Who has their radio blanking plate?

[Brian Crump]

Inspired by BJ's photo of his 350SE logo on the radio blanking plate...
Who still has their's?
Mine was in the glovebox, wrapped in waxed paper, when I purchased the 450SE - makes me think the radio may have been a dealer fitted option.
Regards,
BC

[Mforcer]

I believe mine was factory fitted, along with the electronic arial. I have never seen a blanking plate from my car.

[oscar]

From memory, my 1973 brochure said that radios were a dealer fitted option.   

I've seen the blanking plate on ebay before and thought of buying one but where would I put it.

[gregdeklerk]

They are around. The later models came out with the blanking plate in Zebrano!

[BJ]

They are around. The later models came out with the blanking plate in Zebrano!

Zebrano 

[gregdeklerk]

It is the name given to the wood trim, that you get on later models. You also get Burl Walnut, but you won't see that on any SA cars!

[BJ]

Oh yes. Frikkie's 280SE has wood trim on his whole centre console where mine has the black vinyl. His car would probably have had the Zebrano blanking plate if it didn't come with the optional radio.

[Andrew280SEL]

It is the name given to the wood trim, that you get on later models.

Whoa there!

Do you mean ALL later models have zebrano? I have noticed my 79 280, and 77 450 have wood trim that's fared better in condition than our 74/75 w116's.

I'm still a bit mystified about the wood idea....shall have to make a thread...

Oh, and no I don't have the blanking plate....

[James R]

When I had my 450SEL I had my blanking plate in Zebrano.

[BAR]

Until only very recently radio's were always an option.

The practice of supplying a radio as standard fitting wwas, to my knowledge, introduced by Toyota [together with heaters!].

In the 80's most European manufacturers went as far as preinstallaing the wiring so that 'dealer' fittment of the radio and speakers was a relatively simple process.

I can recall specifying the radio I wanted in a Volvo - 1983: Citroen - 1985 and a BMW - 1989.

In Australia importers would get an 'offset' by installing radios here, and Eurovox was the leading supplier to most of them and probably still is.  They would simply have the casette lid [for example] stamped with BMW or Mercedes Benz etc.

In fact my last new car a 1997 C200 had a Eurovox casette fitted!

So there would be thousands of blanking plates lying around on the tip.