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The Amazing Folding 8-track (a.k.a. "mini-8") by Mr. Lynn Fuller lynful@flash.net |
One of the most unique and least known
formats in the history of recorded tape is the Lear Jet
"Mini-8". Introduced in the late 60’s by
Lear Jet, the cartridge made it possible -- for the  first
time -- to record "singles" or mini-albums, up
to four songs, (30 min.) on an eight-track format. The
format was completely compatible with any 8-track player
at about ½ the size and 1/3 the cost of a normal
8-track. The most unique feature of the cart was that it folded to about the size of a cassette tape. The working mechanisms and the tape itself were contained in the front half of the shell, leaving the other half empty and allowing it to fold over. This allowed it to make its own box, and the back half protected the exposed tape on the other end. The tape was marketed to compete with the upstart
cassette industry that was gaining ground on the 8-track.
The four selections were from different artists and
attracted the younger buyer because Ampex Stereo Tapes had a catalog of 150 selections from over 20 labels in 1970. For example, one of the Mini-8 I own has the following four songs:
The Mini-8 cart was not the only size-conscious cart introduced. Motorola had a cart that reduced the size of the standard 8-track by 40% (3 1/2in. X 4 inches) with no loss of recording time. Motorola hyped the cart as occupying less car space and storage space and having a greater safety factor because of the shorter protrusion out the end of the player. Although this cart was manufactured, I know of no material that was released using this format. Also in the 60’s our good friend Mr. Muntz released a 4-track "Mini-Pac" that contained up to four songs and would play on a standard four-track player. There were releases of this product but I have yet to add one to my collection. In the end, all the "mini" formats were short-lived. The fear from the compact cassette proved to be a reality once affordable car cassette players hit the market. The size of the cassette, its ability to record, and the fast-rewind capability were only several of the factors that caused the mini-8 -- and eventually the 8-track format itself --to fail. About the author: Lynn Fuller has been a serious collector of tape formats for the past 20 years. His interest in the hobby came from working in a retail tape store throughout high school and college from 1967 to 1972. His collection consists of hundreds of 4-tracks (many still sealed), quads, Playtapes, Orrtonics and "folding 8-tracks". His hardware collection consists of over twenty-five 4-track car and home players and recorders, fifteen 4/8 combo units, 25 Quad car and home players and recorders, 8 Playtape units and one Orrtronics player/recorder. He was featured in the movie "So Wrong They’re Right" with a portion of his collection. He may be contacted at lynful@flash.net. |
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of its variety and low cost. The carts were
sold folded on a colorful 5 x 8 card with a picture of
the artist. The cart was enclosed in a clear plastic case
sealed to the card and hung on rack. The normal price for
a four-tune cart was $1.98.