1982 BMW 635 CSi - My Car

Older BMWs exude a confidence that their newer cousins just don't have. There's a class, an air, an aura about them that commands respect. While newer models shout, older ones let their silence do their talking. Case in point: this 1982 BMW 635 CSi.

Owned by Dave Norville, he bought the car as a non-runner six years ago and set about getting it to work again. "I spent quite a bit of time getting it running, but it turned out it was all electrical problems that were relatively easily-sorted," he told us. "There was a little bit of rust on one of the rear arches which I got professionally repaired, and some paintwork, but because I use it quite a lot there's always a bit of maintenance to do on it.

"I've had it six years and I've done 20-odd thousand miles in it."

A non-running BMW which had been sat for 10 years before Dave bought it might be some peoples' worst nightmares, however Dave's a former mechanic who "fancied the challenge" of getting it to work again - and being a 635 was an added bonus.

"I just always fancied [a 635], and when one came up at a price that I could afford, I went for it.

"In my younger days when I was a mechanic we very rarely got a BMW to work on, but when we did I was always a bit smitten with it really."

We can see why he'd want one; the older models communicate their place in the world much more effectively. They don't shout with their styling, they don't scream with their exhaust. They don't need to - they let you know what it is through their appearance.

For this 635, that's in the sharknose front end, the spoiler at the rear, and the two thin black lines running down the sides joining the two, which tell you that it's about performance. Then there's the little touches like chrome trim and headlight wipers that suggest that this performance doesn't come at the expense of comfort. Unnecessary for the basic act of driving? Yes. Flourishes that show that the owner of this model is higher in the pecking order? Also yes.

See, that's what newer models don't do as well. Everything is fancy, everything screams "look at me". The huge kidney grilles have become standard on newer Beemers. Performance figures continue to surge beyond what's usable on roads. Cars get larger and larger, serving to make their drivers "feel" more important.

Older versions don't need that. You look at this car and you know that the owner is a big shot. They don't need to rattle off performance figures like a game of Top Trumps (which is just as well, given that this car made about 218bhp out of the factory), just a look at the car tells you all you need to know.

So while BMW might continue to come out with cars of ever-increasing numbers, in everything from engine size to performance to square footage, we'll always have a soft spot for the 80s designs. Ones where the car doesn't need to impress its importance on you - you just know by seeing it.