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What is the preferred vintage radio?


randerson

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The Blaupunkt Frankfurt was typically installed on 2002s, but since the radios were all dealer options or aftermarket purchases, just about anything from the era will do.

Currently, I have a Japanese-built Blaupunkt Combo II AM/FM/Stereo Cassette player in "Orange Julius." NOS. Got it on ebay a few years ago.

It is pictured in a Blaupunkt Catalog I received while at the BMWCCA O'Fest in 1975 and definitely vintage-correct.

The picture below has a Blaupunkt Frankfurt AM/FM Stereo radio and 2002 speaker grill with dash-matched knobs and "BMW" dial frame, circa 1975.

post-169-13667588595701_thumb.jpg

1973 2002tii - gone

Inka (aka "Orange Julius")

#2762756

1974 2002tii - gone

Polaris (aka "Mae West")

#2782824

1991 318is (aka) "O'Hara")

Brillantrot - High Visibility Daily Driver

BMW CCA #1974 (one of the 308)

deliawolfe@gmail.com

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Delia, Where did you get the black faceplate that fits around the tuning buttons and dial?

The black faceplate/speaker grill is part of the Blaupunkt installation kit specific to the 2002. The kit included an antenna mast and dash-matched control knobs. There are pics in the factory-issue 2002 brochure for reference. Keith's 'my2002tii' site has a pdf of the the 1975 brochure as I recall.

It's a plastic panel with four (quite fragile after 30+ years) tabs. On this particular part, I eventually cut off the tabs and used a sheet metal backing to fit it to the console.

The plastic faceplate/speaker surrounds turn up from time to time on ebay and sometimes on German ebay. Given my experience of trying to assemble the parts to make mine piece-by-piece (read $$$), see if you can find a whole console with radio from a car that is being scrapped or restored with a more modern sound system.

D

1973 2002tii - gone

Inka (aka "Orange Julius")

#2762756

1974 2002tii - gone

Polaris (aka "Mae West")

#2782824

1991 318is (aka) "O'Hara")

Brillantrot - High Visibility Daily Driver

BMW CCA #1974 (one of the 308)

deliawolfe@gmail.com

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Delia, Where did you get the black faceplate that fits around the tuning buttons and dial?

That is the original plate that came on my car. It also includes the speaker below the radio. The plastic mounting tabs tend to break off, so many of them have been changed. My blaupunkt Nurnberg is a 79 vintage but still looks like it belongs there.

touring004.jpg

Steve

Sm2o.jpg

1974 Inka 1802 Touring, New Daily Driver

1976 Inka 2002 Original Owner (adopted by Scott B.)

My Roundies are bigger than yours

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The 'correct' in terms of period installed

was commonly the Bluechip Blaupunkt as they were

aftermarket units, and factory supplied units in early BMWs.

IMG_5831.jpg

But for radio-sex, the BECKER is IT! just look at

it's =L=I=N=E=S=. The family that owned Becker

was in bed with Mercedes-Benz. BECKER was/is

the only factory supplied radio despite our percieved

opinion that the BMW BLUECHIP unit was better performing than

our M-B Becker radios of the 70's, 80's.

I used to warranty MANY Becker radios with signal seek issues,

stereo channel failure, crackling & static noises.....

Becker was not an aftermarket over the counter item in the 60's - 80's

IMG_5832.jpg

Image.00034.jpg

these have a seperate amplifier about half the

size of the radio that needs a place up in the dash also

Image00017.jpg

YUMMMmmm

Image00019.jpg

blahhhh

IMG_1200_exposure.jpg

  • Like 1

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"BECKER was/is

the only factory supplied radio despite our percieved

opinion that the BMW BLUECHIP unit was better performing than

the our M-B Becker radios of the 70's, 80's."

???

What do you mean that "Becker was/is the only factory supplied radio"?

Not at MY dealer in East Lansing, Michigan where I purchase my new '74 2002. Both Blaupunkt and Becker were prominently displayed on the counter in the Parts Department. The Blaupunkt units were best for the '02 because they the least expensive of the German radios and they went the extra mile and made the easy installations kits for BMW models.

Better-Performing?

The Blaupunkt unit was trashed by David E. Davis in his 1968 article, "Open Your Hymnals to 2002". You've got a copy handy I suspect.

Domestic and Japanese sound systems of the day were able to receive signals without fading, losing signal and knob-fiddling. Think Pioneer, Motorola and AudioVox.

Come to think of it, I've got a gorgeous vintage AudioVox in my stash (from a '73) and I may just install it in one of my cars to annoy the hoi poloi.

I appreciate all of your comments, diagrams and pdfs, truly I do.

But sometimes I think you fell off your motorcycle without wearing your helmet one too many times.

I hope you buy another '02 soon.

Take Care,

Delia

1973 2002tii - gone

Inka (aka "Orange Julius")

#2762756

1974 2002tii - gone

Polaris (aka "Mae West")

#2782824

1991 318is (aka) "O'Hara")

Brillantrot - High Visibility Daily Driver

BMW CCA #1974 (one of the 308)

deliawolfe@gmail.com

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Ok, sooo. I have also been trying to decide whether to go vintage or modern. I have a hole where the radio is suppose to go. Reading faq, am I correct in assuming that if I go vintage, it will look good, but reception will be poor, plus the vintage are expensive to buy. I can go modern and get good reception, but will not be period correct. My car already has speakers in the back, so does it really make that much difference about period correct?

1972 2002 Sahara
2017 228i

2019 F 250

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not period correct but it sounds nice, plays my stash of 50s & 60s songs on cassettes and drives four smallish speakers. But...I have a proper Am/FM Blaupunkt Stereo in a box in the basement that I can swap out in about 30 minutes if I want to go back to original...

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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I like mine, a Sanyo TachRad AM/FM (looks like a tach) from the early 70s. I made the custom console backmount for it and a 3 1/2 speaker. Its a long cylinder shape behind there. Unfortuantely my car had no stock antenna or radio so the under-dash antenna only gets a couple stations doh!

post-1668-13667588635045_thumb.jpg

Jeff
1975 Alfa Romeo GT1300Junior w/1600 transplant (I'm still stuck on 1600's LOL)
2006 M3 White/Red - Orig Owner,6spd,ZCP, sunroof delete
SOLD 1967 1600 #1517644 "Florida"/Brown w/sunroof, SOLD 1968 1600 #1564660, RIP 1970 1600

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  • 5 years later...

My '74 has a Becker Europa II stereo with the external amplifier mounted in the top of the glove box compartment. My car originally was bought at Hyde Park Motors in LA in January of 1975 and I have no reason to believe it is not the radio that came with the car. The lines on the face plate have worn off around the knobs.

 

With the Behr console, the radio is a very tight fit. The Becker has a socket in the back that will accept a din cord with a mini RCA jack so you can plug in your phone or other outside device. I bought a cord from Becker but was unable to plug it in due to the radio being jammed in the console with no room behind it.  

 

When I try to tune the radio, the dial control slips when I turn the knob, making it very difficult to tune. I plan on sending the radio back to Becker USA to correct the problem and also connect an out side jack. Also, when I finally do tune in a station, it will shortly fade out and have to be re-tuned. Hard to live with but I would never replace it with a modern radio..

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I've had horrible experiences with Becker head units from the early - late 80s. The FM tuner sections had trouble capturing stations, and we have numerous strong stations in the DC area. They may look great, but functionality is wanting.

John in VA

'74 tii "Juanita"  '85 535i "Goldie"  '86 535i "M-POSSTR"  

'03 530i "Titan"  '06 330ci "ZHPY"

bmw_spin.gif

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My '74 has a Becker Europa II stereo with the external amplifier mounted in the top of the glove box compartment. My car originally was bought at Hyde Park Motors in LA in January of 1975 and I have no reason to believe it is not the radio that came with the car. The lines on the face plate have worn off around the knobs.

 

With the Behr console, the radio is a very tight fit. The Becker has a socket in the back that will accept a din cord with a mini RCA jack so you can plug in your phone or other outside device. I bought a cord from Becker but was unable to plug it in due to the radio being jammed in the console with no room behind it.  

 

When I try to tune the radio, the dial control slips when I turn the knob, making it very difficult to tune. I plan on sending the radio back to Becker USA to correct the problem and also connect an out side jack. Also, when I finally do tune in a station, it will shortly fade out and have to be re-tuned. Hard to live with but I would never replace it with a modern radio..

I too have a Becker Europa II that came with the car and I find works really well all things considered. Sure it doesn't tune in and hold stations quite like a modern unit but it's all good, I love the simplicity and the push buttons. In fact in many ways it has such a better human interface than my modern BMW unit.

 

Have not tried the Aux cable but was considering trying that at some point -- peterschop, if you don't plan to use your cable let me know...

Henry

'72 2002 tii

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