This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
A Brief History of Auto Radio Styling
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
“There's nothing new under the sun,” the old proverb says. But you only have to read a magazine, scan a periodical, listen to the radio, watch television, or glance at the multitude of ads that promise that such and such product is the latest trend or has up-to-date, state-of-the-art technology, to seemingly prove the old proverb wrong. However, old proverbs become old because they withstand the test of time. In this case, a hasty judgement should be withheld.
Currently, as in the past, the above holds true for car radios as well. Whether in the United States, Europe, Canada or Latin America, the public has always been susceptible to last minute technological advances. It is curious then, that as far as car radio styling is concerned, their appearance has been typically rather conservative, and that it is only recently that styling has begun to change to be more in tune with the times.
It is the intent of this paper to give a historical perspective of car radio styling, from its humble beginnings in the 1920s until the sophisticated designs of our current days.
Recommended Content
Authors
Citation
Algelt, C. and Rowan, C., "A Brief History of Auto Radio Styling," SAE Technical Paper 890114, 1989, https://doi.org/10.4271/890114.Also In
References
- “When Car Radios Were Illegal: A History of Early American and European Car Radios,” Rowan Clem W. Altgelt Carlos A. SAE 850019 February 1985
- “The Evolution of the Automobile Antenna in the United States and Europe: A Historic Retrospective, Part One: The First Forty Years,” Rowan Clem W. Altgelt Carlos A. SAE 870090 February 1987
- “The Auto Radio: A Romantic Genealogy,” Matteson Donald W. 1988
- “In-Car Audio Equipment: New Directions in Appearance and Ergonomics Design,” Stoddard John SAE 870137 February 1987
- Henry Ford Museum Dearborn, Michigan
- The Motor March 24 1948