TRANSMISSION
Manual (5+1)
DRIVE
RWD
NUMBERS OF CYLINDERS
6 line
ENGINE CAPACITY
3210 cm³
ENGINE POWER
197 HP
EMPTY WEIGHT
1470 kg
MAX SPEED
215 km/h
– I bought this car in 2006, and this was the start of my collection.
The creator of the Bonaventura Classic Collection bought this car in 2006, but the first time he sat in it was in 1994. A while before that, the BMW came from the United States to Poland thanks to a neighbour. To be more specific, the neighbour had brought two cars with him at the time: a BMW E23 733 that he used every day and a BMW 633i E24 that he used on holidays. What happened next? The best thing to do is to let the owner himself tell the story. And there is much to tell:
I loved this car. I even had the opportunity to drive it already in 1994. This happened when my neighbour went to the States. He left in my care the car that I fell in love with. Years later I bought it
from him and still have it today. It came from Los Angeles, where a balcony fell on it during an earthquake. The damage was not extensive, but because the BMW was in bad shape when it came to me, I had it restored. It was originally silver with a red centre. Today neither the body colour nor the interior match. I have the factory made interior, I kept it, but it was so worn that I decided to replace it. I also kept the period BBS rims my neighbour used to drive the car – I liked them a lot at the time, but today I understand they are way too big for this car. I put them on for this album – they remind me of the beginnings of my collection. Today I would refurbish the car bringing it back to its original state, but at that time I did it myself as good as I could, so I liked it. Well, mistakes of the past.
I also have the original meter in the garage. Not everyone knows that there were two years in the US history when the speedometers of cars were scaled to the maximum speed valid in the fastest driving state, i.e. eighty-five mph. Helmut replaced the meter here with a standard one but did so without consulting me. The speedometer was admittedly broken and impractical, but I did not want to Europeanise this BMW. Such a detail was a curiosity, but it is enough to repair it and fit it back in.
I overhauled it in Poland with a good mechanic, but because he took care of it after his regular working hours, the overhaul took nine years. That does not change the fact that he did the job so well that even Helmut was impressed.
I did not foresee that the whole thing would take nine years. After only three years I was already looking forward to the end. I started looking around for an E24 but, unusually, I liked the American version better than the European one. The wide bumper did not suit me visually in the 5 Series, but in the 6 Series I liked it. It added a bit of a gangster feel. This car brought to my mind Eddie Murphy, who had a ’Six’ like this. Such a car was popular with celebrities. Tina Turner, Mike Tyson and Jane Seymour each had an E24.
As for the gangster character, this is one of two cars in my collection with a criminal past. A Mexican gang used this BMW. Most probably, they were transporting drugs in it, as evidenced by a compartment hidden in the rear seat. My mechanic removed this stash, which I regret. Today I would have kept it because it testified to the past of this specific car copy. The neighbour who had this car before me had bought it at a police auction, but he did not know about the hidden locker. The car was auctioned after confiscation.
Gang wars, an earthquake, years of immobilisation, the inauguration of a fantastic collection – this BMW has survived it all. If Hollywood wanted to make a film starring the car, the finished script and dream candidate are already there. Today, the ’Six’ is used for everyday driving, but only on nice days. The excesses are enough for her, so let her stay that way. She drives fine.