In 1981 the 635 CSi was part of the factory teams and tuners, or even in the works contract from Team Schnitzer Motorsport, with success in touring car racing in the Group A set piloted by drivers such as Dieter Quester, Marc Surer, Hans - Joachim Stuck, Gerhard Berger, and Roberto Ravaglia.

Because BMW does not own factory vehicles, the cars are in the cooperation between BMW, parts suppliers, and the real racing teams. The chassis for the race-635 is specially welded Karmann, to supply BMW in a special parts kit chassis and brakes, the safety tank, as well as aerodynamics and Austattungsteile. Since that time, except BMW Alpina only been able to provide the necessary reprogramming the engine electronics to be implemented, all racing from Alpina. The price for a body kit parts together is 1983 at DM 120.000, - the engine will cost more DM 35.000,

Although it is up to 250 km / h fast and almost 300 bhp coupe compared to the 420 hp strong Jaguar XJ-S and the turbo-charged Volvo 240 with 350 hp to power something is missing, it departs for its reliability, its driver-friendly and last but not least, its relative parsimony to 1986 3 times the European Touring a 1981 with Helmut Kelleners [16], 1983 with Dieter Quester and 1986 with Roberto Ravaglia. In the founding year of the 1984 DTM Volker Strycek wins in Group A racing car, the first championship. At the Nürburgring is the coupe in 1984 and 1985 in the 24-hour race is successful, and in the years 1983, 1985 and 1986 the 635 CSi wins at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The 635 CSi was Renncoupé-except in Germany and in Britain, France, Belgium, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan in the national touring car championships in the Alpine region in the UK and also in mountain races in France and Rally Cross racing set but mostly as a single vehicle. Given the strength of the Renncoupés but rather in the reliability than the speed was, it was not as successful as in the German or European Touring Car Championship or the long distance races, where the factory Teams compete with several vehicles.