The BMW L6 was a single-year USA model produced in 1987 as an ultra-luxurious version of the E24 6-Series and was the most expensive car in its class that year. Sharing the drivetrain of the 635CSi, the M30 inline-six, the L6 featured unique hand-stitched leather upholstery on almost every surface of the cabin including the dashboard, center console and headliner, and a long list of standard features including power-operated seats, a power sunroof, power steering, four-wheel disc brakes, and a rear center console with individual climate control. This L6 was purchased new in Hawaii and was sold sometime in the 90s to the second owner in Northern California. The second owner relocated it to Arkansas where it spent most of its time garaged. The seller acquired the L6 in late 2021, returned the car to California and subsequently fitted a Getrag 5-speed manual transmission in place of the standard automatic transmission, reupholstered the front seats, and carried out a complete engine service including the replacement of the air conditioning compressor, struts, and brakes. Finished in Lachssilber Metallic (Salmon Silver) over a Natur leather interior, this L6 is now being offered at auction by its seller out of California.
The exterior is finished in Salmon Silver (203). Equipment includes a front spoiler with integrated fog lamps, U.S.-spec chrome safety bumpers, chrome window surrounds, power-adjustable door mirrors, chrome door handles, and a dual-tipped center-exit exhaust. The seller notes some minor paint chips on the hood as well as minor scratches that have been touched up, the roof was repaired from a small dent and resprayed with new clear coat, and the passenger side fender has been refinished. Detailed images are provided in the gallery along with a clean CARFAX report. The original metric TRX wheels have been replaced with a set of 16” BMW Style 5 wheels mounted with Toyo Eclipse tires from 2014.
Representing the most luxurious model of the E24 6-series, this L6 features special Natur leather upholstery covering the seats, door pillars, door panels, dashboard, and a hand-stitched center console. The power-operated front seats offer a memory function and power-adjustable headrests. The L in L6 stood for luxury. It includes standard amenities that were optional on European models such as self-leveling rear suspension, a beverage chiller (cooled by an air-conditioning system) between the rear leather bucket seats, air-conditioning vents for rear seat occupants, a rear sunshade and an 8-speaker premium sound system. Other interior amenities include climate control, cruise control, an original M-tech 1 steering wheel, a two-position electric sunroof, an AM/FM cassette stereo, power-adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, a power antenna, and a heated driver’s door lock. The seller reports the front seats have been reupholstered with OEM BMW leather, and the instrument cluster has been replaced.
The L6 is powered by a 3.4L M30 inline six-cylinder rated at 182 HP and 214 lb.-ft of torque. One of the reasons for poor sales of the L6 was the fact that it was only offered with a 4-speed automatic transmission. To bring out the full potential of this beautiful car the seller has replaced the transmission with a Getrag 5-speed. The donor transmission with approximately 120,000 miles was sourced from a 1984 635Csi and has been serviced with new master and slave cylinders as well as a full clutch pack. Upon acquisition, the seller reports most of the engine gaskets were replaced along with the hoses and belts, fluids, a valve adjustment, new struts, brake pads, rotors, and a new air conditioning compressor were installed.
This sale will include multiple keys, including valet keys, the factory keyless entry and keyfob, a clean title, owner’s manuals, a spare TRX wheel and tire, a cassette deck cleaner, some associated literature, and a shop manual. The trunk toolkit is also said to have been ordered and will be included with the vehicle or sent to the next owner upon delivery.
Comments (13)
Bid in the amount of $11,500
40 minutes to go. If you have any questions I'm here to answer. This car is in beautiful condition. The pictures don't do it justice. It is in very original condition. It's rare you see a survivor like this L6 in the condition it's in. Good luck on last minute bids.
@porsche_dreamer - thanks for reaching out. We did the job in house. There were a total of three guys working on it. The swap on this car isn't the easiest due to what's needed to get the reverse lights and and cruise control to work but they did a great job and it's fully functional.
And thank you for the complement on how the car looks. These pictures don't do it justice however. It looks so much better in person. When the detail was complete, my heart skipped a beat. The paint is about 90% original and when it was cleaned up.... Wow.
Seller, who did the transmission job? Beautiful car!
@salvam thank you for asking. All lights and indicators work perfectly and the entire clutch pack was just replaced when I did the swap. There are probably 10 miles in the clutch.
Apologies if I missed it in the write up: do all indicator lights function properly ? Also mileage on the clutch?
Thanks,
Bid in the amount of $10,500
Bid in the amount of $10,000
Bid in the amount of $1,250
Bid in the amount of $250
@Punnzzells thanks for the question. It was like that when we got the car and there was never an issue with functionality so we decided to leave it as it was.
Very nice L6. Question - why is the coolant sensor taped up? Is the connector broken or was it loose?
Hi there, Thank you for taking a look at my 1987 BMW L6. It has been a wonderful experience, purchasing, driving and lovingly refurbishing this vehicle. Im here to answer any questions you may have about the car. Please feel free to leave them in comments and I will answer as soon as possible. Good Luck bidding.