new chassis was lighter and far stiffer than the earlier ladder frame.

The next iteration was the Type 718 RSK, and it was first seen as a works car in mid-1957. As an interesting bit of trivia, the K had nothing to do with the body (in the Porsche 917K, it stands for ”Kurz,” or short). The revised front suspension utilized torsion bar carriers that were shaped like the letter “K” laid flat, hence the name. The carriers were abandoned almost immediately in favor of a coil-spring arrangement, but the name stuck. In 1960, the final form arrived in the RS 60, four inches more wheelbase and a bit wider in the cockpit, with better suspension, frequently carrying 1,600- and 1,700-cc engines. The RS 61 was little changed.

 

[land sea air]

despite the badging, I don't think that's an actual 550, the tail doesn't look quite right and if I'm not mistaken the car only came in silver

 

[exigeracer]

The M-only badge on my street has an automatic transmission, does that help?

 

[land sea air]

All M series BMWs have manual or electro hydraulic gearboxes

 

[1X83Z]

I just thought it was an old Porsche.

It's not - just a replica of one! Don't let the classic plates fool you - they're probably there because it's riding on an old Beetle's chassis. Lots of replicas of these around and nearly no real ones. Just like the Shelby Cobra, the rule is if you see one it's probably not real.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Jjacks, don't let Doug fool you, it's still an excellent find. 👍


Oh, and original 550 Spyders came in othe colors besides silver, not that this is an original, although an excellent replica, very rare, and in great condition. 👍

 

[Rue]

Yesterday...

Porker 996 (Someone tell me the model the 997s all look the same to me)
White Ferrari 599 GTB (Rare as they come)
AMG E55
Honda Edix

Civic Type-R
Audi A4
AMG E55
Suzuki Swift GTi

RR Corniche Conv.
VIP Style Nissan Cedric (I think)
RR Corniche Conv.
Lancer Evo

Bentley
Ferrari 456GT
Bentley Flying Spur
AMG SLK55

996 Turbo
Integra Type-R
996 Convertible
Stealth S-Class

Mitsu Evo IX
" " VI

 

[harrytuttle]

The Maybach is a 62, yes. Good spot. Did you take the Bentley/AMG picture with the knowledge that you'd get both or was the Bentley just a bonus?

The S63 was travelling ahead of me, so I got the camera ready at the stoplight. I saw the Bentley waiting across the street after we stopped, looking to turn towards us, and knew I had to time it just right. There was a window of about 2 seconds and I got it dead on. Neither car is super-rare (although both are cool), but the composition is awesome.

It's a Wrangler not a Cherokee just for the record.

No more late-night posting for me.

I was driving next to a Vanquish on the freeway this morning. I don't know how you guys drive and take pictures at the same time. Lord knows, I tried!

Get the camera ready beforehand, and aim it without looking at the car. I never take pictures on a turn or if I might stop soon. I'd just wait until I stopped anyway. After a while you'll get the hang of using the viewfinder LCD with just your peripheral vision.

Or you can sit shotgun for a change.

From what ive read, its the L6's predecessor. Me and doug are the only ones that have seen them (an L6) but I think your the first to see a 635CSi.

I had one posted last year. To be repeating:

Yesterday...

Porker 996 (Someone tell me the model the 997s all look the same to me)

It looks more like a base 996, judging by the lack of vents or side flares. The whale tail was an option early on, since it was kind of popular for the 993.

Audi A4

Probably an S4, since there are some nice silver side mirrors on that Audi.

 

[CDailey]

Chaser, your 2nd E55 is actually an E63.

 

[tabs]

 

[Matt R]

It's not - just a replica of one! .

Oh poo.

Jjacks, don't let Doug fool you, it's still an excellent find. 👍

I'm still excited about it!

 

[1X83Z]

Jjacks, don't let Doug fool you, it's still an excellent find. 👍

Not doubting the quality of the find, just enlightening on the identity of the vehicle! As for the replica I've seen better - for example, a SILVER one! A company in Colorado makes them and a fellow down the road from me had one.

 

[Keef]

Went through my files and found three more I haven't posted.

A not so bad looking 3000GT.

Wow, it looks like the suspension has collapsed under the enormous strain.

 

[opendriver]

I had one posted last year. To be repeating:

I stand corrected, my bad, and its for sale! did you see how much it was?