Motorsport 635csi

Leroyhighline wrote: Hi Andy is there anything official on the log book that tells you if you have a Motorsport edition 635, mine has all of the features above but not sure of the suspension (how do you find out)

It's not on the logbook but I have a copy of the dealers specification enquiry which lists it as option 129.  It also lists the other options, lsd etc. as well. I was told the Motorsport had the M635 suspension but I don't know for sure.  Mine had Bilstein gas shocks put on by the previous owner not long before I bought it. I'm told they make a big difference.

Colour would be a good indication. Misano Red, Nogaro Silver & Macau Blue are the colours but I've a feeling you could get the Macau anyway.

At the end of the day it was a "selected options" special so you could have a Motorsport without it being a Motorsport, if you see what I mean. 

In all fairness (although I'm not in favour of heavy cars if the extra weight serves no real purpose) I would concede that Andy has a point- you could have a fully loaded chrome bumper car that was heavier than a highline with no toys. But most of them are not like this.

Actually, I don't think a 6er needs to be loaded up with toys to be considered a luxury coupe; this much is kind of built-in.  On the other hand (like any sports car) it needs all the power, weight loss and handling it can get if performance is at all important. Up to a point, there is no such thing as too much of any of them.

To some extent I suppose it boils down to an aesthetic thing in the end. I used to race bicycles and I still ride them and motorcycles. Both these things can instil in you a powerful sense of what is right in terms of lightweight engineering construction for performance. Anything that doesn't work well enough and/or is too heavy just gets junked. Even though it doesn't really matter any more, to this day I can't bear to see something any heavier than it needs to be on my bikes; it just upsets me  -like a defaced work of art it isn't the thing it was, should or could be.

 I'm generally not so fussed about cars but the same logic applies. For instance, I remember being very pleased to see that the original Lotus Elise had aluminium composite brake discs and went as fast or faster than many more powerful and exotic cars, without the benefit of big horsepower. I even remember being pleased to see the absolutely minimalist quality of the stereo Lotus offered- like everything else it was pared down to almost nothing yet still worked very well. A design like that is the product of a very single-minded approach to everything, sparing no quarter.

Extra weight for no gain or a non-performance gain is the simple antithesis of the above approach;  whilst I would agree a 6 series is never going to be a lightweight sports car in the same vein as a lotus, there is definitely scope for altering it for the better, without losing those things that make it the (almost iconic) car it is. Less weight, more power and better handling please, not the other way round. 

Just my two pence worth.....

cheers

Horsetan wrote: Andy Boy wrote: ...1983 635CSi Auto       0-100 20.5 secs, 15.7 1/4 mile. Interesting. The best I could get for mine was 17.01 for the 1/4mile...

The best i got was 16.28. I can only presume that as santa pod runs up hill that is where the difference occours.