Back in the 1970s, you couldn’t just assume a new car came with a sound system as standard. Naturally, the aftermarket filled the void with products ranging from basic cassette players to more advanced electronics that even included graphic equalizers. One of the coolest and most obscure is Panasonic’s headliner-mounted Cockpit. It’s a relatively rare part, but an untested unit happens to be for sale right now.
Period ads weren’t shy about highlighting the Cockpit’s futuristic, concept car-like design. Panasonic claimed to apply “outer space design to the inner space of your car” and pledged that the Cockpit made your ride “look like the inside of a space ship [and] sound like the inside of a concert hall.” The long, narrow console was festooned with buttons and thoughtfully integrated a dome light, because the unit would likely obscure whatever factory lamp was already in place. Panasonic pegged the Cockpit’s output at 60 watts and sold it with an amplifier, though buyers needed to purchase the speakers separately.
Beyond the styling, the Cockpit offered an impressive selection of features, including an FM tuner with station memory and electronic tuning; an auto-reverse cassette player that made the pencil-in-the-gear trick obsolete; and Impulse Noise Quieting circuitry said to filter out the engine’s noise. We’re not sure how it worked—let alone if it worked—but it sounds like a primitive version of modern noise-cancelling tech. In short, putting a Cockpit in your car was a big deal. Keep in mind that, in the late ’70s, Corvette buyers had to pay up to $200 for a simple AM/FM stereo. That works out to nearly $870 in today’s money.
Panasonic seemingly developed the Cockpit to fit a wide range of cars. You’re out of luck if your ride has a sunroof, but it would seem right at home in T-tops. Of course, it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to question the safety of looking up every time you want to change the radio station, especially today when conversations about infotainment systems are laced with concerns about driver distraction. Panasonic had that figured out: It instructed drivers to “stop the automobile to operate the controls unless you are able to use the controls without taking your eyes off the road.” Other recommendations included keeping the system dry and not taking it apart.
Reportedly built in the 1970s, the unit listed on Facebook Marketplace for $1,000 (excluding shipping from New York) looks complete. We’re not seeing missing buttons, cracks, or signs of significant wear. It’s untested, however, so you could end up spending a grand on what’s pretty much a neat-looking piece of trim. How hard could it be to repair a stereo that’s approaching its 50th birthday? Let us know if you find out!
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