Good Find Friday features interesting vehicles we’ve found for sale while conducting market analysis or appraisal research. They are not for sale by Wolf and Mare and we have no business relationship with the sellers. We just think they’re worth learning about and sharing with our readers!

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I’ve always been fascinated by technical drawings and in particular the “cutaway” style of technical illustration that provides an x-ray style view into the inner workings of a vehicle. Today’s Good Find Friday car, a 1987 BWM 325i, is a real-world example of this concept, with a history of use in the German tradition of dual education automotive training.

Automotive training in Germany is administered through a highly structured craft tradition rather than the informal garage-based apprenticeships common elsewhere. From the late 19th century onward, mechanics and body repair specialists were trained through the dual education system, which formally combined classroom instruction at vocational schools with paid apprenticeships in operating workshops.

Trainees worked daily on real customer vehicles under certified masters while simultaneously studying mechanical theory, materials science, and drafting. German manufacturers such as Volkswagen supported this system by providing factory-authored service literature, standardized tooling, and purpose-built instructional hardware. Training environments commonly included cutaway engines, exposed gearboxes, sectioned chassis, and body-in-white assemblies that allowed apprentices to study structural design, load paths, and repair sequences in physical detail.

After the Second World War, Germany further formalized automotive education through nationally regulated qualifications culminating in the Meisterbrief, which certified advanced technical competence and authorized holders to train apprentices themselves. Technical schools and manufacturer training centers expanded the use of specialized instructional aids, including modular vehicle systems, transparent brake and fuel assemblies, and later electronically instrumented trainers that simulated faults before students worked on live vehicles.

Body repair instruction relied heavily on real-world practice using damaged donor cars, frame benches, and measuring jigs to teach structural alignment and corrosion repair. Across Europe, similar models evolved, but Germany’s close integration of industry, education, and regulation ensured that hands-on work with real vehicles and components remained the foundation of technician training.

Today’s Good Find Friday car is this 1987 BMW E30 325i Cutaway car currently offered for sale by HooG Selections in the Netherlands. The asking price is €29,950 or around $35,000.

According to the listing, the car was purchased new in 1987 and donated to an automotive school in the German city of Essen. It was used as a training tool by students, and at some point various panels on the exterior of the car were cut open to reveal the inner workings. The vehicle is said to have just 1 kilometer on the odometer — understandable as driving this car would present some challenges.

Interestingly, only one half of the car has been cutaway, with the other side presenting as a 100% normal and extraordinarily well-preserved 325i. The commitment to exposing the inner workings of this Bavarian sedan extends to the alloy wheels, sunroof, roof panel, rear quarter, and even the plastic housings for the taillights. The interior metalwork has been painted in a bright orange-red color to further accentuate the mechanics inside.

The interior received the same cutaway treatment as the exterior, with the driver’s seat stripped of its upholstery to expose the foam and structure underneath. The door panels, steering wheel and dashboard show similar cutouts, however the instrument cluster remains fully intact. It’s worth noting that this car wasn’t hacked apart — the materials are stripped back like the layers of an onion, which impressively demonstrates the construction of the components.

A large cutout panel on the engine compartment lid exposes the hood’s support structure and the M20 inline-six cylinder engine underneath. It’s not clear if any of the underhood components have been cutaway, but it looks as though the operating bits of the car were intentionally kept operational.

The trunk lid features a similar cutaway panel on the driver’s side, exposing the ubiquitous and charming trunk-mounted toolkit from the opposite side.

Documentation appears to include automotive school materials related to the car, supporting its history as a teaching aid.

The E30 3-Series BMW has seen impressive appreciation over the last 10 years, mostly driven by the incredible popularity of the box-flared M3 coupe. In general, two-door E30s are more desirable than sedan variants and manual transmission cars bring more money than automatics.

The 5-year average value of an automatic-transmission equipped BMW 325i is around $13,500 as of this writing. The top sale for one of these cars was in 2023, when a car with 120,000 miles sold on Bring a Trailer for $20,500. With this data in mind, is this car’s asking price of $35,000 a crazy deal or just crazy?

Comparables for cars like this don’t really exist, as there are no sales of 1-kilometer cars to compare it to. One could examine the sale prices of training chassis to a standard car for some idea. In the case of RM Sotheby’s sale of the 1956 Porsche 356A Training Chassis (shown above) and a 1956 Porsche 356A, the training chassis actually sold for a slight discount.

Driving this 1987 BMW 325i Cutaway is said to be “very challenging” and I’m certain that’s true. Legally operating this thing on the roadways is probably a little suspect as well, especially given the rear taillight has been cutaway. In truth, I’m not sure if the remaining modifications would be illegal or just uncomfortable! 

It’s tempting to say the asking price is a bit optimistic, but when you sell something rare and unusual like this at retail, you can go for broke. All it takes is one truly obsessed BMW fan who just has to have it, and something like this would make a great addition to a BMW dealer showroom or an automotive museum. Importing this special BMW, enjoying it for a while and then donating it may also be a smart financial move, depending on your circumstances.

What do you think? Would you add this crazy car to your collection? Let me know in the comments!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!