Five examples of car-stereo security devices
Car stereo theft, clearly already rampant in the early 70s, necessitated some clever approaches. One of those, a Kustom Kreations slide-out 8-Track player, cleverly works in a variety of different settings—home, boat, or car—and did so without the use of any wires at all, according to Popular Mechanics.
Pioneer's 1989 introduction of the detachable faceplate proved an extremely memorable sign of security for many car owners. Other companies were doing the same thing around that time, but Pioneer had more success. "Pioneer's entire panel is detachable, leaving the stereo with a blank face that may appear as if no equipment is installed," the New York Times noted in 1990.
Car security systems, obviously, grew in popularity around the time of the aftermarket car stereo, so it was only a matter of time before someone combined the devices. Sanyo's Viper, released in 1985 (and not to be mistaken for Rep. Darrell Issa's same-named cash cow), both worked as a stereo and a security system.
Later devices, especially those put into cars by manufacturers, often relied on security codes to ensure that only the owner was using the vehicle. Problem is, these codes aren't easy to find after a car has gone through the used-car cycle more than once, and that means you're often looking on sites that aren't the most scrupulous to figure out how to unlock the codes.
If a removable faceplate isn't an option, there's always the option of getting a fake one. Mock faceplates, such as the Incognito Car Stereo Disguise Kit, are designed to look cheap, even when there's a nice stereo hiding behind the facade. Here's one YouTuber that's modernized the strategy.