The original format for magnetic tape sound reproduction was the reel-to-reel tape recorder, in the late 1940s. After modifying the reel into an easier-to-use cartridge, inventor George Eash introduced the cartridge for broadcasting at the National Association of Broadcasters 1959 annual show. Fidelipac cartridges (nicknamed "carts" by DJs and radio engineers) were used by many radio stations for commercials, jingles, and other short items.
Entrepreneur Earl "Madman" Muntz of Los Angeles, California, saw a potential in these "broadcast carts" for an automobile music system. In 1962 he introduced his Stereo-Pak four-track cartridge stereo system and tapes, mostly in California and Florida. He licensed popular music albums from the major record companies and duplicated them on these four-track cartridges, or "CARtridges", as they were first advertised. The Lear Jet Stereo 8 track cartridge was designed by Richard Kraus while working under Bill Lear and for his Lear Jet Corporation in 1963. He made some major changes to the mechanics of the cartridge which doubled the tracks to 8 and the recording length to 80 minutes.
The popularity of eight-track cartridges grew with and from the booming automobile industry. In September 1965, Ford Motor Company introduced factory-installed and dealer-installed eight-track tape players as an option on three of its 1966 models (Mustang,Thunderbird, and Lincoln), and RCA Victor introduced 175 Stereo-8 Cartridges from its RCA Victor and RCA Camden artist's catalogs. By the 1967 model year, all of Ford's vehicles offered this tape player upgrade option. Despite its problems, the format gained steady popularity because of its convenience and portability but faded out slowly after the arrival of the compact cassette in 1962.
From 8-tracks to cassettes to CDs to ipods to bluetooth, we sure have come a long way in the past 50+ years. And not only has the sound quality improved immeasurably but so have the systems in our cars. Take the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Convertible, for example, which comes with a Rockford Fosgate system. This premium stereo consists of an AM/FM 6-disc in-dash receiver and 9 speakers, including an extremely powerful subwoofer built into the back seat. The setup feels like you are driving around IN a stereo system. The sound quality is amazing. And it isn’t a bad-looking car, either. Check out the White 2008 Eclipse we have available here at Southern Auto Liquidators. Make an appointment for a test drive (and a sound test) today!
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