Although specifically designed Car radios were first commercially offered as early as 1922, it was the post WW2 Car boom which really made it a desired and expected feature in every vehicle. Designs naturally varied but most went for a simple unit that mounted either under or within the dash and incorporated. While the mechanics of getting the radio to work was quite simple, designers at the time struggled to create something both discreet and stylish that also overcame the problem of interference caused by being too close to the engine.
In 1947 a small English Company named Kresta Electric Ltd developed and marketed a highly unusual form of Car radio which broke away from the accepted form and instead of the dash, mounted their discreet receiver alongside the sun-visor. It was a clever design and a bold move which seemed to offer some superior qualities in regard to both reception and driving safety. Sadly, like so many other products the Kresta car radio ultimately failed to ignite the motor industry’s interest and the company was forced to close its doors in 1949. While there aren’t many details around about the Kresta Radio and its parent company, I’ve pooled together what I can find for those that are interested.
Kresta Electric Ltd
While the Kresta car radio emerged in 1947, the parent company had been going since at least the start of WW2. Founded in Warwickshire by Kenneth Hall Kerr in 1941 the company had been called the Kresta Foundary & Engineering Company. Like other small companies of the time it was contracted to supply the Military and by the end of the war the name had been shortened to simply Kresta & Co. The end of the war in 1945 halted the comfortable military contracts that many like Kresta had enjoyed and forced them to rethink their future within the post-war world. To Kerr’s credit he appears to have correctly predicted that the fields of Electrical Engineering and the Motor Industry were both lucrative fields to explore. By August 1946 the company was renamed again to Kresta Electric Ltd and were advertising locally for Office Girls to include some light assembly work. The business was described as a ‘modern factory for radio and telephone assemblers’ (parallel adverts placed in the Leamington Spa Courier and Coventry Evening Telegraph August 1946).
The Kresta Car Radio
We don’t really know who actually came up with the design for their unique car radio, but we know that on the 8-9th August 1947 they were exhibiting it as part of the ‘Warwick Can Make it’ exhibition. This was a local event involving around 20 local businesses including several like themselves who were servicing the Automotive Sector. As was common, the Kresta radio was ultimately distributed and fitted by approved retailers around the country who would also promote it as part of their own advertising. From late 1947-1949 many of these retailers ran regional adverts promoting the virtues of the Kresta and their fitting price. These adverts boldly hailed it an ‘amazing car radio’ and even ‘the finest car radio ever produced’. Customers could purchase either a 12v or 6v version for same day fitting at a cost of around £30 all in. The product was also promoted within Europe with a Belgian Kresta advert on display at this external website.
By the summer of 1948 the Kresta company had over 30 staff and (for all intensive purposes) looked ready to take the car radio industry by storm. In August 1948 this unusual car radio was given a full page write up in the influential ‘Wireless World’ Magazine, who noted its clever discreet shape and that the “performance in general was most impressive”. The only real negative found was that heavy lorries and busses would cause interference when passing. Despite this positive publicity, behind the scenes the company was already on the decline.
The decline of the Kresta Electric Company
Despite the positive article in the 1948 Wireless World magazine, the Kresta company was struggling financially and had most likely overstretched itself in expectation of its hoped for success. As early as June 1948 the creditors began to sell off the company assets and this continued on a regular basis until the site (and final remaining equipment) were auctioned off in December 1949. In truth, with no other known products, the business had put all its eggs into one basket. While the radio clearly received plenty of complements at the time, this does not appear to have translated into direct sales. To add to the problems of 1948, their 46 year old Works Manager Arthur Bullen had died suddenly in a work related accident in April 1948 just at the time when the company would have been looking to ramp up sales and production. Despite the distributors lauding the Kresta’s virtues to the end, the parent company closed its doors in 1949.
What made the Kresta Car Radio Unusual?
While the undermounted speaker was a pretty standard design, the narrow mounted receiver was certainly unique. Not only did the vertical screw-thread dial allow the driver to slip seamlessly between long wave and medium waves, but by hiding it up with the sun visor the radio did not suffer from the same issues of engine interference which plagued many other examples of the time. For the user the interconnected volume and tuning tubes were very pleasing to turn.
For its overall design the Kresta was discreet at a time when other car radios were imposing and would have suited a small car well. This may seem like a positive attribute to our modern eyes, but perhaps its lack of brazen design may have actually held it back. It was the era of bold automotive design statements and one can imagine that the individual willing to shell out £30 for a car radio may have actually wanted to show it off more to their friends – we will never know. Having restored an example we also recognise that it was a great design but probably not the most rebust for every day wear and tear.
In the end the Kresta Car Radio of 1947 remains a highly unusual and appealing design within the annals of automotive and radio history.
To watch a short video of mine being tuned please click the link here.
Photo Credit: Classic Car Radio by Ray Sawhill ; Internals of Kresta Radio by David Jones