Modern Europa Radios for 280SL - Being sold by Retro Manufacturing

[Rothko]

Hi all,

A year or so ago I put in a new modern radio into my 280 that was sold by Retro Manufacturing.  It wasn't specific to the 280 model, but looked "retro" enough to look good but had all of the modern bells and whistles, including Bluetooth and Sirius.  I've been very happy with my radio.  If you look in this "Research & Development" forum below, you'll see where I posted about it.

I got an email last night from Retro Manufacturing (I'm on their mailing list) that they are now producing a modern Europa Radio specifically for the 280 SL.  It looks like the original Europa radio (even says "Europa" on it), but has the modern bells and whistles.

Here's the Link: https://www.retromanufacturing.com/collections/retrosound-europa-radio/products/1968-80-mercedes-benz-280-europa-radio?variant=42379498487964

Prices range from $299 to $469, depending on what you want.

I'd be interested in what people think.  I just spent gobs of money installing my current radio, so I may just stick with it, or I might think about switching out to the new Europa radio.

Anyways, I figure there might be some people here interested in this new product.




 

[Jack the Knife]

I saw this the other day. I meant to sit down and compare the specs to the Aurora Design module that one can use with these old radios. The one I have sitting around here has a 4x45w into 4 ohms. Like the new Retro Manufacturing radio, it has Bluetooth and all the such-and-such. This seems to be a bit more capable than the Retro unit, though of course the Aurora costs a bit more -- still less than a fully-refurbished standard Becker of any sort. Nonetheless, 25x4w is a bit anemic, and that spec really should be at the top of the bullet list rather than all that other stuff. The other two aren't even worth considering, one might as well just get a few external bluetooth speakers and a delete plate. Truly, if I didn't have a hole cut for an antenna, I wouldn't have a visible radio at all, instead opting for a totally hidden sound system.

Anyway, an Aurora conversion is $750 right now but you get what you pay for, up to a point. Nonetheless, I appreciate Retro for even attempting this, and it is better than many of the other non-Porsche Classic new units emulating the 50s/60s radios out there right now.

[Bill]

I had Becker Radio(New Jersey) rebuilt mine  last year. It’s works fine and speakers still sound good too. Total cost for rebuilt and installation about $500