New 356 Tool Kit from Porsche - a rip-off or just nice?

[Peter Schueren]

Friends,
while waiting for my rebuilt engine I bought this new tool kit from Porsche. At €/$ 400 it is really cheap compared to the engine. Why I did this I am unable to explain but a good therapist could probably answer the question in a month or two.
It is made from very nice leather but the gold plated buckles (they look gold plated) are a bit too much. Everything iincluding the open-end wrenches and screwdrivers is marked Porsche and seems to be no junk.There is a special Carrera kit available at a higher price.
What do you think about it. You do not have to be friendly...

Peter

[Martin Benade]

I’ve been planning to collect a very simulated tool kit with miscellaneous tools that look about right, that’s the extent of my interest. This kit looks pretty nice and somewhat appealing. Paying 400 $/€ for $60 worth of tools sounds great compared to what a real tool kit costs.

[Peter Schueren]

I just looked at the spark plug wrench.It is marked "Klein 21 Germany". KLEIN seems to be the original company that did tools for Porsche.

[Wes Bender]

I would say it is nice. Whether or not it's a rip-off depends upon whether or not you are disappointed in it. I have done exactly what Martin suggests; put together a complete set of tools using what original tools I have and filling in with good quality non-standard replacements. They seem to fix the car just as well as the OEM tools do.

[Martin Benade]

It has a full sizes lug wrench in it?

[Peter Schueren]

yes! They call it wheel nut wrench.. it is inscribed "PORSCHE 19mm" and big enough to commit murder!

[George Hussey]

We sell them all of the time, as a sort of "SHOW" tool kit for the car. FAR FAR from the original, it, in my opinion, is only good to display at a car show along with your original correct kit, or put on display in a glass display case with other novelty factory 356 stuff. (I have one displayed along with my set of factory NOS boxed solex carbs. NOVELTY items!

[George Hussey]

One would actually think that if the Porsche people when to the extent of reproducing a 356 tool kit they would have done it right by making it EXACTLY like the factory originals (even though there were several

[Larry Brooks]

The "PORSCHE" logo silver end wrenches appear to be the same set that Porsche sells separately. a year ago I bought a set since they look pretty close to the set used one year only in 1962 tool kits and the kit my 1962 had was missing them. They were on sale and quite reasonable. A few months later I dug through a long forgotten box of factory tool kits and found a mostly complete 1962 kit. I plan to take photos of both wrench sets and I will post them here. Might be a few weeks since I am in the process of reorganizing most of my racks and Porsche parts.

[Michael Branning]

One would actually think that if the Porsche people when to the extent of reproducing a 356 tool kit they would have done it right by making it EXACTLY like the factory originals (even though there were several

George, I don't think Porsche Classic's goal for this kind of item is authenticity, because what exact took kit version would you duplicate, how much would it cost, and how many potential buyers would want that exact version? People would still nitpick it, no matter what. Better for them to make something much more general, built to a price point they can make a healthy margin on, that might actually get used?

[Peter Schueren]

If you take a look at the set you will find the tools are on the same level as other Porsche tools (I only know those that came with 911 cars in the 80ies). But the tool roll is more like a Gucci-bag than a something to be used. But maybe our cars have reached that level...
peter

[Nick Daffern]

What's the going rate for an original 356A tool kit these days?

[Peter Schueren]

probably a "0" more????
P

[William Whited]

I see originals on Bring A Trailer selling for $4,000 to $16,000. Bucks depending on the year and how complete it is. so if you don’t have one $516.13 US Bucks is cheep, actually since their worth so much, seems like the original should be in your home and bring the repro to car shows unless it’s a concourse event.

[Ronald Sieber]

Jerry Manna, who restores and sells original toolkits, recently commented to me that he has restocked clients who "lost" their tool bags at car events after displaying them. And yes, original kits are worth thousands in some cases. Anything that can be grabbed likely will be unless you are there to guard it. What a world we live in....

=rds