This car is registered as a 1983 model, according to the California Smog Check Database, but the trunklid badge identifies it as a 633CS… which wasn't built that year. In fact, as far as I can tell there was never any such model as the 633SC. Junkyard trunk lid and/or emblem swap? E24 experts, what do you think?


Whatever it is, this car has a five-speed, looks pretty good, and drives every day.

This was a seriously expensive car back in '83, listing at $39,120 (about 83 grand in 2008 dollars). That was pretty much three times the cost of a new 320i, and for another $4,000 over the cost of the 633CSi you could have had a Porsche 928S.


Say it's 1983 and you're a low-ranking S&L employee who's managed to grab $43K in scraps from your bosses' wholesale looting. You deserve some German machinery, but what to buy? Do you take the three 320is, the 928, or the 633CSi? A few minutes at Sharknose.de tends to make me favor the 6-series.


Nowadays, of course, you can buy a running example one of these cars for peanuts... but keeping one running is considerably more costly. 633CSis are pretty commonplace in the wrecking yards as a result.