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Porsche’s factory replacement navi head-unit teaches your classic 911 new tricks

Porsche navigation radio
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The driving mechanics of your vintage 911 may have held up over the years, but the infotainment options are probably a bit lacking. Porsche has an answer for that.

The German brand has announced the new Porsche Classic Radio Navigation System, which is designed to fit anything from the original 1963-era 911 up to the last air-cooled 993 variant of the mid-1990s.

Fitting into the DIN-1 slot, the radio features a 3.5-inch touchscreen and two knobs, packaged in two styles that fit neatly into a vintage Porsche dashboard. So instead of an aftermarket head unit that sticks out like a sore thumb, classic 911 owners can now have access to modern features through a clean, factory-like display.

Porsche navigation radio
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Obviously, the navigation radio unit offers navigation and, uh, radio. Also included is smartphone Bluetooth connectivity as well as a built-in microphone for voice prompting and a pre-wired lead for SiriusXM. There’s an integrated amplifier as well, which delivers 4X45 watts of power to either aftermarket speakers or the vehicle’s stock sound system by way of an optional adapter.

Delving further into the navigation, its operating concepts are based on the Porsche Communication Management technology that you’ll find in the brand’s modern cars.

Porsche navigation radio
Image used with permission by copyright holder

“Numerous trial trips were made in the USA and Canada to test country-specific navigation” the automaker said. “Drivers have a choice of arrows and two-dimensional or three-dimensional maps to display the route. The maps are stored on a microSD card with eight gigabytes of memory and are updated regularly.”

Read more: Porsche’s 960 sports car will be a mid-engined, 8-cylinder Ferrari killer

Porsche’s navigation radio unit launched in Europe back in February 2015, and the system is now available in the U.S. and Canada. The design comes via Porsche Classic, a division that focuses solely on maintaining, improving, and refurbishing Porsches of yore.

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