What do you know about the Panasonic T-Bar radio for the 2nd Gen Firebird? A friend from Belgium found this on one over there and I have seen one before, but is this aftermarket or a dealer option? I cannot find anything on Google. He says it was in a '79.
Here are his pics:
Wow that is cool. My uneducated guess is it;s aftermarket.
I'd say the few examples that were sold all died when the t-tops leaked. Still really cool to see, never heard of that.
serious amount of buttons there....
I always wanted to feel like I was flying a commercial airplane while driving a '79 Firebird.
Over the holiday, my brother and I discussed how many factory 1st gen crx radios we've thrown away. Oopsa daisy!
My god that looks like a late-70's console "hi-fi" vomited its guts all over the interior of that poor car...
Putting the tape into what must be the hottest part of the interior looks like a brilliant idea...
He's been on here everyday and now he disappears.
The nerve!
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:
He's been on here everyday and now he disappears.
The nerve!
I was busy today... Sorry!
That came out of a 2nd Gen Firebird? I have never seen anything like that installed in one, especially from the factory. The fanciest factory radios got in these was the Tri-Band (AM/FM/CB!) Radio, a special digital 8-Track radio (limited to only the 1979 10th Anniversary model) and your standard AM/FM Cassette Radio.
Does it travel time? It sure looks like it's from the future or something. And on that note, I want it.
SilverFleet wrote:
Does it travel time? It sure looks like it's from the future or something. And on that note, I want it.
My first thought was actually "that looks like the controls for a time machine."
...a time machine when it hits 88 mph...
Anti-stance wrote:
...a time machine when it hits 88 mph...
Maybe at 88 mph you turn into Burt Reynolds.
Cool option/add on. I can say that Ive never seen it.
In reply to Cole_Trickle:
In reply to SilverFleet:
Oh it's definitely in a Firebird. You can see the reflection of the knurled dashboard in the second pic.
I tried every single possible keyword on google and still got nothing. He said it was a Panasonic unit. That setup is extremely rare to the point that its non-existent.
It looks like it is a T-Top-only piece. I have most certainly never seen one before. My car's a hardtop, so my dreams of having that in my car are over. Yeah, that's definitely a Formula or Trans Am. It has the engine turned dash bezel. Then again, that's easy to swap out. If your friend wants any more info, I'd be happy to assist.
I know that the 3rd Gen's have what my friends and I used to call the "Time Travel Package", which consisted of an overhead console that had a compass, calendar, and a weird corded pull-out flashlight, but that was a factory piece.
I do remember those from the 3rd Gens.
My friend lives in Belgium. He loves American cars. He happened to see this at a shop he was dropping a car off at. He said it's got no engine or trans in it.
I can't believe in this day and age of the internet and all the audiophiles out there, that somebody hasn't put information about this out there.
A friend of mine has a '32 Ford street rod that was built in the 1980s with a similar roof mounted stereo in it, although I don't think it's quite as complex as the one in your photo. It may be a Panasonic but I've only seen it once in person so I don't recall exactly.
I do vaguely remember seeing those things in magazine ads back in the day, and tried looking online but couldn't find anything either.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:
What do you know about the Panasonic T-Bar radio for the 2nd Gen Firebird? A friend from Belgium found this on one over there and I have seen one before, but is this aftermarket or a dealer option? I cannot find anything on Google. He says it was in a '79.
Here are his pics:
OMG that's so awesome. I'm typing this reply with one hand.
jg
RossD
UberDork
1/8/13 11:20 a.m.
In reply to JG Pasterjak:
The first 'laugh out loud' that the GRM forum has provided me this year. Thank you, sir.
In reply to Cole_Trickle:
As long as its Burt Reynolds circa late-70's and not presently.
Brian
SuperDork
1/8/13 6:29 p.m.
SilverFleet wrote:
It looks like it is a T-Top-only piece. I have most certainly never seen one before. My car's a hardtop, so my dreams of having that in my car are over. Yeah, that's definitely a Formula or Trans Am. It has the engine turned dash bezel. Then again, that's easy to swap out. If your friend wants any more info, I'd be happy to assist.
I know that the 3rd Gen's have what my friends and I used to call the "Time Travel Package", which consisted of an overhead console that had a compass, calendar, and a weird corded pull-out flashlight, but that was a factory piece.
flashlight was cordless, it came primarily on berlinettas.
As if the world needs another reason for Joe Biden to show off his unsleeved, tank-topped armpit.
Great News!
My friend sent me some more pictures. It's called the Panasonic Cockpit. Type it into google and you'll find a bunch of stuff. It apparently wasn't made specifically for T-top cars, I found a few pics of them installed in solid roof cars. There are different versions of it as well.