The Makings of a Future Classic

Since first setting eyes upon the 645 Ci during its introduction in Malaga, Spain, it continues to stir up the emotional half of my soul. You see, Ive been longing after a BMW coupe for as long as Ive wanted a car, which is pretty well from my first year onwards.

The first 3.0 CS that caught my eye was at a used car dealer in my home town, Fjord Blue with dark blue leather hides, it was a sight to behold. The 630, 633, 635 and M6 models that came later set the luxury coupe benchmark for years to come, but no imitator managed to build a sporty two-door as elegantly styled and

The new 645 Ci is breathtaking, in design and driving dynamics. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

The new 645 Ci follows in this tradition. It is breathtaking, in design and driving dynamics. I coursed the Spanish mountains that surround the Mediterranean hotspot in all powertrain variations, which include one engine and three transmission choices. The 6-speed manual will forever

The 645 is a superb drivers car; comfortable, precise and wonderfully quick. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

The opportunity to drive the 6 came again in and around Los Angeles, California the following year, at the North American introduction of the coupe and convertible model. Again, what a superb drivers car; comfortable, precise

Trunk space is generous for this class of car, at 15.9 cubic feet. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

While driving Californias circuitous roadways, trimmed with majestic palms framing glorious seascapes, is a memory forever etched into the recesses of my mind, I find tooling round Vancouver gave a better indication of the cars overall livability. To this end the 645 Ci offers comfortable accommodations for two, while its rear seats are great for kids and useful to a couple of extra adults in a pinch. Trunk space is generous for this class of car, at 15.9 cubic feet, making

The 6-Series cabin is both elegant, in a contemporary Germanic way, and expertly put together. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

But truly, BMWs new coupe wasnt designed to be its most practical offering. Its a statement of personal style, most likely complementing an X5 or 7-Series parked in the adjacent stall. While all of BMWs vehicles are biased towards enthusiast driving, the coupe combines the compliant ride of a larger sedan with the handling prowess of a sports car. Its not as edgy as a Porsche 911, per say, yet delivers performance that will have many a Carrera driver eating humble pie.

And that from a cabin which is

Active steering combined with BMWs dynamic drive technology is really impressive new technology. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

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