1986 BMW 635CSI 5-speed

History

During the late 1950s, BMW was struggling to keep the doors open. The company had a number of slow selling vehicles and deals that simply did not pan out. As such, they needed a hit – something that would entice people to visit BMW showrooms and drive the spectacular cars they were building. Design boss Wilhelm Hofmeister worked with Paul Bracq to style the New Class BMWs in the early 1960s, which included very nimble, smaller sedans and coupes that were reasonably priced and well-constructed, but also offered spectacular driving dynamics, all of which spoke volumes to customers.  The New Class BMWs also included the more exclusive E9 of 1968-1975, an executive-class coupe, which begat the 1976-1989 E24 6-Series. Hugely popular, the E24 evolved from the original 630CSi to the 633CSi to the 635CSi, which largely became the “It” car for yuppies in the 1980s. The E24 helped BMW achieve status levels on par with Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, but retained an athletic youthfulness, a sort of rebellious luxury brand that established new norms in the high-end automotive segment.