Cassette radio for my testarossa

[Jonny TVR]

I want to buy a period cassette radio for my 89 testarossa. I believe that the cars weren't supplied with radios so owners could put their own choices in at the time. Which was the coolest brand/ spec at the time? any suggestions.

[Van Dessel]

Alpine for me with the slick ads and the green/blue translucent buttons. Unf they don't have a 'classic' section in their current product line up: https://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/head-units5

Our 1982 320i had a Blaupunkt which had amber/orange LEDs/crystal display that matched the amber dashboard lights - does the TR have amber lighting? https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/products/car-multi...

You could go 8-track but that might sit better in a US car like a Ford Country Squire with the fake wood stickers on the side :-D

Feature-wise, when I was a kid graphic equalizers were cool and some models squeezed them onto the head unit.

[steveo3002]

alpine or a nackamichi would have been the cool thing to have

[yellowtr]

Mine had a Pioneer KEH-88308 in it.

[Oaky]

Kenwood, maybe.

[footsoldier]

Might be worth a look...I'm putting one in Integrale. Modern underneath.

https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/products/car-multi...

[911Thrasher]

Not a real “tape” player but hides USB, etc.
Just put them in my old Range Rover Classic and Bentley T2...it looks proper old school but modern tech and sounds good!

https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/products/car-multi...

[bigmowley]

911Thrasher said:

Not a real “tape” player but hides USB, etc.
Just put them in my old Range Rover Classic and Bentley T2...it looks proper old school but modern tech and sounds good!

https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/products/car-multi...

Plus 1 for the Blaupunkt. Looks wonderful, bang up to date tech, bluetooth, streaming, and DAB. Just fitted one to my Super (to me) car. 1987 Honda Accord Aerodeck.
Crap picture sorry

[Castrol for a knave]

911Thrasher said:

Not a real “tape” player but hides USB, etc.
Just put them in my old Range Rover Classic and Bentley T2...it looks proper old school but modern tech and sounds good!

https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/products/car-multi...

Fitted the SQ46 into my 928. Looks and sounds great. Fools people into thinking it is a tape deck.

Unlimited data package on phone and streamer means nice high res music, not mp3 if you don't want to use usb

Display can be configured to pretty much any colour

[OLDBENZ]

+1 for the retro Blaupunkt Bremen. I have it in my 512BB. Almost the period look as the original Bremen just overlapped with the 512BBi and the retro version does all the modern stuff you expect. Perfect period look for the Testarossa. Cassettes just do not cut it. I bought some last year for a road trip in my Bentley T2 and was soon disillusioned.

[Van Dessel]

OLDBENZ said:

Cassettes just do not cut it. I bought some last year for a road trip in my Bentley T2 and was soon disillusioned.

Did they exhibit wow and flutter? :-)

Or did they just get eaten? It's irrelevant now but for best results they're meant to play on edge with the tape facing down. Playing them lying flat introduces more friction, plus the car's bumping along the road, plus the normal operating temp of car radio is about 150C :-D

[Jonny TVR]

Thank you everyone ... The only reason I want to change from the cd alpine head unit is due to the testarossa having cassette storage. I wonder now whether I should just leave it alone based on comments about tape cassette quality

[OLDBENZ]

Van Dessel said:

OLDBENZ said:

Cassettes just do not cut it. I bought some last year for a road trip in my Bentley T2 and was soon disillusioned.

Did they exhibit wow and flutter? :-)

Or did they just get eaten? It's irrelevant now but for best results they're meant to play on edge with the tape facing down. Playing them lying flat introduces more friction, plus the car's bumping along the road, plus the normal operating temp of car radio is about 150C :-D

All of the above (with the exception of getting eaten).

[oo7ml]

Is there an option / kit to fill the space of you take the radio out?

I would love to take the radio out and return it to factory, but I don’t want a gaping hole.

[4rephill]

Jonny TVR said:

I want to buy a period cassette radio for my 89 testarossa. I believe that the cars weren't supplied with radios so owners could put their own choices in at the time.......

The original factory Testarossa stereo was part no. 61643600: "Radio with tape recorder", which was a Clarion E970.

The part number was replaced with part no. 129044 "Radio".

The factory radio/radio-cassette was an expensive option, which few customers ordered, and Ferrari dropped the option after a short period, leaving customers to arrange to have their own stereo's fitted, either by their dealers, or by specialist installers.

Basically, stereo's not being supplied in cars wasn't Ferrari allowing owners to put their own choices in at the time, as though they were doing customers a favour - After the relative lack of interest in their choice of stereo option, they simply couldn't be ar$ed to get involved with ordering and installing individual stereo's from the various brands available, and left it for customers or their dealers to deal with instead.

[mikeswagon]

Jonny TVR said:

Thank you everyone ... The only reason I want to change from the cd alpine head unit is due to the testarossa having cassette storage. I wonder now whether I should just leave it alone based on comments about tape cassette quality

What model alpine have you got just now? I've got a 7292LS stashed away somewhere, must be about '92 vintage, was bought with the intention of adding an autochanger but never did.