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

[Jimbo1907]

I had the original Becker rebuilt as well. Works fine and sounds a treat. It's too bad Retro doesn't make one that plays CDs, but that's such old technology now that only dinosaurs like myself are interested in it.

[mBdrvr]

I put a Retro Manufacturing "Europa" radio in my 280 SL. It works well and looks the part. The speaker they sell does not fit however so I used the old speaker. That seems to work but I'm probably going to add under dash speakers.

[jan lauwers]

Gentlemen,

I have an original Becker Europa in my 280 SL. I have had it restored by some hobbyists of a nearby radio museum. The result was disappointing. Then I bought an I pod interface, so that I can select and play radio stations from my smartphone. This interface sometimes works, but very often it doesn't. I don't understand why that is. I am bit fed up with it and I would like to buy a new Becker Europe with the original look but top-notch modern technology. I am prepared to pay the price, provided that it is excellent quality. I found this: https://tadpoleradios.co.uk/becker-europa-187-p.asp.
Does anybody here have experience with this radio? I'd like to get some positive reviews before I spend that kind of money. Or does anybody have experience with similar solutions from other suppliers? I am based in Belgium and I would prefer to buy here in continental Europe.

Thank gentlemen.

Jan

[BobH]

Hello Jan, i can't comment on Tadpoleradios, other than thinking they look a "tad" expensive

Chrome London get good reviews on here, and may even offer a discount to group members

https://www.chromelondon.com/becker-europa-vintage-pinstripe-classic-car-radio-mp3-a1-concours-mercedes-113-sl-pagoda-107-116-1630-p.asp

[jan lauwers]

Thanks Bob,

How come that there is no Becker website? Does Becker not exist anymore? www.becker.de leads to Harman international.

Thanks!

Jan

[Jack the Knife]

Thanks Bob,

How come that there is no Becker website? Does Becker not exist anymore? www.becker.de leads to Harman international.

Thanks!

Jan

Becker's automotive radio division was sold to Harman back in 1995. The avionics business still exists under the original family. Harman put out a few products still all the way up to like the mid-00s that I can recall seeing, but aside that, the company does not really exist anymore except in name only. For fun I just went to their old address in Karlsbad, and Harman/Samsung's name is everywhere, with Becker's on preserved on the streetname. 16 Becker-Göring-Straße, Karlsbad, Germany, if you want to look.

There are plenty of options for recored Beckers. While Chrome London puts out what seems to be a nice product, I think their rebuilds are overpriced (over $100 for a $25 Bluetooth dongle, for instance)... just as well, I would manage your expectations, as a lot of this stuff really will only ever sound so-so considering the structure of our cars and where speakers can reasonably be placed. If I was you, I'd try to plug my music source into an aux cable or similar rather than using Bluetooth, which is "lossy" in a system that is already marginal.

Something to maybe consider is a period-correct (but not manufacturer-correct) underdash setup that I've seen on photos of cars in the era. Like the attached.

I saw a video recently of some fellows in the UK talking about discrete upgrades to our car's sound system. They are using one of the last Beckers ever made, I believe, which had a rudimentary navigation system. These were pricey units and a few club members have used these. I appreciate the lengths they went to try to blend the new technology, and I strongly believe their kick panel speaker solution to be much more elegant than the OEM (which looks like a weird PA system box). See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB-AGE6F47g I've seen some of these new "Mexico" radios sit on eBay for years with ridiculous asking prices, but on forums closer to $1k-1.5k. If this appeals to you, maybe ask around on here.

[Rothko]

I've still got my Retro radio (didn't upgrade to the Europa model) and I am very happy with it.  I dropped the Sirius XM subscription because I found that I prefer to just use the Bluetooth and play from my iPhone playlists when I am in the car (I even have a Driving Playlist specific for the Pagoda).  So why pay for a Sirius XM subscription that I wasn't using.

I know a lot of folks want the original Becker radios (even if it isn't the one that came with the car), but for me, the modern Retro radio works just fine and was an easy solution.

[jan lauwers]

Thanks for the answers, gentlemen.

I am learning a lot. I have found this supplier here in Belgium: https://www.retrosound.be/

Does anybody have experience with their radio's? They look good and are reasonably priced. Seems similar to Retromanufacturing in the US.

Jan

[Artkez]

I love mine! When I got the car the previous owner had taken out the original blaupunkt (included in the sale, so I still have it) and replaced with a very anachronistic Alpine radio. (it was quite the eyesore and drove me crazy) in the process he also wired it up to an amp hidden underneath the floor panels behind the seats

this amp powers two hidden speakers in the front side panels and two rear speakers hidden in a removable speaker box behind the seats above the panels. I can easily take this box out and restore a stock look. the power from the alpine amp and sound from the four speakers is incredible even with the top down.

I was able to install the retrosound pretty easily myself by cross referencing the wiring of the alpine radio harness and the wiring diagram for the retrosound harness and moving the pins of the power, ground, antenna etc to their proper locations, then the four outputs (front R/L and rear R/L hooked up to the alpine amp.

the functionality of the retrosound is amazing, bluetooth connects to my phone easily, has a charging cable, it has easy custom EQ settings. I was even able to change the color of the digital display letters to red to match the car!

it sounds great with this setup, although I cant speak to the power/sound of the retrosound unit on its own, because I have the extra amp. but I'll tell you I love the look, and it works great for me! a great product and not terribly expensive either

[Rothko]

That Alpine does look horrible.  The Europa looks much better there!