For many car enthusiasts, the way the stereo head unit looks is almost as important as the way it sounds. Especially with cars ranging from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, a too new-looking stereo system can really scratch, with ill-fitting nasty plastics and over-done flashing lights protruding from the dashboard design. And if you keep the vintage stereo, you can only really listen to radios or cassettes, or train with a bluetooth adapter cassette that is always spit out. CD headers do not even offer that option.
Previously, some audio manufacturers have devised more basic-looking products that better match the understated dashboard of a car from the & # 39; 80 or & # 39; 90, but that have even better features than vintage-stereo & # 39; s. An example was the Kienzle MCR-1016, which was available with Bluetooth connectivity, but which also looked more like a BMW stereo in the factory than a completely new one from the 2000s. Unfortunately, the availability for that unit wasn't great, and when Kienzle updated the design of the product, enthusiasts came in search of NOS examples of the 1016 / 1016BT. Used prices have risen accordingly.
Porsche Classic has also recognized the need for better-fitting radios for older cars and offers a head unit with touch screen navigation in a classic single DIN size. However, the price is quite strong at around 1,200 euros.
VDO is currently making a rather modest, commercially usable radio that is also available as a badged Continental. The product line has links with earlier Kienzle products and they have a similar basic sound as the 1016. It is also not unusual to install a cheap radio on a modern classic car instead.
But classic car radio enthusiasm was always about Blaupunkts, wasn't it? Enthusiasts pay more and more for refurbished or in good condition main units from the & # 39; 80, sometimes re-equipped with AUX connectivity. The manufacturer does this and Blaupunkt introduced the SQR 46 Bremen line introduced this summer, now upgraded to modern conveniences such as DAB.
The freshened up Bremen now comes with a trick-cassette door that accommodates USB / SD / SDHC connectivity behind it instead of a cassette mechanism, so the faceplate has remained similar to the original from the mid-1980s & # 39; 80 . Complete with a Bluetooth module, it is actually a completely modern stereo that seamlessly connects to a BMW, Mercedes, Porsche or Saab from the & # 39; 80. But the combination of period-correct appearance and modern convenience is not cheap: Blaupunkt takes pre-orders at 449 euros, or around $ 500. It is still much cheaper than the Porsche Classic car radio, but still expensive.