Rescue tools designed for motorists – or rather for rescuers in case of a car accident – come in many different forms. They range from the simple plastic hammer with a steel window breaker to professional tools capable of cutting sheet metal and steel pillars. Between these extremes, in reality, there isn't much on the market, and speaking of individual instruments, one of the names that immediately comes to mind is Antonini from Maniago, Italy, that for some years now has been manufacturing the multi-purpose RESet series of rescue tools that we introduced some time ago. But with the CAR, a decisive step forward has been taken in terms of even more demanding uses: the CAR is a multi-purpose tool designed to meet a specific request from the Italian firefighters, who complained about the impossibility of finding on the market a tool with all the necessary features to equip operators during interventions following car accidents. This tool, which marks a new phase in the now close collaboration between Antonini and designer Tommaso Rumici, integrates several tools useful to free the occupants of crashed vehicles.
Antonini CAR: a smart and versatile rescue tool
The main body of the CAR consists in a lever made of Nitro-B steel hardened to 57 HRC that ends in a powerful chisel tip with a nail remover and belt cutter. This part of the tool is designed to remove plastic panels from the passengers compartment.
On the opposite end of the tool there are two wrenches – 10 and 13 millimeters – suitable for removing the battery clamps of most vehicles. Between the two wrenches is a sturdy tungsten carbide glass-breaking tip to smash windows and windshields without any difficulty.
Under the sturdy, bright yellow G10 grip there are two lockable blades: the first has a concave edge and is designed to easily cut through seats and upholstery, exposing the airbag system components; the other is a specific saw for laminated safety glass. Both blades feature a button lock, which works in both the rest and working positions, ensuring maximum safety for operators. At the grip's center and on the opposite side of the tool we find two luminescent stickers that allow you to locate the tool even in complete darkness. Finally, on the tool body we find a hole hole that makes it compatible with the “Gear Keeper” retractable retention systems marketed by Antonini itself. The CAR has been carefully sized to fit in the chest pocket of rescuers' service jackets and is equipped with a removable stainless steel clip.
The retail price of the Antonini CAR is 250 euros, but there are special conditions in case of purchase by professional rescue operators.
In the clip shot during the IWA OutdoorClassics 2022 fair in Nuremberg, the designer Tommaso Rumici explains the different features of this tool.
Antonini CAR specs and price
| Manufacturer: | Antonini Srl |
| Model: | CAR |
| Designer: | Tommaso Rumici |
| Blade: | Nitro-B stainless steel, hardened to 59 HRC |
| Handle: | Nitro-B stainless steel, hardened to 57 HRC |
| Grips: | G1 |
| Finishing: | Black PTFE coating |
| Body Length: | 8.90”/226 mm |
| Blade Length: | 3.15”/80 mm |
| Weight: | 9.88 oz/280 g |
| Locking System: | Button lock |
| Price: | 250 euro |
In the clip shot during the IWA Outdoor 2022 exhibition in Nuremberg, the designer Tommaso Rumici explains the different features of this tool.
