The valuables hidden in vintage car toolboxes

You’ve bought an old car and inevitably you need tools to keep it going. Maybe it has imperial fittings, so most new equipment available won’t fit and you find yourself at autojumbles looking for old spanners. Or maybe you’re of a historical bent and you think it just feels wrong to use modern tools on an old car, so it would be nice to have a bench full of vintage equipment to match. You’re not alone.

David Dunn started The Vintage Tool Company in 2002, and not only buys and sells these items but has his own collection of interesting automotive ironmongery. You may have seen their stand at various car shows and autojumbles, especially the biggest ones. “Beaulieu is great,” he says. “I get to actually meet customers, and the weekend pays for my holiday!”

“Some collectors will spend a lot of money on everything their car left the showroom with, including tools”

One of his customers, he says, has a spanner collection running to thousands. “I’m not that keen on collecting,” he adds. “I’d rather the tools were used. My own collection is really a reference set of the best examples.” Years of research mean he can pick out a rare wrench from a box of junk, and he knows what buyers are looking for: “Bentley and Rolls make the best money, plus rarities like a Bristol cylinder head spanner – I’d get £200 for that.” Another dream find is a WO Bentley block spanner: “The only thing Bentley put its name on – there’s one for sale now at £450.”

There’s a single BSA spanner in his current stock listed at £220 – because it’s a very rare size, made by the tools offshoot of the car and motorcycle firm.

Not many want a complete period garage setting, but lots of enthusiasts like to have at least a few period tools to match their classic car. In fact some may be obligatory – the correct jack for your 1950s Morris, or the special key to adjust the jets on your Ferrari’s Webers. One of the most desirable items whether for concours or just for a collection is a complete original manufacturer’s toolkit. Frequently tools  have got lost or original equipment spares have been used so it’s rare for a car to come down 40, 50 or 60 years with every element of the set, and the price of replacements can be high. As you would expect the prestige marques supplied very high-quality tools and spares, and naturally Rolls-Royce is in the vanguard. A full Silver Cloud tool tray can fetch up to £1400, and even an empty tray insert with all the right cut-outs for those tools will set you back £180. And then you have to find all the items to slot into those sad gaps.

Some classic car owners demand tools embossed with their car’s name or badge – David cites MG and Jaguar owners as being especially keen on this. Actually, the pliers in my old Jaguar’s toolkit aren’t the originals, and there is a correct set for sale for £29.99… If  I could be bothered I could finance that by selling the sealed, unopened first-aid kit from my 1989 BMW – one hopeful individual in the States is offering one for £230! I’m not so worried about completism but there are collectors who will spend a lot of money to present their cars with every item it left the showroom with, including tools. “Americans and Australians are super-keen to have all the correct tools for concours,” says David.

As usual, when there’s money to be made someone will try to cash in. Even among old tools that are fakes and forgeries, newly minted but claiming to be decades old, and it’s hard to verify the facts when there isn’t likely to be much accompanying evidence. There are stern warnings in The Vintage Tool Company’s online tool-buying guide, and the advice is no different to buying an actual car at hundreds of times the cost: do your research, assess the provenance, check out the seller – and if it’s too clean and shiny, be wary.

Even among old tools there’s a Holy Grail, and in this arena it’s the vice made by Bugatti in and for its own workshops. Elegantly designed and adjustable to compensate for any wear, these present mechanical engineering at its finest, and, if one ever comes up, it will be priced accordingly. An unused original still in its packing crate sold in the States some years back for $76,000. You can, however, buy a well-made replica from marque specialists Tula Precision for a less startling £5500 plus VAT.

Viewed through the rose-tinted nostalgia glasses, many everyday workshop items become attractive vintage sculptures, with ergonomic curves and heavyweight castings and no plastic in sight – I have a larger-than-life pastel drawing of a 1950s electric drill on my wall. I think it looks lovely; many don’t. On the other hand I have a modern cordless drill in the garage for actually making holes; I’m only prepared to go so far for authenticity.

On a roll Roll of tools suitable for a vintage Bentley, including various spanners, screwdrivers and Tecalemit grease gun, in green cloth roll. For Sale Bonhams, Goodwood Estate, £200-£300
Snap to it Original 1955 catalogue of Snap-on Tools, maybe the most memorable company in the business (named for the  easily interchangeable cutting bits on  its lathes and  machine tools). For Sale Ebay, £150
Rising cost The proper prop to stop Lagonda drop, One of two types supplied with these cars pre-war. Substantial high-quality unit, working but not load-tested. For Sale Vintage Tool Company, £499
Goodies tray Toolkit for Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, complete although one item may be a replacement. In original tray insert. Good used condition with mild signs of wear. For Sale Vintage Tool Company, £1399