For sale is a wonderful, sport, fun-as-hell-to-drive '87 BMW 535iS with front and rear conversion to M535i specs (euro M5 front and rear conversion - no North American 'diving board' bumpers.
I got this car in great shape and have a blast for five years from the moment it rolled off the car carrier. Everything worked. I had improvements to make, but the only things not working completely were the rear power antenna (I replaced) and the radio (I upgraded).
I have enjoyed cold R134a A/C every summer (has never failed), and while I have never driven this car anywhere near ice/snow/salt, on cold Fall and Spring mornings the heat from the 3.5L I6 is welcome. I have taken it into car washes and enjoyed that all weather seals were intact - no leaking during car wash or rain.
This car was delivered with all the sexy 80's 535iS/M535i options - power sun/moon roof that works the way it should, all power windows work the way they should as do the power sport mirrors. The car has the bullet-proof Getrag 265 sport 5 speed manual trans with M5 limited slip rear differential so with the 218 HP from the M30 engine will take you 0-60MPH in an honest under-7 seconds - as fast as a Corvette and Z-28 of the same year!!! I have 2 year old Firestone sport radials all around, along with very pleasing BMW Style 7 'honeycomb sport alloy basket weave wheels, including a matching spare in the trunk.
I sunk a ton of $$ into a full bumper-to-bumper professional wrap using top-of-the-line Avery film matching BMW 276 Avus Blau - so its absolutely GORGOUS, but retains an '87 OEM-looking color, and i will include 'before' pics so you can enjoy the great condition of the original Diamond Schwarz paint underneath. This was not easy to get done, but I'd sunk more $$ into having my interior restored so putting effort into the exterior was worth it. I had the front FULL POWER 8-way SPORT SEATs reupholstered the summer before with correct premium leather from a Germany OEM source that matched the original rear bench seat correctly (you mail them a sample from the bottom of your OEM seat). The entire interior is that pleasing two-tone tan/black that looks So good on vintage and modern BMWs.
Car starts, runs, drives, shifts, accelerates, and stops the way you expect a BMW sport sedan to.
I replaced radiator, heat control valve, most coolant hoses (routine preventative) and of course flushed all coolant out and made sure it was filled w correct Zerex.
The car is NOT from the Midwest. I bought it from the West Coast, so it's never seen bad weather and the condition shows. Even the trunk tool kit is fully populated!! The OEM jack and tools are installed where they are supposed to be. The last thing I did last fall was to install a vintage-looking Continental radio with all modern features (AUX, USB), but keeping the 80's OEM look - this is critical with a time-capsule gem like this. Even the 87 BMW 'bible' and owners literature is in the glove box, and I will provide two sets of keys for the car.
I will post a ton of additional photos and provide a link, along with a bunch of recent videos I recorded to help make the buyer comfortable and confident. I will also pass along a full set of Bentley manuals and restoration guides, along with OEM sales literature and sports car magazine reviews I have collected. Upon request, following purchase, I will copy all docs related to past servicing, receipts etc. so they next owner will have as complete of records as possible.
I will be happy to help arrange transportation - it is familiar to me, but if buyer is close enough I will drive the car to meet them. Cheers!
On Mar-25-24 at 14:44:05 PDT, seller added the following information:
Additional pics and videos here.
Car is for sale locally. I will end eBay auction if car sells locally.