Taking a little break from the blog...

I'm going to take a break from blogging for awhile. I'm in the middle of a big book design project right now and there just aren't enough hours in the day for any car-related stuff. I'll be back at it in a few months — hoping to make it to Solvang in late September. Until then.

NOS Blaupunkt Frankfurt US AM/FM/shortwave radio

I've been keeping my eyes open for Blaupunkt radio knobs and other small parts that the radios I have are missing. What I didn't expect to find was a new Blaupunkt radio still in the box. It's a Frankfurt US model, which is nice because it has the longer American FM band (the European FM band stops at about 104 or so). According to information I found on an informative Porsche 356 Blaupunkt radio site it was probably made in 1966. It's an all-transistor radio.

So let's say you bought a new Blaupunkt radio in 1966. What would you have found inside the box?








This radio comes complete with the outer metal knobs that are often missing on second-hand radios.


Blaupunkt radios can be switched between 6-volt and 12-volt by way of this card. This one came set up for a 12-volt system, which by 1966 would have been right for almost every new car except a few 6V holdouts like VW and BMW.


The paperwork that came in the box is in German, English, French, and Spanish. Here are some of the English-language pieces.

Operating instructions:



Warranty card (which for some reason substitutes Swedish [I think] in place of Spanish):




Service providers directory (for the US it just gives an address and phone number for the Robert Bosch US headquarters in New Jersey):




Schematics and printed circuit board diagrams:





With this radio, the VW 1500/1600 Karmann-Ghia installation kit I found recently, and an NOS Bosch antenna I've had for years I should have everything I need to enjoy high-fidelity sound circa 1966.