I start 2017 with a story about Gabriel, a good friend of mine from Buenos Aires, who introduces me to the world of cars there. He is the third owner of one of the most beautiful BMW 635CSi, or “BE EME”, as he calls it, in Argentina, and he was lucky to have got it in extremely good condition – with only 75.000 km from factory.

The first owner of the car had had it for more than 25 years, and then it spent another 5 years with the second owner before finally being purchased by Gabriel, who now claims that he is never going to sell it. “I hope whoever inherits the car will take good care of it!” – he adds.

Gabriel first heard about this 1981 635CSi from a car lover friend who had another E24. Not having seen the car first, Gabriel was about to loose interest in the purchase when he heard that the car was green. However, the friend wouldn’t stop to insist – he emphasized the excellent condition of the car and Gabriel eventually agreed to take a look. This proved to be a good decision – it didn’t take him even 5 minutes to fall in love with the car and, after a bit of negotiation, he bought it on the same day.

Having been extremely pleased with the general condition of the car, Gabriel even started to feel attracted to its peculiar color. After he had started to actually drive the car, he was really surprised with the power of the engine. He says he never thought he’d be having that much fun driving it. He feels that this impression isn’t limited to himself and that when he’s driving in the streets, the car really draws attention with its impeccable condition.

In 2016, his E24 was included in the 100 years anniversary of BMW, in the prestigious “AutoClásica” event, taking place every year in the city of Buenos Aires. Not only did Gabriel take part in this celebration, he also regularly participates in the most important rallies of Argentina, like for example The 1000 Miles Sport and the Rally of the Mountains. You could also meet him at European rallies like Tour Auto in 2016. At that occasion though, he chose to drive his friend´s Porsche 356 (and finished as the 13th!), because, according to his own words, he’d feel he’d be mistreating the BMW if he chose to use it more often at high speeds and winding roads. He really appreciates the current condition of the car and makes it his priority to preserve it – considering the fact that the car is from 1981, there really aren’t many that could compare with it and he wants to keep it this way.

Ever since he was a young boy, Gabriel has been passionate about cars and especially interested in mechanics. He recalls that when he was 4 years old, he got under his father´s car and fixed it. Following this, he graduated with a title of Mechanical Technician in Automotive. The first car he ever got was a Fiat 128 1300 CC. After he started to collect oldtimers, he got a 1960 Peugeot 403. Nowadays he’s driving Audi A5 and A3 booth Quattro, and of course the famous 635CSi for special occasions!

Following his first degree, he also studied administration, and that helped him to get a job as a commercial director. He remains true to his love for cars – he says that they have always been his passion and it will remain like this for the rest of his days.