Compact disc (CD) players started disappearing from new cars about a decade ago. The CD slot took up real estate on the dashboard and added weight, so carmakers were glad to see it go. However, Lexus, which caters to a relatively older and less techy customer base, still equips some of its models with CD players.
Aftermarket CD players are readily available. But most sellers focus on units that provide music via Bluetooth, a wired connection, or satellite radio. These days, the single-DIN CD player, with built-in AM/FM radio, is now just another piece of vintage car audio gear, along with cassette decks, eight-tracks, and ancient tube radios.
Shop now for vintage car audioHowever, some classic car enthusiasts will want OG audio.
Vintage Auto Radio That Keeps It Real
If classic car owners want a chance to win their class at Pebble Beach or Amelia Island, they must be 100 percent original. That means having the correct audio unit.
German Blaupunkt radios like this one were standard in Porsche, BMW and Mercedes cars of the era.
John Merutka (a.k.a. The Radioman) of San Diego restores gorgeous radio units made by Blaupunkt and Becker for vintage European cars. He said that Porsche people, in particular, are sticklers for having precisely the unit that came with their vehicle.
A Pioneer eight-track unit comes with a by-now super-rare power booster.
Merutka said:
Classic car people want it original.
Chris Stearns, a Philadelphia-based attorney, made his 1991 Saab SE convertible a shrine to originality. The details go down to the exact car phone, gauge set, and one-year-only CD player he found after a two-year search. The car’s evocative Motorola car phone was sourced on eBay.
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air tube radio
Stearns said:
It doesn’t actually work. The cord was completely rotted, so I installed a dummy cord. But people love the car phone at shows.
To make things more difficult, Saab buyers in 1991 could choose an equalizer for the cassette unit in the place of the CD player, so the units are tough to find, especially in working condition.
Stearns commented:
I have multiple eBay alerts for old Saab equipment.
Blasts From the Past
Vintage radios at Radioman
Stearns has an extensive collection of Saab-branded memorabilia—mainly sourced on eBay—including watches, pens, a pipe (the smoking kind), and tote bags. He also collects test records and cassettes put out by the record companies to show off their equipment.
The tape that Ford used to promote its Quadrasonic four-channel system? eBay has it.
There’s a business restoring vintage audio, but there are also markets for other components. For example, Connecticut’s Paul Piedra produces hand-carved wooden shift knobs and window stickers for classic cars.
eBay is a treasure trove of vintage car audio—and home recorders to supply the units, too. For instance, Marantz made the TDR 830, a hi-fi component that recorded eight tracks. A classy-looking survivor is available on eBay at a price much less than other Marantz components.
Realistic (Radio Shack’s brand) built aftermarket audio, including this car eight-track player.
You might be more familiar with the Realistic (Radio Shack) eight-track car player. This authentic example was cleaned and tested. Pioneer made a popular line of eight-tracks, which would be just the thing to finish off a ’66 Mustang convertible.
Back to the Cassette Era
Vintage Alpine single-DIN head unit
If your car is a product of the cassette era, eBay has a page of cassette players, both of the single-DIN and double-shaft variety. The mounting holes for the latter were standardized, but the players came with adjustable shafts to ensure they fit.
You may not be able to buy a new car with a CD player already installed, but you can add one. Many of the car CD players are new because aftermarket companies still make them.
This rare Marantz unit records eight-track tapes!
Further back in the Wayback Machine are original-equipment AM and sometimes AM/FM (after about 1965) radios. Start your search at eBay’s Vintage Car Radio listings.
Shop now for vintage car audio
