Mercedes-Benz Tool Kits

 International Avus race in Berlin, 26 May 1935. Mercedes-Benz Racing department tool kit.

Preparatory and maintenance as well as repair work were an integral part of driving a car and drivers relied on their profound mechanical and electrical expertise about their vehicles. The equipment was extensive – and tools were always at hand. Sometimes special holders in the luggage compartment made sure this was the case. For instance, these holders were installed in the W 108 and W 109 model series luxury sedans. In said vehicles the fabric bag containing the vehicle tool kit was hung on the wheel spanner for storage. And Fritz Nallinger, Member of the Board of Management between 1941 and 1965 of what used to be Daimler-Benz AG, had vivid memories of the tool kit in his parents’ car. As a young boy on Sunday outings at the beginning of the twentieth century, he sometimes had to take a seat between spanners, oil cans and spare parts.

In August 1888, when Bertha Benz and her sons set off from Mannheim on the very first automotive long-distance trip at the wheel of the Patent Motor Car her husband had invented, the three of them were left to their own devices. The trip was going well, but the vehicle, a prototype from today’s perspective, suffered the odd breakdown. Each one could have thwarted the objective of reaching Pforzheim by the evening. However, improvisation and skills cleared the way. Even Bertha’s hat pin was turned into a tool when she used it to clean a clogged petrol pipe.

 Only a few years later the motor car was increasingly spreading as a means of transport. The first chauffeurs were either trained mechanics or, in addition to driver training, they were extensively trained in mechanics and electrics at the manufacturer’s plant. Afterwards, they would be able to carry out any kind of work. The technology had a longer service life thanks to regular maintenance. Anyone wanting to reliably reach their destination needed to be familiar with the technology to prevent breakdowns with precautionary work or quickly eliminate any issues.

Mobile workshop: Vehicle manufacturers provided a dedicated selection of spanners and other utensils for the usual work – the vehicle tool kit. For instance, tools were wrapped in a fabric bag or stored in a container with a customised insert. For many model series, this basic equipment could be enhanced to form an extensive tool kit on the basis of the accessories catalogue. In the 1960s elements including grease guns for chassis and suspension were still part of the kit, for instance.