Actually, this reminds me of Chrysler’s short-lived Hiway Hi-Fi of 1956-58, which I remember intrigued me as a child from advertisements, although I never saw one in use. Some of you may be more familiar with them. There are some interesting descriptive discussions if you google the topic. Apparently they worked well enough in tests, but suffered from shoddy implementation and maintenance and service neglect issues. The records were specially manufactured 7-inch 16 rpm discs that carried about 45 minutes of music, although the selection of titles was pretty minimal. The pressure required to hold the stylus in the record groove so that it wouldn’t skip or bounce was so great it wore out the records prematurely. At any rate, it certainly must have been an early driver distraction, can you imagine trying to change out your album while piloting those big Chrysler cars?
I wondered for years why all record players had a “16” speed in addition to 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm settings. Then I eventually learned about these. I have never seen one in person either. There is a great piece about these on the Imperial Club’s web page: http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Accessories/HiWay/
Oh My Goddess, there was a record player for the DS! Looks like it’s playing standard 45s. Is that the very first image of music strewn all over the passenger seat?
Way cooler than those special records for Chrysler’s player. After all it’s French!
I remember watching Lawrence Welk and the Champagne Orchestra as a child, however by the time I hit adulthood in the early 70s he was well past his prime.
One of the guys in the Mopar club here has a 56 Imperial with the HiFi and it works. You have to hit heavy bumps makes it skip but it does alright on most roads. I suspect, aside from cost, the biggest drawback was inconvenience, it was a chore to flip the records requiring a stop for the driver unless there was a passenger present. Since most 45s were one song per side it was a lot of work for 3-4 minutes of music.
I had an 8 track in the Cutlass and a cassette in the Toronado and 98 but never collected a lot of tapes. Now it’s iPod all the way. I installed a special aux port on the factory deck on the Century and it plays whatever.
This Citroen is sporting the Philips aftermarket record player which played standard 45s. Here’s a crummy picture that shows the four trim strips on the side matching the one in the DS. It worked like today’s CD drives, you just pushed the record partway into the slot and it pulled the rest in and played it.
Read all about Highway Hi-Fi and the RCA and Philips players at the Car Record Players site.
If anyone looks closely and notices my avatar, the old QE2 which was launched in 1969′ one of the last old fashioned North Atlantic steamers. It was done in this new mod style originally that was fashionable in the late 60s and early 70s, it is interesting looking at even older people at the time getting into the mood.
I guess the old Citroen DS, with it’s goofy one spoke steering wheel. I appreciate the DS for what it was from a technical standpoint, but I do not care at all for The Lima bean look.
Townshend has the English big beaky nose. This is the French big beaky nose. I recognized that the driver-DJ-technophile in the photo was French even before I noticed his car was too.
Thanks to you, I’m now listening to Quadrophenia for the first time in years. I used to love this album (even though it was a bit before my time — I wasn’t very current back in the day), and now I remember why.
It must be a challenge to switch discs, change out the reel-to-reel, adjust the volume, puff on a Gauloises, light the next cigarette, downshift, honk and admire one’s hair, all at the same time.
Good god, this looks like an explosion in a tchochke shop. And those mutton chops would be distraction enough.
How long did records last on a bumpy road?Weren’t they a strange 10″ size?
No road is bumpy in a DS!
The damn thing is, I can’t find my electric shaver in this clutter…
Maybe your Norelco (North American Philips) shaver is an attachment from that Philips record player?
Are you sure it isn’t the white thing in it’s special holder above the steering wheel?
The posh Citroen suspension probably helped keep the tunes going on the rough cobbled roads!
This is how they did “art cars” in the ’70s – glue everything to the *inside!*
Bonjour mon nom est Pierre, vous aiment faire un pas dans mon Citroen et vérifier les derniers airs de David Bowie ?
Actually, this reminds me of Chrysler’s short-lived Hiway Hi-Fi of 1956-58, which I remember intrigued me as a child from advertisements, although I never saw one in use. Some of you may be more familiar with them. There are some interesting descriptive discussions if you google the topic. Apparently they worked well enough in tests, but suffered from shoddy implementation and maintenance and service neglect issues. The records were specially manufactured 7-inch 16 rpm discs that carried about 45 minutes of music, although the selection of titles was pretty minimal. The pressure required to hold the stylus in the record groove so that it wouldn’t skip or bounce was so great it wore out the records prematurely. At any rate, it certainly must have been an early driver distraction, can you imagine trying to change out your album while piloting those big Chrysler cars?
I wondered for years why all record players had a “16” speed in addition to 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm settings. Then I eventually learned about these. I have never seen one in person either. There is a great piece about these on the Imperial Club’s web page: http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Accessories/HiWay/
Actually, 16 RPM was also used for some sort of reading-transcription service and other speech-only applications, IIRC.
Oh My Goddess, there was a record player for the DS! Looks like it’s playing standard 45s. Is that the very first image of music strewn all over the passenger seat?
Way cooler than those special records for Chrysler’s player. After all it’s French!
I remember watching Lawrence Welk and the Champagne Orchestra as a child, however by the time I hit adulthood in the early 70s he was well past his prime.
One of the guys in the Mopar club here has a 56 Imperial with the HiFi and it works. You have to hit heavy bumps makes it skip but it does alright on most roads. I suspect, aside from cost, the biggest drawback was inconvenience, it was a chore to flip the records requiring a stop for the driver unless there was a passenger present. Since most 45s were one song per side it was a lot of work for 3-4 minutes of music.
I had an 8 track in the Cutlass and a cassette in the Toronado and 98 but never collected a lot of tapes. Now it’s iPod all the way. I installed a special aux port on the factory deck on the Century and it plays whatever.
This Citroen is sporting the Philips aftermarket record player which played standard 45s. Here’s a crummy picture that shows the four trim strips on the side matching the one in the DS. It worked like today’s CD drives, you just pushed the record partway into the slot and it pulled the rest in and played it.
Read all about Highway Hi-Fi and the RCA and Philips players at the Car Record Players site.
If anyone looks closely and notices my avatar, the old QE2 which was launched in 1969′ one of the last old fashioned North Atlantic steamers. It was done in this new mod style originally that was fashionable in the late 60s and early 70s, it is interesting looking at even older people at the time getting into the mood.
I guess the old Citroen DS, with it’s goofy one spoke steering wheel. I appreciate the DS for what it was from a technical standpoint, but I do not care at all for The Lima bean look.
o rly?
In my Who geekdom I see this and think of an accessorized Lambretta and rider.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7567774798_4d4efbf0bc_z.jpg
“I ride a GS scooter with my hair cut neat, wear my wartime coat in the wind and sleet.”
I thought that guy looked like Pete Townshend at first
Townshend has the English big beaky nose. This is the French big beaky nose. I recognized that the driver-DJ-technophile in the photo was French even before I noticed his car was too.
Thanks to you, I’m now listening to Quadrophenia for the first time in years. I used to love this album (even though it was a bit before my time — I wasn’t very current back in the day), and now I remember why.
Enjoy, brother. “Before my time” is pretty much the motto around here. Maybe it would sound more impressive in Latin? Ante Tempus!
That album, my Imp and I all turn 40 this year. 🙂
And the local Rocker around the corner will knock you on your poncy little ass.
It must be a challenge to switch discs, change out the reel-to-reel, adjust the volume, puff on a Gauloises, light the next cigarette, downshift, honk and admire one’s hair, all at the same time.
The thing I find most interesting is the Christmas garland taped to the A pillar and along the headliner.
Anyone know the story on this…..Paul?
Sorry; I just found it somewhere without explanation.
You’ll also see this Philips device in Dino Risi’s 1962 “The Easy Life,” installed in Vittorio Gassman’s Aurelia B24 Spyder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Easy_Life