Cobra Tool Kit - redux

[nkb]

Continuing progress on my tool kit during the long wait for my car to appear. I obtained a vintage set of Elora 100 wrenches. The set actually included 7 wrenches but I selected out the 5 that are appropriate for the Cobra.



I looked at obtaining the thumb screw or the accordion style spanner clip. The latter, as everyone knows, is virtually impossible to find. The repop thumb screw was still an option but I found a vintage, hinged clip from the UK that does the job nicely and looks appropriate, if not absolutely correct. It has no markings. Interestingly there is evidence of a similar shade of blue that seems to appear on some of the original Elora clips.


I would further add some information to the "controversy" about the Elora wrenches being either labelled "Made in W. Germany" vs "Made in Germany". Since a united Germany did not exist from 1949 to 1990 it was concluded by some that the Made in Germany versions must have either pre-dated 1949 or come after 1990 or were perhaps counterfeit.

However, a little research shows that the "Made in Germany" label was used widely even after 1949 when "Germany" per se did not exist.

From various sources:

Made in Germany is not a controlled designation of origin (AOC); however, the status of this label has been the subject of several court decisions in Germany. Thus in 1974, the Federal Court (Bundesgerichtshof) admitted that the designation Made in Germany effectively created confusion between the two Germanies, thereby encouraging the new designations Made in West Germany and, before German reunification, also Made in the GDR.


From this historical fact it could be construed that the “Made in W. Germany” Elora 100 Whitworth wrenches came about from 1974 and would therefore not be correct for an original tool kit. And that the “Made in Germany” spanners (wrenches) would pre-date 1974 and therefore be possibly more correct for a Cobra.

However, there are other sources that say that the “Made in W. Germany" label was used PRIOR to 1974, at the whim of the manufacturer. So, one can easily argue that either version could be right for the 1960's. That both versions could have co-existed in the Cobra timeframe seems to be borne out in the evidence collected by others (e.g. Dan Case).