The 635 CSi promised to be worth the wait, as it presented a big improvement over the mundane 528i. The older car had only used a 2.8L version of the straight-six engine, which produced a meager 240 horsepower. In an attempt to counter the 400 horsepower Jaguar V12, the 3.5L of the 635 CSi was taken as a starting point. As BMW had not yet made a full effort at the factory, engine tuning was handled by specialists Alpina and Schrick, while final assembly fell into the very capable hands of Team Schnitzer. The end result was 295 horsepower at 6900 rpm, which still gave BMW a 105 horsepower deficit over the Jaguar. Fortunately, Group A featured an equivalence formula based on engine displacement. The size of the engine affected the minimum weight requirements and the maximum allowable width of the tire. With its 3.5-liter engine, the 635 CSi is content with a minimum weight of 1185 kg (2612 lb) and 250-section tires on all four corners. By comparison, this left BMW with a 222kg (489lb) lead over its British rival with its huge 5.3-liter V12. Additionally, the 635 CSi had the luxury of a five-speed Getrag 265/5 transmission, while the XJ-S had to make amends with a four-speed drive. The weight advantage would pay dividends for BMW, as the 635 CSi could brake later, turn better, use less fuel and be easier on brakes and tires than the big Jag. This would be particularly beneficial in the longer rounds of the ETCC, such as the 24 Hours of Spa, once again taking advantage of its superior reliability. The 635 CSi became an immediate and very dangerous threat to the superior Jaguars. The TWR also fielded only two cars, while BMW could count on a real fleet: together with the semi-finished Team Schnitzer and Eggenberger-BMW Italia, the 635 CSi was used by Hartge Motorsport, Juma, Motul, Chiazzaro and a few others. . As there were now other top-tier Division 3 competitors over 2500cc, BMW had a very real chance of defeating the fast but fragile Jaguars. The tactic seemed to work, as BMW won six races against four Jaguars. The 635 CSi also managed to win on its debut with Dieter Quester and Carlo Rossi of Team Schnitzer at Monza, before winning at Vallelunga with 1981 ETCC champions Helmut Kelleners and Umberto Grano of Eggenberger Motorsport-BMW Italia. Among them, these teams scored five of BMW's six wins, but the sixth was undoubtedly the most special - although they were unable to defend the title against the improved Jaguar XJ-S in 1984, the 635 CSi has moved on to other things successfully! A new series was launched in Germany to house Group A cars: the Deutsche Produktionswagen Meisterschaft was the immediate predecessor of the later Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft. Despite the lack of power compared to his opponents, the absolute tenacity, the bulletproof reliability and adorable handling of the great Beemer have given him the chance to conquer virtually every inaugural Group A season on the planet. With a total of dozen wins and 12 national and international titles, the BMW 635 CSi is one of the most successful Group A touring cars of all time.

Our 635 Group A, chassis E24 RA2-49, is the former car of Fritz Müller's private team Müllerbräu. Always wearing a hat in the pits, he began his racing career in 1974 right from the start in the Touring Car Championship, first in a Porsche 911 Carrera RS. From 1975 to 1978 he moved to the DARM championship, and then moved to the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM). Still in touring, he drove a Ford Capri III 3.0 S (1979), followed by a Mazda RX-7 (1980 to 1983) and this BMW 635 CSi from 1983 to 1989, in the 1984 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft -DTM. ° place in the 1986 Championship. Ready to drive and delivered with a set of rims, our car has benefited from all possible evolutions and is the fastest of the BMW 635, as evidenced by its lap times: 2: 07.906 at Imola, 2: 33.623 at Paul Ricard, 2: 57.510 at Spa.