Hey guys. I have a 97 F355, which I bought about two years ago. It came with a sony aftermarket radio, which i think looks absolutely terrible. I have considered contacting Ferrari of Greenwich to get an OEM radio, and wanted to see if this was the best option. Is there another source for getting this factory radio -- ie. a parts dealer online? Thx!!
GT CAR PARTS 623-780-2200 or anyone else that parts out cars. I can only imagine what a dealer would want for a radio
I got one sitting in a box in my attic----What's it worth to you? I have never seen them for sale so don't know what they are worth..It is the stock Sony model from my 98 355...
Forgive me. You're willing to pay $300 for a radio that has ten years out dated technology and is collecting dust in an attic (and is essentially a POS Sony). PLEASE tell me you're joking with your offer. Are you going for concourse points or what? I understand you don't know what their worth or cost, but sheesh. The Sony non Ferrari badged equivilant (new) back in the late 90's didn't go for as much as $300.00. 285Ferrari, I know you're a good guy, so please be gentle. I know business is business, but damn.
Ferrari285 How much do you want for the radio? Please give a real number and I appreciate your frankness and honesty. Always good to treat those in the brotherhood well. And no, the car is not even close to concours. I am the third owner! but I do want it to be original as possible.
it's totally personal preference, but it's very common to change out the stock radio. I was going to, but I now realize I never listen to the thing anyway so might as well keep it stock. But for the $, I'd put it towards a tool kit first - adds more to the car than the stock radio IMHO.
Ferrari of Seattle mentioned to me that 97's did not come with a "factory" radio....only radio prep, which included speakers. Dealers provided the radio. It's a pos anyway, just get something more modern, you plan to use cassettes?
I think HUgh has the correct answer - the chap has lots of cassettes ! It does however sound like the Sony currently fitted could possibly be the original
In a sealed box in my climate controlled garage attic----NOT COLLECTING DUST!! Was'nt a POS, just older technology and mine worked perect when I pulled it out. Personally, I don't know what it's worth---Don't see them for sale too often. I am sure you cannot get them from the deler anymore..
Granted, the Sony/Ferrari radio isn't the best, but I prefer keeping my cars as original as possible (or at least original in spirit)... The 1998 (and I believe earlier) Ferrari 355 and 550 (and possibly others) had a Sony XR-F20 radio unit. Mine recently died and after doing research the Sony XR-C720 is the same exact electronics except without the Ferrari branded removable faceplate (it says Sony in the place of Ferrari). I picked up a XR-C720 on eBay for $35 shipped and just installed in my 355 this weekend. It was an EASY drop in replacement. The existing wiring connectors on the 355 just plugged directly into the back and it worked perfectly controlling my Ferrari CD changer. Further the Ferrari removable faceplate works PERFECTLY with this unit so I just used that instead of the Sony faceplace (I've saved just in case my faceplate dies in the future). The XR-C720 might be easier to track down than a Ferrari branded one...I just lucked out that one was one eBay right when I was looking. Also, looks like there is a XRC-720RDS which has RDS support like your Euro model. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Data_System for info on RDS. I'd go with whatever XRC-720 version I could find.
You should put a wanted ad in the "for sale/wanted" forum. Also, you should search in that forum, as they are occasionally offered for sale.
I suggest the Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46. It is designed to look like the old Blaupunkt Bremens from the 90s, but has bluetooth streaming, USB ports, and a 3.5mm jack. Plus DAB, if you're in Europe. It fits the look of the interior perfectly but is actually usable, unlike the Sony cassette deck that most of these came with. The "tape deck" door is hiding a USB port, 3.5mm, and an SD card slot that I filled up with music. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I am really happy with my Becker Cascade. Looks stock, has more features and from that general era. Was basically plug and play. The Navigation stinks, but I now have bluetooth to my iphone. Image Unavailable, Please Login
This looks like a great option as well. https://www.ebay.com/itm/354912414678?hash=item52a26dabd6:g:LMYAAOSwXfpksEm7&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8CphUxopzWxA%2BrNwuTFSnXdp8S75tFx6uusQYHKZcpCgSGRdeMlg4H4wSuDxF7wP28mjOLA74uw082CgdKeMUUMN9rwcutE3Ln4%2Byzn25io1jtPTN0J4a5rg3RR2Oatty%2FNjAA6YfP94BkPFRM4N6yJDOqOvB7jXx%2Fn7kksW6myK2CwbGy0J22L0wRBoZMMErcbUNaTW26ljwYwmpJxZGVk51JLC6gciFLKodvxdPzibPBb%2B50Vxunmx4xc5o%2F8FIaYAkIXHxuGpRTlqJqbTO0pPYQnFQmc3ARgcaEgbl%2Fe8LkBSb7WjIjBVeqd7AzYZJg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM3PL3kqpi
I got one of these too and particularly like that you can set the color backlighting to green to match the F355 gauge coloring.
I upgraded the speakers based on installers recommendation. They sound better than stock but still pretty mediocre being hidden behind carpet. Doesn’t really bother me since I’m not looking for an audiophile experience in that car and the engine will always sound better anyway! But it is nice having Bluetooth music streaming and modern features with a period-correct and almost stock look.