Porsche offers new infotainment for classics
Add another acronym into your glossary - Porsche Classic Communication Management
You know how it is with even the most modern of modern classic. No matter how joyous the response from a naturally aspirated engine or spellbinding the feedback from hydraulic steering, sometimes you'll be stuck on a long, tedious journey. There's only FM radio in the car, and it'll be boring. How are you going to get 6Music then?
Now there's a solution, or at least there is from Porsche, for Porsches. Called Porsche Classic Communication Management, it brings all the tech we've come to expect from a modern car - DAB+, CarPlay, Bluetooth - into the old single-DIN format. There's a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, two rotary knobs and six buttons, so it mostly looks like an old stereo, but functions like a new one. Moreover, there is USB connectivity, aux input and an SD slot. It costs 1439.89 euros (UK prices to be confirmed), and will fit everything from a 60s 911 right up to a 993. Porsche also says that "use in earlier front- and mid-engine models is also available", as if shamed to say them; presumably that means at least the transaxle cars of 924, 944, 968 and 928.
There's more than just PCCM, however - Porsche has previously done new radio systems for old cars (this one being a hearty update of that idea) - but it has never done Porsche Classic Communication Management Plus. This is a double-din system, designed for the 996 911 and 986 Boxster. Don't forget both are rapidly approaching their respective 25th birthdays and so, yes, the Classic tag is certainly appropriate. The upgrade puts a seven-inch touchscreen in where the old media system used to be, with the design "based on the adjacent components such as air vents or push button switches"; it shouldn't jar too much with the 90s architecture, basically, in the same way that the regular PCCM is also meant to seamlessly blend in with its surroundings.
Again customers will get CarPlay, Bluetooth, DAB and so on, but also Android Auto compatibility. Both PCCM and PCCM Plus can be updated via memory card, so you'll have no excuse not to finally embark on that European road trip you've been planning. When such activities are allowed again, of course.
PCCM Plus is a little more expensive than PCCM, at 1,606 euros including tax. Perhaps when 996s and 986s were dirt cheap that would have looked like lot to invest for an infotainment upgrade; as the market wakes up to their importance, however, and you'll need £15k for a nice 911 and approaching £10k for a decent Boxster S, it makes a lot more sense. Best get the podcast bank topped up now...
ToreB on the forum use to sell them.
An alternative for the 996/986 is the Becker Grandprix - I had one back in the day, beautiful headunit. MP3 and really decent BT (voice only). Could do with some amplification, but a handsome unit. You can add an Aux input. You'll find them for £250 on ebay.
The best ever retro implementation for the earlier cars has to be the Becker 7942 Mexico Retro - that was a single din unit with rudimenatry NAV, and was €1,500 back in 2006...worth every penny, and probably still fetching that 2nd hand.
ToreB on the forum use to sell them.
I wince at the prospect of buying a head unit for a good 10% of the value of my 996 though, as good as the Porsche one may be. The speakers will still be rubbish, after all.
All I fitted was a Pure Highway DAB adaptor, which plugs into the CD changer socket in the back of the original radio so uses the Aux as the source. Then I have a 3.5mm jack in the little cubby below the head unit so I can plug a music player in instead of the DAB adaptor. It works perfectly well. My next upgrade will be the speakers, no question.
A pain as before fitting the camera it worked really well.
Spend it on maintenance instead
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