You Can Now Add CarPlay to a 1960s Porsche 911 in Style

Among carmakers, Porsche has been one of the most enthusiastic about embracing Apple’s in-car technologies, with the European luxury automaker describing the relationship as a “natural fit” due to the companies’ shared ideologies on design, technology, and innovation.

Porsche was naturally quick to adopt CarPlay in its vehicles several years ago, and last year its new all-electric Taycan sports car became the first to get native Apple Music support — meaning that you could stream music content from Apple’s 50-million song library or listen to Beats 1 radio directly from the car’s own infotainment system, even without an iPhone nearby. Porsche and Apple actually partnered to do this in a really cool and creative way too, offering deep and seamless integration between the Taycan systems and Apple Music, including voice control and single-sign-on.

So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that Porsche has been looking for ways to take its partnership with Apple to the next level, but while most manufacturers are only concerned with adding CarPlay to newer models, Porsche has actually taken a nostalgic approach to bringing the technology to its classics.

This week, Porsche announced the new Porsche Classic Communication Management (PCCM) infotainment system, which it has built to provide “modern connectivity for timeless classic cars,” by letting owners of older Porsche automobiles replace their original built-in AM radio head units with modern consoles that still manage to reflect the same vintage style — at least as much as a touchscreen can possibly fit into a vintage Porsche 911 without looking at least a little out of place.

CarPlay for the Classics

Porsche has actually announced two different versions of the PCCM system, appropriate for different generations of its classic vehicles. The single-DIN unit features a 3.5-inch display and is compatible with models that go all the way back to the first Porsche 911 from the 1960s. 

The unit includes a built-in touchscreen, of course, along with an SD card slot, USB port, an auxiliary input, and Bluetooth support, but Porsche has also included analog buttons and dials wherever possible so that it looks much more natural on the dashboard of a vintage car. It’s designed to fit well into the first 911 models of the 1960s all the way through to the last 911 models from the early 1990s, in the 993 model series, and can be used in earlier front- and mid-engine models as well.

The second unit is designed for the more modern, or “young” classic models, such as the 911 models of the 996 generation and the 986 generation Boxster models. Known as the “PCCM Plus,” it’s a double-DIN unit with a high-res 7-inch touchscreen display and a haptic and visual design that’s based on the other in-dash components like air vents and pushbutton switches. The unit also supports the navigation displays in the instrument cluster. 

Both units support Apple CarPlay, while the PCCM Plus 2-DIN unit is also compatible with Google’s Android Auto. Both are also simply head unit replacements that are designed to work with all of the existing audio components already installed in the car, such as the amplifiers, speakers, and antennas. 

Pricing and Availability

These two units don’t exactly come cheap — Porsche is selling the base PCCM unit for €1,439.89 (~$1,550) and the PCCM Plus version for €1,606.51 (~$1,730) — but chances are if you own a vintage Porsche, these prices probably aren’t much of an issue and in fact are well worth it to preserve the classic style.

Both units are available now online through the German Porsche Classic shop, or can be purchased in Porsche centres in Europe. There’s no word on U.S. availability yet.