They do come up Kats!  Here are some samples and pricing:

 

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Panasonic-Cockpit-series-overhead-console-Hi-Fi-Audio-System-RM-310-out-of-Rod-/361268875803

 

https://offerup.com/item/detail/111098791/

 

Looks like there is an RM-710 too!

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/interior/664281-overhead-console-mod.html

 

And a 610!

http://mircogarau.blogspot.com/2015/10/overhead-cockpit-rm610e-panasonic-car.html

 

I'll keep an eye out for you!

 

 

 

 

Used to have one of these in my Aston back in the 1980's when I was flying 727s. Lotus also fitted them in the 1980/81 Turbo Esprit. Panasonic did various versions, Lotus had the RM610...I had the RM710. When I got my JPS Esprit a few years ago it came with one, ripped it out as it wasn't working and threw it away. Here's one on EBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153402189291?ul_noapp=true

Roo

Thanks Roo and Blue , it was also available in UK ! RM 710 is the top model , the most expensive one . The one on eBay UK is so clean , still expensive !

Kats

It is so cool !!

Kats

1 hour ago, grannyknot said:

Cool but how does it attach to the roof,  glued to the headliner ?

Hi grannyknot , I think this bracket is bolted with the room mirror onto the roof where the welded nuts located.

I still want to know how the rear end is attached to the roof .

Kats

Edited March 5, 20196 yr by kats

Web site in France showing RM-610 in a Z.

Edited March 5, 20196 yr by 240260280

 So cool in Z’s cockpit ! I can’t believe Lotus Esprit had the console , most of the owner scratched his head ! 

Kats

I would like to show this , my NOS S20 head compared to my used spare one.

I found the used spare one had had the hand work in the past , you can see  the surface is trimmed , and grinded smoothly . NOS one looked completely different. As I have heard this used one came from 432-R , so I guess previous owner had put some work into this engine . However, it is a subtle work !

This pictures showing an Exhaust port , 

intake port looked almost same for both .

Kats

Edited March 7, 20196 yr by kats

I would like to share this , 

Dr. Nakagawa , a former executive of Prince motor company . He was joined Nakajima aircraft company and was an engineer of engines for fighter aircraft during WW2 , he refreshed “Sakae” engine for Zero fighter, also he was a chief engineer of  designing “ Homare “ engine for Shiden- Kai . 

After the war , he made cars and engines with a lot of engineers who used to make military aircraft and engines at Prince motor company.

Dr. Nakagawa had always highly admired engineers and craftsman who were never credited to the public , he said they were so genius. He said he designed with confidence, but sometimes he was corrected by craftsman of casting “need to change here and there ..”

Dr . Nakagawa said in his book , “ No matter how the design is perfect, we can’t have it without craftsman who make it real . “

I can see why S20 engine is different from others , this engine was born from and given aircraft spirits by those engineers.

S20 has a lot of bolts to secure its head and block , well taking care of for oil and water running even under the stressful G force effect. 

Kats

Edited March 7, 20196 yr by kats

2 hours ago, kats said:

I would like to share this , 

Dr. Nakagawa , a former executive of Prince motor company . He was joined Nakajima aircraft company and was an engineer of engines for fighter aircraft during WW2 , he refreshed “Sakae” engine for Zero fighter, also he was a chief engineer of  designing “ Homare “ engine for Shiden- Kai . 

After the war , he made cars and engines with a lot of engineers who used to make military aircraft and engines at Prince motor company.

Dr. Nakagawa had always highly admired engineers and craftsman who were never credited to the public , he said they were so genius. He said he designed with confidence, but sometimes he was corrected by craftsman of casting “need to change here and there ..”

Dr . Nakagawa said in his book , “ No matter how the design is perfect, we can’t have it without craftsman who make it real . “

I can see why S20 engine is different from others , this engine was born from and given aircraft spirits by those engineers.

 

Thank you for this Kats. I share your admiration for Nakagawa san and his colleagues. The father of one of our family friends worked with Nakagawa san at Nakajima Hikoki, working on those Sakae and Homare aero engines, and I was lucky enough to meet him and talk to him about his working life. Fascinating.

Here's a photo of Nakagawa san and some of his senior engineering staff from Prince Motor Co. pictured at Fuji Speedway in the early 1960s. A slightly unlikely looking group perhaps, but some serious talent here. Nakagawa san is in the dark suit. That's Dr Shinichiro Sakurai - a key figure for both Prince and Nissan - on the far right:

   

5 hours ago, kats said:

I would like to show this , my NOS S20 head compared to my used spare one.

I found the used spare one had had the hand work in the past , you can see  the surface is trimmed , and grinded smoothly . NOS one looked completely different. As I have heard this used one came from 432-R , so I guess previous owner had put some work into this engine . However, it is a subtle work !

 

I have looked at a lot of S20 engines over the years now, and I don't think I have ever seen a head casting in-use that had not received some detailing/'blueprinting' attention inside the port castings. I believe your NOS head is untouched in the ports because it never reached the stage where it was prepped before fitting to a working engine.

I'm pretty sure that the S20 engine in my 432-R replica (itself a very early 432-type S20 engine) was never taken apart until I stripped it to rebuild it. Both the inlet and exhaust port areas had been hand finished, with the dividing wall between the valves 'knife-edged'. Not the best photo, but you get the idea:

Here's another K3 head:

 

And for comparison, a super rare works race K3R head:

 

Edited March 7, 20196 yr by HS30-H

Engineering War and Peace in Modern Japan, 1868–1964

By Takashi Nishiyama