During 1984 and 1985 I was looking for a BMW 633CSI, but because of the new emissions requirements the new ones really did not have enough power. So I was looking for a faster, used "grey market” model direct from Germany. I found a nice grey market 633 and was about about to buy it when a business associate saw this car on a lot and told me to check it out. Here is the story.
I bought this car from a Chevy Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio in March of 1985. I was told by the dealer that the car was initially purchased by the owner of a BMW Dealership in Cleveland. The owner immediately put the car on a flatbed and shipped it to Callaway in Connecticut where they installed a Callaway Turbo, lowered the car 1/2 inch, and installed a full race suspension, Callaway steering wheel, etc. They said that the BMW Dealership subsequently went bankrupt and the local Chevrolet Dealer got this car. It was way, way faster than the grey market 633 that I was about to buy and handled much better.
At the time it was highly unusual to see a car like this on a Chevy lot. In 1985 BMW was totally considered a “Foreign Car” and few people knew what a 633 CSI even was, much less a Callaway BMW 633. I was extremely lucky to have found it and while I have never raced it, I have owned and loved this car ever since.