Porsche has made, and will start selling, touchscreen infotainment systems right out of the Zuffenhausen, called the Porsche Classic Communication Management. Its introduction will create anxiety and dilemma in classic car purists.
For they who like to stay true, any piece of ‘tech’ and ‘mech’ that makes it into a classic Porsche must stay close to the appropriate period. Also, it needs to be made by Porsche. So, for classic car purists, the PCCM is an irony.
But for the rest of us who likes to hang it lose and stream music from Spotify or boot up Waze to get us out of a jam, the PCCM is heaven-sent.
The single-DIN PCCM looks to fit in beautifully as if it has always been there. Two rotary knobs and six buttons operate most of the features, and a 3.5-inch touchscreen handles the rest. The infotainment system includes navigation with ‘Point of Interest’ search, and guidance can be displayed either with a 2D or 3D view.
This system can also receive DAB+ digital radio stations, SD cards, USB, AUX, Bluetooth and more importantly, Apple CarPlay. To keep things ‘classic’, the system will accept iPhone 5 onwards, which is weird because Apple has stopped updating phones that old. The PCCM will fit into 911 models from the 60s right up to 993 911, the last of the air-cooled Porsches. Older front- and mid-engine Porsche models can also be equipped with PCCM.
The larger double-DIN PCCM Plus will slot in nicely into 996 911 models and 986 Boxsters. The PCCM Plus has everything the PCCM has, including Apply CarPlay but one-ups the smaller unit with Android Auto integration. PCCM Plus displays everything on a larger seven-inch screen.
The PCCM will retail for EUR1,439.89 (about RM6,800) and the PCCM Plus goes for EUR1,606.51 (about RM7,600). All things considered, this might be one of the most affordable equipment you can install in your Porsche.
Because those who own any of the classic Porsches are cut from a higher treadcount cloth, they should have no problem swapping their current in-car entertainment for 21st century tech. Having said that, aren’t you driving an old car because you appreciate the nostalgia old technology brings? So, wouldn’t it be better just to buy a new-generation Porsche where everything is better integrated rather than upgrading a classic?