Mystery - BMW M635CSI Gemballa

In 1981, a man named Uwe Gemballa wanted to start a tuning company named after him. And back then there was no thing such as Liberty Walk or Mansory, Gemballa was one of the first to go overboard with exterior styling. Body kits and side strakes was what it became known for, and Porsche was one of the first brands modified by Gemballa. Other components such as the wheels, seats, audio systems, and paint, were also modified. And that was the beginning of Gemballa.

BMWs were also given Gemballa treatment which also included bodykits and all that madness. This 635CSi is just one of them. Gemballa continued to grow in popularity well into the 1990s and into the 21st century, and also modified cars too. One of their tuning projects had a nurburgring lap record but was beaten by the Porsche Carrera GT. Everything was going so well for Gemballa, but in 2010, Uwe Gemballa disappeared in South Africa on a business trip, supposedly to meet potential investors for a new dealership. And a few months later, he was found murdered. And three men were later said to have kidnapped him. But that didn’t stop Gemballa, since they’re still in business today.

About this BMW, since we’ve just covered Gemballa itself. In the middle of the 80’s a buyer from the United Arab Emirates bought the 635CSi E24, which features the standard Gemballa look that includes yellow paint and an interior unlike anything else.

It had things like fully adjustable Recaro bucket seats, a dash TV as well as a high-end stereo. 9 inch wheels were placed up front while a pair of 13 inch wheels sat at the rear. And at the back, you’ll find four
flame spitting, loud exhausts. Gemballa further added shorter springs and stiffer shock absorbers in order to make it handle all of that power. The buyer took delivery, but it wasn’t really seen that much until 2003. It was found by the US Army soldiers in Iraq, just after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The 635CSi was in quite bad condition. The interior was completely messed up, and the body didn’t look much better either. And the mystery is, nobody knows what really happened to the Gemballa 635CSi after Uday got rid of it, which is sad since it’s now a very, and I mean very sought after collectible. But after that, this car was never seen again.

Not much information can be found about this car. No one knows where it is right at this moment, but it hopefully won’t stay a mystery.