SOTW: BMW 735i (E23)

Shed spots a fine piece of 1980s shark-nosed luxury

Shed has always been inordinately fond of big old barges and, after a few weeks flirting with 90s coupes, it has come back to its spiritual home.

So what should the Prodigal Shed choose for its return to the fold? None other than a rather lovely example of that sharkiest-nosed of 1980s German luxo-barges - the BMW 735i (E23 vintage).

This car, with its British-gangster-flick-gold paintwork, will make you look and feel like one of the bad guys from an episode of Ashes to Ashes or a Guy Ritchie movie - but the bad guys are always the cool ones, so we reckon that's a definite plus point.

This particular 735i will, however, keep you entertained as you flee from Gene Hunt or Vinnie Jones through the streets of London, because it is specced to the gunwales with a kit list that is utterly astounding for a car from 1983. Central locking, power mirrors, air-con, four leccy windows, electrically adjustable seats (including the rear chairs), a factory-fit rear sunblind, an on-board computer (sadly no longer working); you name it, this 735i has it. And all for just 900 quid.

In fact, the only thing missing is leather - a useful option if your line of work involves spilling the old claret from time to time...

There are a few bad points though. The suspension has been lowered - which is why it looks broken - the power steering has a bit of a leak, and the bodywork is, says the vendor, a wee bit bruised and battered after 27 years on the road.

But these are small issues for a car that has reams of history, just 130k miles underneath its wheels, a 3.4-litre 215bhp straight-six shared with the contemporary 635i coupe, and even a (very) retro mobile phone thrown in.

Anyway, enough of Shed's witterings; time to let the ad speak for itself (why can't more car sellers write adverts as good as this?)... advert is reproduced below.

1983 Bmw e23 735i SE - Rare Retro Classic! (1983)
130,000 miles £900

I am sadly selling my lovely and very rare BMW e23 735i SE. This is a proper retro slice of 80's executive motoring and is an extremely period example due to the very rare colour combination of "BMW Bronzitbeige Metallic" (or gold) paintwork and the fantastically 1980's nut brown velour interior complete with wood everywhere. Not to mention the car phone which I find hilarious!

These colours suit the car very well and it is quite nostalgic to drive. It comes with tax and MOT and is ready to drive home. It also comes with a couple of spares, lots of BMW paperwork, previous MOT certificates and things like that. The plate included may or may not be desireable to someone but to be honest it doesn't mean alot to me so it is included in the sale.

I bought this car on a whim a couple of months ago as I have fond memories of one owned by family which we used to go on holiday in back in the 1980s and stuff. The reality is that I currently have two other vehicles and don't have enough time to:

a) Give it the care and attention it deserves

and

b) Use it!

This car must have been hideously expensive when new - It has the full SE spec and I believe it has every option except for leather interior. Spec includes:

Automatic transmission
Power windows (x4)
Power seats including headrests
Power individual rear seats (this car is a four seater)
Power sunroof
Power mirrors
Power steering
Central locking
ABS
Factory rear blind
Full on-board computer including check control
Air conditioning
Rear armrest containing BMW first-aid kit
BMW fire extinguisher
Glovebox torch
Plus lots more!

Being a 735i, it has the same straight 6 cylinder 3500 cc and automatic transmission as seen in the 80s E24 6 Series and the later E32 big 7s. It wafts along effortlessly and has very high levels of power when required. Low end torque is immense. The robust, no-frills 3 speed tranmission is extremely smooth and confidence inspiring. Mechanically it is spot on save for a slightly lumpy cold idle. It has been recently fitted with a new viscous fan coupling which is a must on the M50 engine.

The interior is in very good condition except for slight wear on the drivers bolster as seen in the pictures. It has period Alpine speakers which sound super. It also has a period carbon fibre "unbreakable" aerial, which does actually give great reception!

The bodywork is generally in great shape (look at the pics!), but does have a few marks and blemishes reflecting the age! It has later 5 series alloy wheels with good tyres (x5), but it does still have one original TRX wheel in the spare wheel well as you can see in the photographs.

I have nothing to hide about this big old 7 - It's a car which you can bid on, collect, get in and drive home. It starts, stops, all the lights work, its nice to drive and doesn't require any immediate work. I bought with the intention of rolling "as-is" whilst making small improvements over time. However, as with any vehicle approaching 30 years old (unbelieveable!), there are a few problem areas which I will sum up in easy to read bullet points below to avoid confusion.

BAD POINTS

Lowered suspension carried out during the previous ownership. Love it or hate it. I don't think it suits the car myself, and did intend to replace it with factory springs which is inexpensive to do.

Slight power steering leak. I think it is from a hose going into the pump but I haven't investigated it yet. Nothing major but worth being aware of.

A couple of small marks around the bodywork, the worst being the two rear arches. It is perfectly presentable though and polishes up nicely.

Slightly lumpy cold idle - The car is due a service and I should imagine doing so would cure this.

Heater fan is a bit noisy. AC belt not present so if you want working aircon it will probably need investigating.

OBC not working.

Rear electric seats not working

CD Player not included in the sale but there is a period tape deck included.

Overall its a nice original, unmolested car (except for the lowered springs) as you can see in the pictures. I would like it to go to a good home please!

Any inspection welcome, I am based in Leicester - Please email for any enquiries or call me. If anyone overseas is interested in this rare car then I am happy to meet you at the nearest airport which is East Midlands. I have every confidence that it would happily drive to France, Ireland, Germany etc with no trouble at all.

PLEASE COPY THIS INTO YOUR BROWSER FOR PHOTOGRAPHS!!!

http://img18.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php...

Thanks for looking!

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