A one owner car is still an exciting prospect to the car collector. That thought of only one bum in the seat is special. Documents with only one name appearing on them stirs the emotions. Why is this? I suppose it’s just that chance of finding a car that has never fallen into the wrong hands and the enthusiasm and love of the car has never been lost. That’s why we like one owner cars.
This 635 CSI has been brought to us for our workshop to recommission and carry out preventive maintenance. It is not just a one owner car, it also has only 50,000 miles and a 100% complete service history. Cars like these are a fantastic opportunity for the collector but also a genuine responsibility! It is crucial to retain as much of the originality as possible whilst ensuring the car remains reliable, usable and those age related irritating mechanical failures are eliminated.
Following our inspection of this particular car, it was clear that it has all original panels and is unwelded. It has not been taken apart over and over again and it’s integrity has never been lost. It is essential that these boxes are ticked to ensure that a new owner is investing in the right car as low mileage and one owner is not a 100% guarantee that the car still retains it’s purity. In this case we are thrilled to have the responsibility of preserving a genuinely lovely E24 for the new owner.
The underside of the car is going to be extensively cleaned back to the original Alpine white. Some very small areas of surface corrosion will be attended to with a chemical rust cure, etch primer, original factory stone chip applied and then over painted in local areas in Alpine white. Finally the car will be sympathetically treated with a clear wax to ensure long term protection. The two important areas when working on a shell as original as this are long term preservation and an original look. These small local repairs must be invisible. We will ensure that the car looks original and unrepaired when viewed from underneath.
Our valeter will carry out paintwork restoration to achieve that ‘as new’ shine. The leather is stunning but will be cleaned thoroughly and then treated with leather food.
The mechanical work is not just about obvious faults but also ensuring age related breakdowns are eliminated. This Highline will benefit from an Inspection II service, annual check, new o/s A pillar grommet, new rear roll bar dive links, repair front sub-frame PAS box bracket, rebuild PAS box, new front undertray, new air conditioning switch, new Highline exhaust system mounts and rubbers, new handbrake shoes, repair faulty o/s/f seat electric headrest, new door catch grommets, new battery, new brake sphere, new coolant hoses and clips, new n/s indicator lens new thermostat and O ring, tidy engine bay wiring loom, repair to rear blind, new dash lighting circuit board, removal of faulty headlight load level device and replace with manual headlight adjusters, new bonnet gas struts, new o/s engine mount, new drive belts, new bonnet light, new mudflap brackets and clips. Then the car will be road tested and have an MOT.
The final part of this car’s visit to us will be new wheels. The original Metrix TRX alloys will be put in to storage and a set of BBS 17” split rims fitted. These retain the original look whilst eliminating the Metrix tyre problem once and for all.
We very much look forward to handing this stunning Alpine white Highline 635 to the very excited second owner knowing it is properly preserved for the next 25 years.