On December 19, 1969 someone bought a copy of the Herald and used it to line the cupboards in the den of spanners I now call my home. Whoever you were, thank you – as I’ve discovered a treasure trove of 60’s Australian automotive flashbacks! In a three part series we start with a car radio that judging by the mustache involved, could charm the pants off anything…
Before you check out this sensational sound machine, lets line you up with a song you’d probably hear pumping through your speakers back in December 1969…we give you Tracy by the Cufflinks!
Right, with that now playing in the background and your mind cast back 47 years (add +1 year for every year post 2016), allow me to introduce you to the beauty that is was the Ferris Car Radio!
Oh god, where do I start with such an amazing time jump backwards? Perhaps the fact that even hooked up to a nuclear power plant, the Ferris Car Radio still wouldn’t be a tenth as powerful as the sight of that mighty mustache Stu’s packing. If mo’s could talk you’d buy it drinks all night and be completely gobsmacked by it’s adventures – In fact it was possibly so powerful back in 1969 that he used it to change the channels on his Ferris instead of his hands. (It probably started the car and steered it for him too! Stuart if you are reading this, can you please confirm/deny?)
Aside from the fact that it seemed to be able to handle Stu’s varied tastes just fine, you’re probably not going to find too many reviews on the Ferris Car Radio given it’s pre-www status however you can relive those heady days with a quick trip to eBay or Gumtree. Case in point is this amazing antique Ferris Car Truck Radio on Gumtree for a low $40….provided you take out half the dash to install it. Look at this monster!
(Mind you given the size of some of the cars coming out in the 60’s, you’d have plenty of space to install one of these beasts and still fit a family of five in the front seat..)
Just imagine how exciting it would have been going from no radio to a radio…with one speaker! Yes a whole speaker! (Read up more at Out in the shed with Ted.)
Ferris memories?
If you did install a Ferris in your ride back in the day (maybe it’s still going today!) tell us about it in the comments. Was it as awesome as Stu’s magnificent facial hair?
Coming up in the next post – car bargains from the same paper and how much they’d make you nowadays? Join us soon!