RCA Highway Hi-Fi

Courtesy Imperial Mailing List

Après le Highway Hi-Fi Columbia des années 56/57 (pas d'information si l'option était disponible en 58/59) et ses disques 16 tr/mn, Chrysler propose à partir de 1960 un nouveau tourne-disques pour les microsillons 45 tr/mn, bien plus disponibles sur le marché. Avec un changeur de disques intégré il pouvait lire plus de deux heures de musique !

Une autre marque, Allstate, était disponible: c'était un clone du RCA.

 After the Columbia Highway Hi-Fi with 16 2/3 rpm discs that was available in 1956-’57 (we don’t know if the option was offered in ’58-’59), Chrysler presented a new record player using RCA Victor’s 45 rpm microgroove discs. Those records with their big holes were available everywhere and did not need to be specially manufactured, like the 7-inch Columbia discs. A stack of 45s would play more than 2 hours.

Another brand, Allstate, was available - a clone of the RCA model.

RCA Model AP-1 45-RPM Highway Hi-Fi (1960 through 1961)

Tourne-disques 45 tr/mn RCA Highway Hi-Fi

Front view, with front door closed.

Arrière du RCA: le moyeu central permet d'entreposer près de 2 h1/2 de musique.

Underside of unit, with loading-door-flap open. Notice the center spindle, designed to hold 2-1/2 hours of 45-RPM records. The entire spindle and silvery, surrounding sub-chassis are entirely suspended from springs.

Autre vue du RCA; on voit le bras de lecture.

Underside view, from different angle. Notice the tone-arm is now visible, angled vertically. When the unit is installed, the tone-arm plays the underside of the lowest record on the stack, upside-down.

ARC Model 834 or 2500 45-RPM automotive record-players

These units were IDENTICAL to the RCA AP-1 shown above, in every possible way except for the outer case (rounded corners, and all chrome fronts, rather than chrome and black). All of the inner parts swapped straight across. I don't know the story on these units yet.