Porsche 356 Tool Kits
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Important disclaimer: I am not an expert on 356 tools! I have collected information from multiple sources, including my own observations, and try to present it on this site in a coherent manner. There will always be variations and differences from what is presented here. This site should be considered a work in progress, and not a definitive statement on what is correct for 356 tool kits. Use this site at your own risk, and please tell me if you find errors or can contribute to the site.

Early screwdriver observations

My thanks to Jim Perrin (author of many 356 Registry tool articles) for sharing his detailed observations of some very early Porsche 356 tool kits.

1950 COUPE SERIAL NO. 5099 TOOL KIT

Observations based on a photo of the original kit to this car:
The kit has a long screw driver with a black handle.  It has a conventional V tip for slotted screws.  It is longer than the speed wrench and longer than either spark plug wrench.  Its length is such that it will just barely fit into the tool kit.  The silver ferrule somewhat follows the taper of the handle, being smaller in diameter near the shank end of the ferrule.  The handle does not have a necked-down area for a thumb-forefinger.  The top of the handle is rounded.  The head of a rivet can be seen in the ferrule, slightly closer to the handle than to the shank.  Details in the handle can not be seen, but it appears that it may have at least one flat area along its length.

Naive 1950 Tool Kit

(This coupe was in the Harrah Museum for years).  It has one screw driver, which is a long one with a conventional V-shaped tip.  The handle is black.  There is a pin going through the ferrule, and the ferrule does not flare out at all next to the metal shank.  The screw driver is almost too long for the tool kit bag.  It appears that the handle has a square cross section, which blends down into a round cross section, as it goes into the round top of a silver ferrule.  The black handle is similar to the black or dark-colored handle shown in the January 1952 "Auto" road test.  

1951/EARLY 1952 CABRIOLET "AUTO" ROAD TEST TOOL KIT

The January 1952 issue shows a photo with an open tool kit.  Because of the date on the article, it must have been written in the later part of 1951 at the latest.  Thus it could have been on a 1951 model or an early 1952 model.  
It shows a black or dark-colored handle of what must be a long shank screw driver, with the handle having no reduced area for a thumb and forefinger; the part of the handle that can be seen is at least twice as long as the handle for a short screw driver.  The handle tapers down smoothly into the silver ferrule.

Paterak tool kit
The tool kit has two screw drivers, which John said are both original.  The handle of the long black-handle screwdriver has two pairs of flutes, or a total of four flutes.  Each pair is on a pair of curved surfaces that are 180 degrees from each other.  The third and fourth sides are curved with no flutes.  The handle is shaped such that it blends down into a round cross section at the point where it contacts the metal ferrule (similar to the screw driver handle shown in the January 1952 "Auto" road test, Naïve's 1950 coupe, and to Rauskolb's 1951 coupe.  The top end of the handle is fairly rounded.  John said that the handle still has the original paint on it, which is a flat or satin black rather than a gloss black; however, based on the as-found photos I believe John would have had to repaint the handle.  The shank had a little discoloration, which John sanded.  The shank has no writing on it, and runs all the way through the handle to the end of it.  It has a v-shaped tip, and the tip is relatively narrow.