RE: PH blog: crazy radios

[ultrastapler]

that 928 targa has one of the best interiors i've ever seen

vaguely remember the buchmann porsches from the extraordinary automobiles book i had as a kid

[Leins]

Which car was marketed with a 4-speaker set-up, but in reality the radio fed the front two, and the separate cassette deck the rear two? Datsun/Nissan Bluebird?

[furtive]

The radio in a Pantera is pointless anyway. My brothers FiL had one many years ago and he had the radio replaced with a CD player and also had a car phone fitted. With the engine running it was impossible to hear either of them.

[fat freddie]

While I'm reminiscing about old Renaults, who remembers the fantastic 80s button-fest systems on the 25?


Am I right in thinking the R25 was the first car in Europe (or even the world) that had stereo control buttons on the steering wheel?

[Chris Harris]

fat freddie said:

While I'm reminiscing about old Renaults, who remembers the fantastic 80s button-fest systems on the 25?


Am I right in thinking the R25 was the first car in Europe (or even the world) that had stereo control buttons on the steering wheel?

Is that a 25 Baccara?

[Galileo]

Yes it is. I once counted 87 different buttons in one of those. The stereo buttons were on a stalk infront of the wiper stalk, pretty much as they are today; as they fall to finger tips with hand on the wheel.

Edited by Galileo on Tuesday 16th October 13:25

[jaisharma]

I'm sure on my Jarama the radio faced towards the driver. Perhaps the one pointing away from the driver was an improvement to stop attempts to drown out the engine.

[SAndals]

Never mind the radio, what the Daytona interior really needs is that aftermarket compass stuck ontop of the dash!

[Morningside]

I do remember putting a radio into my VW T25 and finding it just would not go back any further. After a lot of pushing and pulling I then realised the reason why it would not fit is due to the radio literary hitting the front of the car.

[ziggy1024]

Chris Harris said:

Is that a 25 Baccara?

Awesome. Followed (on foot) one of those on the trek out to Arnage at the 24h a few years ago - alcohol may have influenced this, but it will forever be remembered as a legendary chariot!

[STiG911]

fat freddie said:

While I'm reminiscing about old Renaults, who remembers the fantastic 80s button-fest systems on the 25?


Am I right in thinking the R25 was the first car in Europe (or even the world) that had stereo control buttons on the steering wheel?

Yes - Renault were one of, if not the first to put controls by the steering wheel.
I soooo wanted a 25 Turbo - before I could drive.

[Stuart]

fat freddie said:

While I'm reminiscing about old Renaults, who remembers the fantastic 80s button-fest systems on the 25?


Am I right in thinking the R25 was the first car in Europe (or even the world) that had stereo control buttons on the steering wheel?

Loved the R25. My old man had a few of them, culminating in the Monaco. It was such a great car to do the long schlep to the south of France in for our summer holidays. Autoroute back when you genuinely could sit at 120mph with impunity, Phil Collins No Jacket required on the cassette, and the promise of a half hearted snog with some Dutch teenager when you eventually got to the campsite. Bliss.

[MycroftWard]

I love badly designed and laid out cars from yesteryear, such character.

[FRA53R]

This topic instantly made me think of the Volvo 142.

[NickGibbs]

Nowhere near the driver this one, but not hard to work out why. Guesses as to the car?

[Finlandese]

NickGibbs said:

Nowhere near the driver this one, but not hard to work out why. Guesses as to the car?

MB 600?

[Gareth1974]

I well remember the Renault 25 radio, my dad had a V6 injection in 1985. It was loaded with electronics, including that radio and a voice synthesiser, all of which was great for 18 months until it began to fall to bits. It seemed to spend most of it's time thereafter in the nearest Renault dealer.

In terms of the awkward radio positioning in Lamborghinis and De Tomasos, surely this was because they were intended to be operated by the blond supermodel in the passenger seat, while the driver steered the car round the Stelvio pass?

[dasherdiablo1]

SprintSpeciale said:

Never mind the radio, look at the position of those pedals in the Alfa! You'd need a left knee with a 45 degree angle to drive that.

Images like this go to show how far car design has come on. The only lines that aren't square on that AR 75 are the steering wheel - absolutely horrid! Who in their right mind would have gone into a dealer and thought 'I know what I'll do I'll speand my hard earned cash on an unreliable Italian car with a rubbish interior'. To me it looked like they just wrapped some carboard boxes with vinyl and stuck them in place with some double sided sticky tape!

Lots of leg room too - do you think anyone managed to keep their legs after they were involved in a front or side collision?

[ziggy1024]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

I used to loooooove that book as a boy.
Car Porn. 80's styleeeee

(daft Sbarro anyone?)

Would you ever have heard of an Isdera Imperator otherwise?!

Mine must be in the loft at my mum's house - I will find it!

[jdubbya]

How about the MK I Range Rover?

I seem to remember It was conveniently under the steering wheel on the right by the door, so your knee did all the necessary changes to the tunes.